TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
NAME
terminfo - terminal capability data base
SYNOPSIS
/usr/lib/terminfo/?/*
DESCRIPTION
terminfo is a compiled database (see tic(1M)) describing the
capabilities of terminals. Terminals are described in
terminfo source descriptions by giving a set of capabilities
which they have, by describing how operations are performed,
by describing padding requirements, and by specifying
initialization sequences. This database is used by
applications programs, such as vi(1) and curses(3X), so they
can work with a variety of terminals without changes to the
programs. To obtain the source description for a terminal,
use the -I option of infocmp(1M).
Entries in terminfo source files consist of a number of
comma-separated fields. White space after each comma is
ignored. The first line of each terminal description in the
terminfo database gives the name by which terminfo knows the
terminal, separated by bar ( | ) characters. The first name
given is the most common abbreviation for the terminal (this
is the one to use to set the environment variable TERM in
$HOME/.profile; see profile(4)), the last name given should
be a long name fully identifying the terminal, and all
others are understood as synonyms for the terminal name.
All names but the last should contain no blanks and must be
unique in the first 14 characters; the last name may contain
blanks for readability.
Terminal names (except for the last, verbose entry) should
be chosen using the following conventions. The particular
piece of hardware making up the terminal should have a root
name chosen, for example, for the AT&T 4425 terminal,
att4425. Modes that the hardware can be in, or user
preferences, should be indicated by appending a hyphen and
an indicator of the mode. See term(5) for examples and more
information on choosing names and synonyms.
CAPABILITIES
In the table below, the Variable is the name by which the C
programmer (at the terminfo level) accesses the capability.
The Capname is the short name for this variable used in the
text of the database. It is used by a person updating the
database and by the tput(1) command when asking what the
value of the capability is for a particular terminal. The
Termcap Code is a two-letter code that corresponds to the
old termcap capability name.
Capability names have no hard length limit, but an informal
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
limit of 5 characters has been adopted to keep them short.
Whenever possible, names are chosen to be the same as or
similar to the ANSI X3.64-1979 standard. Semantics are also
intended to match those of the specification.
All string capabilities listed below may have padding
specified, with the exception of those used for input.
Input capabilities, listed under the Strings section in the
table below, have names beginning with key. The following
indicators may appear at the end of the Description for a
variable.
(G) indicates that the string is passed through tparm()
with parameters (parms) as given (# ).
i
(*) indicates that padding may be based on the number of
lines affected.
th
(# ) indicates the i parameter.
i
Variable Cap- Termcap Description
name Code
Booleans
auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from column 0 to last column
auto_right_margin am am Terminal has automatic margins
no_esc_ctlc xsb xb Beehive (f1=escape, f2=ctrl C)
ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs Standout not erased by overwriting (hp)
eat_newline_glitch xenl xn Newline ignored after 80 cols (Concept)
erase_overstrike eo eo Can erase overstrikes with a blank
generic_type gn gn Generic line type (e.g. dialup, switch).
hard_copy hc hc Hardcopy terminal
hard_cursor chts HC Cursor is hard to see.
has_meta_key km km Has a meta key (shift, sets parity bit)
has_status_line hs hs Has extra "status line"
insert_null_glitch in in Insert mode distinguishes nulls
memory_above da da Display may be retained above the screen
memory_below db db Display may be retained below the screen
move_insert_mode mir mi Safe to move while in insert mode
move_standout_mode msgr ms Safe to move in standout modes
needs_xon_xoff nxon nx Padding won't work, xon/xoff required
non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not reverse rmcup
no_pad_char npc NP Pad character doesn't exist
over_strike os os Terminal overstrikes on hard-copy terminal
prtr_silent mc5i 5i Printer won't echo on screen.
status_line_esc_ok eslok es Escape can be used on the status line
dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt Destructive tabs, magic smso char (t1061)
tilde_glitch hz hz Hazeltine; can't print tildes(~)
transparent_underline ul ul Underline character overstrikes
xon_xoff xon xo Terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
Numbers
columns cols co Number of columns in a line
init_tabs it it Tabs initially every # spaces.
label_height lh lh Number of rows in each label
label_width lw lw Number of cols in each label
lines lines li Number of lines on screen or page
lines_of_memory lm lm Lines of memory if > lines; 0 means varies
magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg Number blank chars left by smso or rmso
num_labels nlab Nl Number of labels on screen (start at 1)
padding_baud_rate pb pb Lowest baud rate where padding needed
virtual_terminal vt vt Virtual terminal number (UNIX system)
width_status_line wsl ws Number of columns in status line
Strings
acs_chars acsc ac Graphic charset pairs aAbBcC - def=vt100+
back_tab cbt bt Back tab
bell bel bl Audible signal (bell)
carriage_return cr cr Carriage return (*)
change_scroll_region csr cs Change to lines #1 thru #2 (vt100) (G)
char_padding rmp rP Like ip but when in replace mode
clear_all_tabs tbc ct Clear all tab stops
clear_margins mgc MC Clear left and right soft margins
clear_screen clear cl Clear screen and home cursor (*)
clr_bol el1 cb Clear to beginning of line, inclusive
clr_eol el ce Clear to end of line
clr_eos ed cd Clear to end of display (*)
column_address hpa ch Horizontal position absolute (G)
command_character cmdch CC Term. settable cmd char in prototype
cursor_address cup cm Cursor motion to row #1 col #2 (G)
cursor_down cud1 do Down one line
cursor_home home ho Home cursor (if no cup)
cursor_invisible civis vi Make cursor invisible
cursor_left cub1 le Move cursor left one space.
cursor_mem_address mrcup CM Memory relative cursor addressing (G)
cursor_normal cnorm ve Make cursor appear normal (undo vs/vi)
cursor_right cuf1 nd Non-destructive space (cursor right)
cursor_to_ll ll ll Last line, first column (if no cup)
cursor_up cuu1 up Upline (cursor up)
cursor_visible cvvis vs Make cursor very visible
delete_character dch1 dc Delete character (*)
delete_line dl1 dl Delete line (*)
dis_status_line dsl ds Disable status line
down_half_line hd hd Half-line down (forward 1/2 linefeed)
ena_acs enacs eA Enable alternate char set
enter_alt_charset_mode smacs as Start alternate character set
enter_am_mode smam SA Turn on automatic margins
enter_blink_mode blink mb Turn on blinking
enter_bold_mode bold md Turn on bold (extra bright) mode
enter_ca_mode smcup ti String to begin programs that use cup
enter_delete_mode smdc dm Delete mode (enter)
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
enter_dim_mode dim mh Turn on half-bright mode
enter_insert_mode smir im Insert mode (enter);
enter_protected_mode prot mp Turn on protected mode
enter_reverse_mode rev mr Turn on reverse video mode
enter_secure_mode invis mk Turn on blank mode (chars invisible)
enter_standout_mode smso so Begin standout mode
enter_underline_mode smul us Start underscore mode
enter_xon_mode smxon SX Turn on xon/xoff handshaking
erase_chars ech ec Erase #1 characters (G)
exit_alt_charset_mode rmacs ae End alternate character set
exit_am_mode rmam RA Turn off automatic margins
exit_attribute_mode sgr0 me Turn off all attributes
exit_ca_mode rmcup te String to end programs that use cup
exit_delete_mode rmdc ed End delete mode
exit_insert_mode rmir ei End insert mode;
exit_standout_mode rmso se End standout mode
exit_underline_mode rmul ue End underscore mode
exit_xon_mode rmxon RX Turn off xon/xoff handshaking
flash_screen flash vb Visible bell (may not move cursor)
form_feed ff ff Hardcopy terminal page eject (*)
from_status_line fsl fs Return from status line
init_1string is1 i1 Terminal initialization string
init_2string is2 is Terminal initialization string
init_3string is3 i3 Terminal initialization string
init_file if if Name of initialization file containing is
init_prog iprog iP Path name of program for init.
insert_character ich1 ic Insert character
insert_line il1 al Add new blank line (*)
insert_padding ip ip Insert pad after character inserted (*)
key_a1 ka1 K1 KEY_A1, 0534, Upper left of keypad
key_a3 ka3 K3 KEY_A3, 0535, Upper right of keypad
key_b2 kb2 K2 KEY_B2, 0536, Center of keypad
key_backspace kbs kb KEY_BACKSPACE, 0407,
Sent by backspace key
key_beg kbeg @1 KEY_BEG, 0542, Sent by beg(inning) key
key_btab kcbt kB KEY_BTAB, 0541, Sent by back-tab key
key_c1 kc1 K4 KEY_C1, 0537, Lower left of keypad
key_c3 kc3 K5 KEY_C3, 0540, Lower right of keypad
key_cancel kcan @2 KEY_CANCEL, 0543, Sent by cancel key
key_catab ktbc ka KEY_CATAB, 0526, Sent by clear-all-tabs key
key_clear kclr kC KEY_CLEAR, 0515,
Sent by clear-screen or erase key
key_close kclo @3 KEY_CLOSE, 0544, Sent by close key
key_command kcmd @4 KEY_COMMAND, 0545,
Sent by cmd (command) key
key_copy kcpy @5 KEY_COPY, 0546, Sent by copy key
key_create kcrt @6 KEY_CREATE, 0547, Sent by create key
key_ctab kctab kt KEY_CTAB, 0525, Sent by clear-tab key
key_dc kdch1 kD KEY_DC, 0512, Sent by delete-character key
key_dl kdl1 kL KEY_DL, 0510, Sent by delete-line key
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
key_down kcud1 kd KEY_DOWN, 0402,
Sent by terminal down-arrow key
key_eic krmir kM KEY_EIC, 0514,
Sent by rmir or smir in insert mode
key_end kend @7 KEY_END, 0550, Sent by end key
key_enter kent @8 KEY_ENTER, 0527, Sent by enter/send key
key_eol kel kE KEY_EOL, 0517,
Sent by clear-to-end-of-line key
key_eos ked kS KEY_EOS, 0516,
Sent by clear-to-end-of-screen key
key_exit kext @9 KEY_EXIT, 0551, Sent by exit key
key_f0 kf0 k0 KEY_F(0), 0410, Sent by function key f0
key_f1 kf1 k1 KEY_F(1), 0411, Sent by function key f1
key_f2 kf2 k2 KEY_F(2), 0412, Sent by function key f2
key_f3 kf3 k3 KEY_F(3), 0413, Sent by function key f3
key_f4 kf4 k4 KEY_F(4), 0414, Sent by function key f4
key_f5 kf5 k5 KEY_F(5), 0415, Sent by function key f5
key_f6 kf6 k6 KEY_F(6), 0416, Sent by function key f6
key_f7 kf7 k7 KEY_F(7), 0417, Sent by function key f7
key_f8 kf8 k8 KEY_F(8), 0420, Sent by function key f8
key_f9 kf9 k9 KEY_F(9), 0421, Sent by function key f9
key_f10 kf10 k; KEY_F(10), 0422, Sent by function key f10
key_f11 kf11 F1 KEY_F(11), 0423, Sent by function key f11
key_f12 kf12 F2 KEY_F(12), 0424, Sent by function key f12
key_f13 kf13 F3 KEY_F(13), 0425, Sent by function key f13
key_f14 kf14 F4 KEY_F(14), 0426, Sent by function key f14
key_f15 kf15 F5 KEY_F(15), 0427, Sent by function key f15
key_f16 kf16 F6 KEY_F(16), 0430, Sent by function key f16
key_f17 kf17 F7 KEY_F(17), 0431, Sent by function key f17
key_f18 kf18 F8 KEY_F(18), 0432, Sent by function key f18
key_f19 kf19 F9 KEY_F(19), 0433, Sent by function key f19
key_f20 kf20 FA KEY_F(20), 0434, Sent by function key f20
key_f21 kf21 FB KEY_F(21), 0435, Sent by function key f21
key_f22 kf22 FC KEY_F(22), 0436, Sent by function key f22
key_f23 kf23 FD KEY_F(23), 0437, Sent by function key f23
key_f24 kf24 FE KEY_F(24), 0440, Sent by function key f24
key_f25 kf25 FF KEY_F(25), 0441, Sent by function key f25
key_f26 kf26 FG KEY_F(26), 0442, Sent by function key f26
key_f27 kf27 FH KEY_F(27), 0443, Sent by function key f27
key_f28 kf28 FI KEY_F(28), 0444, Sent by function key f28
key_f29 kf29 FJ KEY_F(29), 0445, Sent by function key f29
key_f30 kf30 FK KEY_F(30), 0446, Sent by function key f30
key_f31 kf31 FL KEY_F(31), 0447, Sent by function key f31
key_f32 kf32 FM KEY_F(32), 0450, Sent by function key f32
key_f33 kf33 FN KEY_F(13), 0451, Sent by function key f13
key_f34 kf34 FO KEY_F(34), 0452, Sent by function key f34
key_f35 kf35 FP KEY_F(35), 0453, Sent by function key f35
key_f36 kf36 FQ KEY_F(36), 0454, Sent by function key f36
key_f37 kf37 FR KEY_F(37), 0455, Sent by function key f37
key_f38 kf38 FS KEY_F(38), 0456, Sent by function key f38
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
key_f39 kf39 FT KEY_F(39), 0457, Sent by function key f39
key_f40 kf40 FU KEY_F(40), 0460, Sent by function key f40
key_f41 kf41 FV KEY_F(41), 0461, Sent by function key f41
key_f42 kf42 FW KEY_F(42), 0462, Sent by function key f42
key_f43 kf43 FX KEY_F(43), 0463, Sent by function key f43
key_f44 kf44 FY KEY_F(44), 0464, Sent by function key f44
key_f45 kf45 FZ KEY_F(45), 0465, Sent by function key f45
key_f46 kf46 Fa KEY_F(46), 0466, Sent by function key f46
key_f47 kf47 Fb KEY_F(47), 0467, Sent by function key f47
key_f48 kf48 Fc KEY_F(48), 0470, Sent by function key f48
key_f49 kf49 Fd KEY_F(49), 0471, Sent by function key f49
key_f50 kf50 Fe KEY_F(50), 0472, Sent by function key f50
key_f51 kf51 Ff KEY_F(51), 0473, Sent by function key f51
key_f52 kf52 Fg KEY_F(52), 0474, Sent by function key f52
key_f53 kf53 Fh KEY_F(53), 0475, Sent by function key f53
key_f54 kf54 Fi KEY_F(54), 0476, Sent by function key f54
key_f55 kf55 Fj KEY_F(55), 0477, Sent by function key f55
key_f56 kf56 Fk KEY_F(56), 0500, Sent by function key f56
key_f57 kf57 Fl KEY_F(57), 0501, Sent by function key f57
key_f58 kf58 Fm KEY_F(58), 0502, Sent by function key f58
key_f59 kf59 Fn KEY_F(59), 0503, Sent by function key f59
key_f60 kf60 Fo KEY_F(60), 0504, Sent by function key f60
key_f61 kf61 Fp KEY_F(61), 0505, Sent by function key f61
key_f62 kf62 Fq KEY_F(62), 0506, Sent by function key f62
key_f63 kf63 Fr KEY_F(63), 0507, Sent by function key f63
key_find kfnd @0 KEY_FIND, 0552, Sent by find key
key_help khlp %1 KEY_HELP, 0553, Sent by help key
key_home khome kh KEY_HOME, 0406, Sent by home key
key_ic kich1 kI KEY_IC, 0513,
Sent by ins-char/enter ins-mode key
key_il kil1 kA KEY_IL, 0511, Sent by insert-line key
key_left kcub1 kl KEY_LEFT, 0404,
Sent by terminal left-arrow key
key_ll kll kH KEY_LL, 0533, Sent by home-down key
key_mark kmrk %2 KEY_MARK, 0554, Sent by mark key
key_message kmsg %3 KEY_MESSAGE, 0555, Sent by message key
key_move kmov %4 KEY_MOVE, 0556, Sent by move key
key_next knxt %5 KEY_NEXT, 0557, Sent by next-object key
key_npage knp kN KEY_NPAGE, 0522, Sent by next-page key
key_open kopn %6 KEY_OPEN, 0560, Sent by open key
key_options kopt %7 KEY_OPTIONS, 0561, Sent by options key
key_ppage kpp kP KEY_PPAGE, 0523, Sent by previous-page key
key_previous kprv %8 KEY_PREVIOUS, 0562,
Sent by previous-object key
key_print kprt %9 KEY_PRINT, 0532, Sent by print or copy key
key_redo krdo %0 KEY_REDO, 0563, Sent by redo key
key_reference kref &1 KEY_REFERENCE, 0564,
Sent by ref(erence) key
key_refresh krfr &2 KEY_REFRESH, 0565, Sent by refresh key
key_replace krpl &3 KEY_REPLACE, 0566, Sent by replace key
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
key_restart krst &4 KEY_RESTART, 0567, Sent by restart key
key_resume kres &5 KEY_RESUME, 0570, Sent by resume key
key_right kcuf1 kr KEY_RIGHT, 0405,
Sent by terminal right-arrow key
key_save ksav &6 KEY_SAVE, 0571, Sent by save key
key_sbeg kBEG &9 KEY_SBEG, 0572, Sent by shifted beginning key
key_scancel kCAN &0 KEY_SCANCEL, 0573, Sent by shifted cancel key
key_scommand kCMD *1 KEY_SCOMMAND, 0574,
Sent by shifted command key
key_scopy kCPY *2 KEY_SCOPY, 0575, Sent by shifted copy key
key_screate kCRT *3 KEY_SCREATE, 0576, Sent by shifted create key
key_sdc kDC *4 KEY_SDC, 0577, Sent by shifted delete-char key
key_sdl kDL *5 KEY_SDL, 0600, Sent by shifted delete-line key
key_select kslt *6 KEY_SELECT, 0601, Sent by select key
key_send kEND *7 KEY_SEND, 0602, Sent by shifted end key
key_seol kEOL *8 KEY_SEOL, 0603, Sent by shifted clear-line key
key_sexit kEXT *9 KEY_SEXIT, 0604, Sent by shifted exit key
key_sf kind kF KEY_SF, 0520, Sent by scroll-forward/down key
key_sfind kFND *0 KEY_SFIND, 0605, Sent by shifted find key
key_shelp kHLP #1 KEY_SHELP, 0606, Sent by shifted help key
key_shome kHOM #2 KEY_SHOME, 0607, Sent by shifted home key
key_sic kIC #3 KEY_SIC, 0610, Sent by shifted input key
key_sleft kLFT #4 KEY_SLEFT, 0611,
Sent by shifted left-arrow key
key_smessage kMSG %a KEY_SMESSAGE, 0612,
Sent by shifted message key
key_smove kMOV %b KEY_SMOVE, 0613, Sent by shifted move key
key_snext kNXT %c KEY_SNEXT, 0614, Sent by shifted next key
key_soptions kOPT %d KEY_SOPTIONS, 0615,
Sent by shifted options key
key_sprevious kPRV %e KEY_SPREVIOUS, 0616,
Sent by shifted prev key
key_sprint kPRT %f KEY_SPRINT, 0617, Sent by shifted print key
key_sr kri kR KEY_SR, 0521, Sent by scroll-backward/up key
key_sredo kRDO %g KEY_SREDO, 0620, Sent by shifted redo key
key_sreplace kRPL %h KEY_SREPLACE, 0621,
Sent by shifted replace key
key_sright kRIT %i KEY_SRIGHT, 0622,
Sent by shifted right-arrow key
key_srsume kRES %j KEY_SRSUME, 0623, Sent by shifted resume key
key_ssave kSAV !1 KEY_SSAVE, 0624, Sent by shifted save key
key_ssuspend kSPD !2 KEY_SSUSPEND, 0625,
Sent by shifted suspend key
key_stab khts kT KEY_STAB, 0524, Sent by set-tab key
key_sundo kUND !3 KEY_SUNDO, 0626, Sent by shifted undo key
key_suspend kspd &7 KEY_SUSPEND, 0627, Sent by suspend key
key_undo kund &8 KEY_UNDO, 0630, Sent by undo key
key_up kcuu1 ku KEY_UP, 0403, Sent by terminal up-arrow key
keypad_local rmkx ke Out of ``keypad-transmit'' mode
keypad_xmit smkx ks Put terminal in ``keypad-transmit'' mode
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
lab_f0 lf0 l0 Labels on function key f0 if not f0
lab_f1 lf1 l1 Labels on function key f1 if not f1
lab_f2 lf2 l2 Labels on function key f2 if not f2
lab_f3 lf3 l3 Labels on function key f3 if not f3
lab_f4 lf4 l4 Labels on function key f4 if not f4
lab_f5 lf5 l5 Labels on function key f5 if not f5
lab_f6 lf6 l6 Labels on function key f6 if not f6
lab_f7 lf7 l7 Labels on function key f7 if not f7
lab_f8 lf8 l8 Labels on function key f8 if not f8
lab_f9 lf9 l9 Labels on function key f9 if not f9
lab_f10 lf10 la Labels on function key f10 if not f10
label_off rmln LF Turn off soft labels
label_on smln LO Turn on soft labels
meta_off rmm mo Turn off "meta mode"
meta_on smm mm Turn on "meta mode" (8th bit)
newline nel nw Newline (behaves like cr followed by lf)
pad_char pad pc Pad character (rather than null)
parm_dch dch DC Delete #1 chars (G*)
parm_delete_line dl DL Delete #1 lines (G*)
parm_down_cursor cud DO Move cursor down #1 lines. (G*)
parm_ich ich IC Insert #1 blank chars (G*)
parm_index indn SF Scroll forward #1 lines. (G)
parm_insert_line il AL Add #1 new blank lines (G*)
parm_left_cursor cub LE Move cursor left #1 spaces (G)
parm_right_cursor cuf RI Move cursor right #1 spaces. (G*)
parm_rindex rin SR Scroll backward #1 lines. (G)
parm_up_cursor cuu UP Move cursor up #1 lines. (G*)
pkey_key pfkey pk Prog funct key #1 to type string #2
pkey_local pfloc pl Prog funct key #1 to execute string #2
pkey_xmit pfx px Prog funct key #1 to xmit string #2
plab_norm pln pn Prog label #1 to show string #2
print_screen mc0 ps Print contents of the screen
prtr_non mc5p pO Turn on the printer for #1 bytes
prtr_off mc4 pf Turn off the printer
prtr_on mc5 po Turn on the printer
repeat_char rep rp Repeat char #1 #2 times (G*)
req_for_input rfi RF Send next input char (for ptys)
reset_1string rs1 r1 Reset terminal completely to sane modes
reset_2string rs2 r2 Reset terminal completely to sane modes
reset_3string rs3 r3 Reset terminal completely to sane modes
reset_file rf rf Name of file containing reset string
restore_cursor rc rc Restore cursor to position of last sc
row_address vpa cv Vertical position absolute (G)
save_cursor sc sc Save cursor position.
scroll_forward ind sf Scroll text up
scroll_reverse ri sr Scroll text down
set_attributes sgr sa Define the video attributes #1-#9 (G)
set_left_margin smgl ML Set soft left margin
set_right_margin smgr MR Set soft right margin
set_tab hts st Set a tab in all rows, current column.
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set_window wind wi Current window is lines #1-#2 cols #3-#4 (G)
tab ht ta Tab to next 8 space hardware tab stop.
to_status_line tsl ts Go to status line, col #1 (G)
underline_char uc uc Underscore one char and move past it
up_half_line hu hu Half-line up (reverse 1/2 linefeed)
xoff_character xoffc XF X-off character
xon_character xonc XN X-on character
SAMPLE ENTRY
The following entry, which describes the Concept-100
terminal, is among the more complex entries in the terminfo
file as of this writing.
concept100|c100|concept|c104|c100-4p|concept 100,
am, db, eo, in, mir, ul, xenl,
cols#80, lines#24, pb#9600, vt#8,
bel=^G, blank=\EH, blink=\EC, clear=^L$<2*>,
cnorm=\Ew, cr=^M$<9>, cub1=^H, cud1=^J,
cuf1=\E=, cup=\Ea%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c,
cuu1=\E;, cvvis=\EW, dch1=\E^A$<16*>, dim=\EE,
dl1=\E^B$<3*>, ed=\E^C$<16*>, el=\E^U$<16>,
flash=\Ek$<20>\EK, ht=\t$<8>, il1=\E^R$<3*>,
ind=^J, .ind=^J$<9>, ip=$<16*>,
is2=\EU\Ef\E7\E5\E8\El\ENH\EK\E\0\Eo&\0\Eo\47\E,
kbs=^h, kcub1=\E>, kcud1=\E<, kcuf1=\E=, kcuu1=\E;,
kf1=\E5, kf2=\E6, kf3=\E7, khome=\E?,
prot=\EI, rep=\Er%p1%c%p2%' '%+%c$<.2*>,
rev=\ED, rmcup=\Ev\s\s\s\s$<6>\Ep\r\n,
rmir=\E\0, rmkx=\Ex, rmso=\Ed\Ee, rmul=\Eg,
rmul=\Eg, sgr0=\EN\0, smcup=\EU\Ev\s\s8p\Ep\r,
smir=\E^P, smkx=\EX, smso=\EE\ED, smul=\EG,
Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at
the beginning of each line except the first.
Lines beginning with ``#'' are taken as comment lines.
Capabilities in
terminfo
are of three types:
boolean capabilities which indicate that the terminal has some particular
feature,
numeric capabilities giving the size of the terminal or particular features,
and string capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to perform
particular terminal operations.
Types of Capabilities
All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that
the Concept has automatic margins (i.e., an automatic return
and linefeed when the end of a line is reached) is indicated
by the capability am. Hence the description of the Concept
includes am. Numeric capabilities are followed by the
character `#' and then the value. Thus cols, which
indicates the number of columns the terminal has, gives the
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value 80 for the Concept. The value may be specified in
decimal, octal or hexadecimal using normal C conventions.
Finally, string-valued capabilities, such as el (clear to
end of line sequence) are given by the two- to five-
character capname, an `=', and then a string ending at the
next following comma. A delay in milliseconds may appear
anywhere in such a capability, enclosed in $<..> brackets,
as in el=\EK$<3>, and padding characters are supplied by
tputs() (see curses(3X)) to provide this delay. The delay
can be either a number, e.g., 20, or a number followed by an
`*' (i.e., 3*), a `/' (i.e., 5/), or both (i.e., 10*/). A
`*' indicates that the padding required is proportional to
the number of lines affected by the operation, and the
amount given is the per-affected-unit padding required. (In
the case of insert character, the factor is still the number
of lines affected. This is always one unless the terminal
has in and the software uses it.) When a `*' is specified,
it is sometimes useful to give a delay of the form 3.5 to
specify a delay per unit to tenths of milliseconds. (Only
one decimal place is allowed.) A `/' indicates that the
padding is mandatory. Otherwise, if the terminal has xon
defined, the padding information is advisory and will only
be used for cost estimates or when the terminal is in raw
mode. Mandatory padding will be transmitted regardless of
the setting of xon.
A number of escape sequences are provided in the string
valued capabilities for easy encoding of characters there.
Both \E and \e map to an ESCAPE character, ^x maps to a
control-x for any appropriate x, and the sequences \n, \l,
\r, \t, \b, \f, and \s give a newline, linefeed, return,
tab, backspace, formfeed, and space, respectively. Other
escapes include: \^ for caret (^); \\ for backslash (\); \,
for comma (,); \: for colon (:); and \0 for null. (\0 will
actually produce \200, which does not terminate a string but
behaves as a null character on most terminals.) Finally,
characters may be given as three octal digits after a
backslash (e.g., \123).
Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To
do this, put a period before the capability name. For
example, see the second ind in the example above. Note that
capabilities are defined in a left-to-right order and,
therefore, a prior definition will override a later
definition.
Preparing Descriptions
The most effective way to prepare a terminal description is
by imitating the description of a similar terminal in
terminfo and to build up a description gradually, using
partial descriptions with vi(1) to check that they are
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correct. Be aware that a very unusual terminal may expose
deficiencies in the ability of the terminfo file to describe
it or the inability of vi(1) to work with that terminal. To
test a new terminal description, set the environment
variable TERMINFO to a pathname of a directory containing
the compiled description you are working on and programs
will look there rather than in /usr/lib/terminfo. To get
the padding for insert-line correct (if the terminal
manufacturer did not document it) a severe test is to
comment out xon, edit a large file at 9600 baud with vi(1),
delete 16 or so lines from the middle of the screen, then
hit the u key several times quickly. If the display is
corrupted, more padding is usually needed. A similar test
can be used for insert-character.
Basic Capabilities
The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given
by the cols numeric capability. If the terminal has a
screen, then the number of lines on the screen is given by
the lines capability. If the terminal wraps around to the
beginning of the next line when it reaches the right margin,
then it should have the am capability. If the terminal can
clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home position,
then this is given by the clear string capability. If the
terminal overstrikes (rather than clearing a position when a
character is struck over) then it should have the os
capability. If the terminal is a printing terminal, with no
soft copy unit, give it both hc and os. (os applies to
storage scope terminals, such as Tektronix 4010 series, as
well as hard-copy and APL terminals.) If there is a code to
move the cursor to the left edge of the current row, give
this as cr. (Normally this will be carriage return, control
M.) If there is a code to produce an audible signal (bell,
beep, etc) give this as bel. If the terminal uses the xon-
xoff flow-control protocol, like most terminals, specify
xon.
If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the
left (such as backspace) that capability should be given as
cub1. Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and down
should be given as cuf1, cuu1, and cud1. These local cursor
motions should not alter the text they pass over; for
example, you would not normally use ``cuf1=\s'' because the
space would erase the character moved over.
A very important point here is that the local cursor motions
encoded in terminfo are undefined at the left and top edges
of a screen terminal. Programs should never attempt to
backspace around the left edge, unless bw is given, and
should never attempt to go up locally off the top. In order
to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom left
corner of the screen and send the ind (index) string.
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To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner
of the screen and sends the ri (reverse index) string. The
strings ind and ri are undefined when not on their
respective corners of the screen.
Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are indn
and rin which have the same semantics as ind and ri except
that they take one parameter, and scroll that many lines.
They are also undefined except at the appropriate edge of
the screen.
The am capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the
right edge of the screen when text is output, but this does
not necessarily apply to a cuf1 from the last column. The
only local motion which is defined from the left edge is if
bw is given, then a cub1 from the left edge will move to the
right edge of the previous row. If bw is not given, the
effect is undefined. This is useful for drawing a box
around the edge of the screen, for example. If the terminal
has switch selectable automatic margins, the terminfo file
usually assumes that this is on; i.e., am. If the terminal
has a command which moves to the first column of the next
line, that command can be given as nel (newline). It does
not matter if the command clears the remainder of the
current line, so if the terminal has no cr and lf it may
still be possible to craft a working nel out of one or both
of them.
These capabilities suffice to describe hardcopy and screen
terminals. Thus the model 33 teletype is described as
33|tty33|tty|model 33 teletype,
bel=^G, cols#72, cr=^M, cud1=^J, hc, ind=^J, os,
while the Lear Siegler ADM-3 is described as
adm3|lsi adm3,
am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H, cud1=^J,
ind=^J, lines#24,
Parameterized Strings
Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters in
the terminal are described by a parameterized string
capability, with printf(3S)-like escapes (%x) in it. For
example, to address the cursor, the cup capability is given,
using two parameters: the row and column to address to.
(Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to the
physical screen visible to the user, not to any unseen
memory.) If the terminal has memory relative cursor
addressing, that can be indicated by mrcup.
The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special % codes to
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manipulate it in the manner of a Reverse Polish Notation
(postfix) calculator. Typically a sequence will push one of
the parameters onto the stack and then print it in some
format. Often more complex operations are necessary.
Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in
the usual order. That is, to get x-5 one would use
%gx%{5}%-.
The % encodings have the following meanings:
%% outputs `%'
%[[:]flags][width[.precision]][doxXs]
as in printf, flags are [-+#] and space
%c print pop() gives %c
th
%p[1-9]push i parm
%P[a-z]set variable [a-z] to pop()
%g[a-z]get variable [a-z] and push it
%'c' push char constant c
%{nn} push decimal constant nn
%l push strlen(pop())
%+ %- %* %/ %m
arithmetic (%m is mod): push(pop() op pop())
%& %| %^bit operations: push(pop() op pop())
%= %> %<logical operations: push(pop() op pop())
%A %O logical operations: and, or
%! %~ unary operations: push(op pop())
%i (for ANSI terminals)
add 1 to first parm, if one parm present,
or first two parms, if more than one parm present
%? expr %t thenpart %e elsepart %;
if-then-else, %e elsepart is optional;
else-if's are possible ala Algol 68:
%? c %t b %e c %t b %e c %t b %e c %t b %e b %;
1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5
c are conditions, b are bodies.
i i
If the ``-'' flag is used with ``%[doxXs]'', then a colon
(:) must be placed between the ``%'' and the ``-'' to
differentiate the flag from the binary ``%-'' operator, .e.g
``%:-16.16s''.
Consider the Hewlett-Packard 2645, which, to get to row 3
and column 12, needs to be sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6
milliseconds. Note that the order of the rows and columns
is inverted here, and that the row and column are zero-
padded as two digits. Thus its cup capability is
``cup=\E&a%p2%2.2dc%p1%2.2dY$<6>''.
The Micro-Term ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent
preceded by a ^T, with the row and column simply encoded in
binary, ``cup=^T%p1%c%p2%c''. Terminals which use ``%c''
need to be able to backspace the cursor (cub1), and to move
the cursor up one line on the screen (cuu1). This is
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necessary because it is not always safe to transmit \n, ^D,
and \r, as the system may change or discard them. (The
library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that
tabs are never expanded, so \t is safe to send. This turns
out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
A final example is the LSI ADM-3a, which uses row and column
offset by a blank character, thus
``cup=\E=%p1%'\s'%+%c%p2%'\s'%+%c''. After sending ``\E='',
this pushes the first parameter, pushes the ASCII value for
a space (32), adds them (pushing the sum on the stack in
place of the two previous values), and outputs that value as
a character. Then the same is done for the second
parameter. More complex arithmetic is possible using the
stack.
Cursor Motions
If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very
upper left corner of screen) then this can be given as home;
similarly a fast way of getting to the lower left-hand
corner can be given as ll; this may involve going up with
cuu1 from the home position, but a program should never do
this itself (unless ll does) because it can make no
assumption about the effect of moving up from the home
position. Note that the home position is the same as
addressing to (0,0): to the top left corner of the screen,
not of memory. (Thus, the \EH sequence on Hewlett-Packard
terminals cannot be used for home without losing some of the
other features on the terminal.)
If the terminal has row or column absolute-cursor
addressing, these can be given as single parameter
capabilities hpa (horizontal position absolute) and vpa
(vertical position absolute). Sometimes these are shorter
than the more general two-parameter sequence (as with the
Hewlett-Packard 2645) and can be used in preference to cup.
If there are parameterized local motions (e.g., move n
spaces to the right) these can be given as cud, cub, cuf,
and cuu with a single parameter indicating how many spaces
to move. These are primarily useful if the terminal does
not have cup, such as the Tektronix 4025.
Area Clears
If the terminal can clear from the current position to the
end of the line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should
be given as el. If the terminal can clear from the
beginning of the line to the current position inclusive,
leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as el1.
If the terminal can clear from the current position to the
end of the display, then this should be given as ed. ed is
only defined from the first column of a line. (Thus, it can
be simulated by a request to delete a large number of lines,
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if a true ed is not available.)
Insert/delete line
If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line
where the cursor is, this should be given as il1; this is
done only from the first position of a line. The cursor
must then appear on the newly blank line. If the terminal
can delete the line which the cursor is on, then this should
be given as dl1; this is done only from the first position
on the line to be deleted. Versions of il1 and dl1 which
take a single parameter and insert or delete that many lines
can be given as il and dl.
If the terminal has a settable destructive scrolling region
(like the VT100) the command to set this can be described
with the csr capability, which takes two parameters: the
top and bottom lines of the scrolling region. The cursor
position is, alas, undefined after using this command. It
is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line using
this command -- the sc and rc (save and restore cursor)
commands are also useful. Inserting lines at the top or
bottom of the screen can also be done using ri or ind on
many terminals without a true insert/delete line, and is
often faster even on terminals with those features.
To determine whether a terminal has destructive scrolling
regions or non-destructive scrolling regions, create a
scrolling region in the middle of the screen, place data on
the bottom line of the scrolling region, move the cursor to
the top line of the scrolling region, and do a reverse index
(ri) followed by a delete line (dl1) or index (ind). If the
data that was originally on the bottom line of the scrolling
region was restored into the scrolling region by the dl1 or
ind, then the terminal has non-destructive scrolling
regions. Otherwise, it has destructive scrolling regions.
Do not specify csr if the terminal has non-destructive
scrolling regions, unless ind, ri, indn, rin, dl, and dl1
all simulate destructive scrolling.
If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part
of memory, which all commands affect, it should be given as
the parameterized string wind. The four parameters are the
starting and ending lines in memory and the starting and
ending columns in memory, in that order.
If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the da
capability should be given; if display memory can be
retained below, then db should be given. These indicate
that deleting a line or scrolling a full screen may bring
non-blank lines up from below or that scrolling back with ri
may bring down non-blank lines.
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Insert/Delete Character
There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with
respect to insert/delete character operations which can be
described using terminfo. The most common insert/delete
character operations affect only the characters on the
current line and shift characters off the end of the line
rigidly. Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the
Perkin Elmer Owl, make a distinction between typed and
untyped blanks on the screen, shifting upon an insert or
delete only to an untyped blank on the screen which is
either eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks. You
can determine the kind of terminal you have by clearing the
screen and then typing text separated by cursor motions.
Type ``abc def'' using local cursor motions (not spaces)
between the abc and the def. Then position the cursor
before the abc and put the terminal in insert mode. If
typing characters causes the rest of the line to shift
rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your
terminal does not distinguish between blanks and untyped
positions. If the abc shifts over to the def which then
move together around the end of the current line and onto
the next as you insert, you have the second type of
terminal, and should give the capability in, which stands
for ``insert null''. While these are two logically separate
attributes (one line versus multiline insert mode, and
special treatment of untyped spaces) we have seen no
terminals whose insert mode cannot be described with the
single attribute.
terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert
mode and terminals which send a simple sequence to open a
blank position on the current line. Give as smir the
sequence to get into insert mode. Give as rmir the sequence
to leave insert mode. Now give as ich1 any sequence needed
to be sent just before sending the character to be inserted.
Most terminals with a true insert mode will not give ich1;
terminals which send a sequence to open a screen position
should give it here. (If your terminal has both, insert
mode is usually preferable to ich1. Do not give both unless
the terminal actually requires both to be used in
combination.) If post-insert padding is needed, give this
as a number of milliseconds padding in ip (a string option).
Any other sequence which may need to be sent after an insert
of a single character may also be given in ip. If your
terminal needs both to be placed into an `insert mode' and a
special code to precede each inserted character, then both
smir/rmir and ich1 can be given, and both will be used. The
ich capability, with one parameter, n, will repeat the
effects of ich1 n times.
If padding is necessary between characters typed while not
in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds
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padding in rmp.
It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert
mode to delete characters on the same line (e.g., if there
is a tab after the insertion position). If your terminal
allows motion while in insert mode you can give the
capability mir to speed up inserting in this case. Omitting
mir will affect only speed. Some terminals (notably
Datamedia's) must not have mir because of the way their
insert mode works.
Finally, you can specify dch1 to delete a single character,
dch with one parameter, n, to delete n characters, and
delete mode by giving smdc and rmdc to enter and exit delete
mode (any mode the terminal needs to be placed in for dch1
to work).
A command to erase n characters (equivalent to outputting n
blanks without moving the cursor) can be given as ech with
one parameter.
Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells
If your terminal has one or more kinds of display
attributes, these can be represented in a number of
different ways. You should choose one display form as
standout mode (see curses(3X)), representing a good, high
contrast, easy-on-the-eyes, format for highlighting error
messages and other attention getters. (If you have a
choice, reverse-video plus half-bright is good, or reverse-
video alone; however, different users have different
preferences on different terminals.) The sequences to enter
and exit standout mode are given as smso and rmso,
respectively. If the code to change into or out of standout
mode leaves one or even two blank spaces on the screen, as
the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do, then xmc should be given to
tell how many spaces are left.
Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given
as smul and rmul respectively. If the terminal has a code
to underline the current character and move the cursor one
space to the right, such as the Micro-Term MIME, this can be
given as uc.
Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes
include blink (blinking), bold (bold or extra-bright), dim
(dim or half-bright), invis (blanking or invisible text),
prot (protected), rev (reverse-video), sgr0 (turn off all
attribute modes), smacs (enter alternate-character-set
mode), and rmacs (exit alternate-character-set mode).
Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn off
other modes. If a command is necessary before alternate
character set mode is entered, give the sequence in enacs
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(enable alternate-character-set mode).
If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of
modes, this should be given as sgr (set attributes), taking
nine parameters. Each parameter is either 0 or non-zero, as
the corresponding attribute is on or off. The nine
parameters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse,
blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set.
Not all modes need be supported by sgr, only those for which
corresponding separate attribute commands exist. (See the
example at the end of this section.)
Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch (xmc) deposit
special ``cookies'' when they receive mode-setting
sequences, which affect the display algorithm rather than
having extra bits for each character. Some terminals, such
as the Hewlett-Packard 2621, automatically leave standout
mode when they move to a new line or the cursor is
addressed. Programs using standout mode should exit
standout mode before moving the cursor or sending a newline,
unless the msgr capability, asserting that it is safe to
move in standout mode, is present.
If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate
an error quietly (a bell replacement), then this can be
given as flash; it must not move the cursor. A good flash
can be done by changing the screen into reverse video, pad
for 200 ms, then return the screen to normal video.
If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal when
it is not on the bottom line (to make, for example, a non-
blinking underline into an easier to find block or blinking
underline) give this sequence as cvvis. The boolean chts
should also be given. If there is a way to make the cursor
completely invisible, give that as civis. The capability
cnorm should be given which undoes the effects of either of
these modes.
If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running a
program that uses these capabilities, the codes to enter and
exit this mode can be given as smcup and rmcup. This
arises, for example, from terminals like the Concept with
more than one page of memory. If the terminal has only
memory relative cursor addressing and not screen relative
cursor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed
into the terminal for cursor addressing to work properly.
This is also used for the Tektronix 4025, where smcup sets
the command character to be the one used by terminfo. If
the smcup sequence will not restore the screen after an
rmcup sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
rmcup), specify nrrmc.
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If your terminal generates underlined characters by using
the underline character (with no special codes needed) even
though it does not otherwise overstrike characters, then you
should give the capability ul. For terminals where a
character overstriking another leaves both characters on the
screen, give the capability os. If overstrikes are erasable
with a blank, then this should be indicated by giving eo.
Example of highlighting: assume that the terminal under
question needs the following escape sequences to turn on
various modes.
tparm attribute escape sequence
parameter
none \E[0m
p1 standout \E[0;4;7m
p2 underline \E[0;3m
p3 reverse \E[0;4m
p4 blink \E[0;5m
p5 dim \E[0;7m
p6 bold \E[0;3;4m
p7 invis \E[0;8m
p8 protect not available
p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N(on)
Note that each escape sequence requires a 0 to turn off
other modes before turning on its own mode. Also note that,
as suggested above, standout is set up to be the combination
of reverse and dim. Also, since this terminal has no bold
mode, bold is set up as the combination of reverse and
underline. In addition, to allow combinations, such as
underline+blink, the sequence to use would be \E[0;3;5m.
The terminal doesn't have protect mode, either, but that
cannot be simulated in any way, so p8 is ignored. The
altcharset mode is different in that it is either ^O or ^N
depending on whether it is off or on. If all modes were to
be turned on, the sequence would be \E[0;3;4;5;7;8m^N.
Now look at when different sequences are output. For
example, ;3 is output when either p2 or p6 is true, that is,
if either underline or bold modes are turned on. Writing
out the above sequences, along with their dependencies,
gives the following:
sequence when to output terminfo translation
\E[0 always \E[0
;3 if p2 or p6 %?%p2%p6%|%t;3%;
;4 if p1 or p3 or p6 %?%p1%p3%|%p6%|%t;4%;
;5 if p4 %?%p4%t;5%;
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;7 if p1 or p5 %?%p1%p5%|%t;7%;
;8 if p7 %?%p7%t;8%;
m always m
^N or ^O if p9 ^N, else ^O %?%p9%t^N%e^O%;
Putting this all together into the sgr sequence gives:
sgr=\E[0%?%p2%p6%|%t;3%;%?%p1%p3%|%p6%|%t;4%;%?%p5%t;
|5%;%?%p1%p5%%t;7%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t^N%e^O%;,
Keypad
If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the
keys are pressed, this information can be given. Note that
it is not possible to handle terminals where the keypad only
works in local (this applies, for example, to the unshifted
Hewlett-Packard 2621 keys). If the keypad can be set to
transmit or not transmit, give these codes as smkx and rmkx.
Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow,
down arrow, and home keys can be given as kcub1, kcuf1,
kcuu1, kcud1, and khome respectively. If there are function
keys such as f0, f1, ..., f63, the codes they send can be
given as kf0, kf1, ..., kf63. If the first 11 keys have
labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels can
be given as lf0, lf1, ..., lf10. The codes transmitted by
certain other special keys can be given: kll (home down),
kbs (backspace), ktbc (clear all tabs), kctab (clear the tab
stop in this column), kclr (clear screen or erase key),
kdch1 (delete character), kdl1 (delete line), krmir (exit
insert mode), kel (clear to end of line), ked (clear to end
of screen), kich1 (insert character or enter insert mode),
kil1 (insert line), knp (next page), kpp (previous page),
kind (scroll forward/down), kri (scroll backward/up), khts
(set a tab stop in this column). In addition, if the keypad
has a 3 by 3 array of keys including the four arrow keys,
the other five keys can be given as ka1, ka3, kb2, kc1, and
kc3. These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3
directional pad are needed. Further keys are defined above
in the capabilities list.
Strings to program function keys can be given as pfkey,
pfloc, and pfx. A string to program their soft-screen
labels can be given as pln. Each of these strings takes two
parameters: the function key number to program (from 0 to
10) and the string to program it with. Function key numbers
out of this range may program undefined keys in a terminal-
dependent manner. The difference between the capabilities
is that pfkey causes pressing the given key to be the same
as the user typing the given string; pfloc causes the string
to be executed by the terminal in local mode; and pfx causes
the string to be transmitted to the computer. The
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capabilities nlab, lw and lh define how many soft labels
there are and their width and height. If there are commands
to turn the labels on and off, give them in smln and rmln.
smln is normally output after one or more pln sequences to
make sure that the change becomes visible.
Tabs and Initialization
If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to
the next tab stop can be given as ht (usually control I). A
``backtab'' command which moves leftward to the next tab
stop can be given as cbt. By convention, if the teletype
modes indicate that tabs are being expanded by the computer
rather than being sent to the terminal, programs should not
use ht or cbt even if they are present, since the user may
not have the tab stops properly set. If the terminal has
hardware tabs which are initially set every n spaces when
the terminal is powered up, the numeric parameter it is
given, showing the number of spaces the tabs are set to.
This is normally used by tput init (see tput(1)) to
determine whether to set the mode for hardware tab expansion
and whether to set the tab stops. If the terminal has tab
stops that can be saved in nonvolatile memory, the terminfo
description can assume that they are properly set. If there
are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given
as tbc (clear all tab stops) and hts (set a tab stop in the
current column of every row).
Other capabilities include: is1, is2, and is3,
initialization strings for the terminal; iprog, the path
name of a program to be run to initialize the terminal; and
if, the name of a file containing long initialization
strings. These strings are expected to set the terminal
into modes consistent with the rest of the terminfo
description. They must be sent to the terminal each time
the user logs in and be output in the following order: run
the program iprog; output is1; output is2; set the margins
using mgc, smgl and smgr; set the tabs using tbc and hts;
print the file if; and finally output is3. This is usually
done using the init option of tput(1); see profile(4).
Most initialization is done with is2. Special terminal
modes can be set up without duplicating strings by putting
the common sequences in is2 and special cases in is1 and
is3. Sequences that do a harder reset from a totally
unknown state can be given as rs1, rs2, rf, and rs3,
analogous to is1, is2, is3, and if. (The method using
files, if and rf, is used for a few terminals, from
/usr/lib/tabset/*; however, the recommended method is to use
the initialization and reset strings.) These strings are
output by tput reset, which is used when the terminal gets
into a wedged state. Commands are normally placed in rs1,
rs2, rs3, and rf only if they produce annoying effects on
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
the screen and are not necessary when logging in. For
example, the command to set a terminal into 80-column mode
would normally be part of is2, but on some terminals it
causes an annoying glitch on the screen and is not normally
needed since the terminal is usually already in 80-column
mode.
If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs than
can be described by using tbc and hts, the sequence can be
placed in is2 or if.
If there are commands to set and clear margins, they can be
given as mgc (clear all margins), smgl (set left margin),
and smgr (set right margin).
Delays
Certain capabilities control padding in the tty(7) driver.
These are primarily needed by hard-copy terminals, and are
used by tput init to set tty modes appropriately. Delays
embedded in the capabilities cr, ind, cub1, ff, and tab can
be used to set the appropriate delay bits to be set in the
tty driver. If pb (padding baud rate) is given, these
values can be ignored at baud rates below the value of pb.
Status Lines
If the terminal has an extra ``status line'' that is not
normally used by software, this fact can be indicated. If
the status line is viewed as an extra line below the bottom
line, into which one can cursor address normally (such as
the Heathkit h19's 25th line, or the 24th line of a VT100
which is set to a 23-line scrolling region), the capability
hs should be given. Special strings that go to a given
column of the status line and return from the status line
can be given as tsl and fsl. (fsl must leave the cursor
position in the same place it was before tsl. If necessary,
the sc and rc strings can be included in tsl and fsl to get
this effect.) The capability tsl takes one parameter, which
is the column number of the status line the cursor is to be
moved to.
If escape sequences and other special commands, such as tab,
work while in the status line, the flag eslok can be given.
A string which turns off the status line (or otherwise
erases its contents) should be given as dsl. If the
terminal has commands to save and restore the position of
the cursor, give them as sc and rc. The status line is
normally assumed to be the same width as the rest of the
screen, e.g., cols. If the status line is a different width
(possibly because the terminal does not allow an entire line
to be loaded) the width, in columns, can be indicated with
the numeric parameter wsl.
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Line Graphics
If the terminal has a line drawing alternate character set,
the mapping of glyph to character would be given in acsc.
The definition of this string is based on the alternate
character set used in the DEC VT100 terminal, extended
slightly with some characters from the AT&T 4410v1 terminal.
glyph name vt100+
character
arrow pointing right +
arrow pointing left ,
arrow pointing down .
solid square block 0
lantern symbol I
arrow pointing up -
diamond `
checker board (stipple) a
degree symbol f
plus/minus g
board of squares h
lower right corner j
upper right corner k
upper left corner l
lower left corner m
plus n
scan line 1 o
horizontal line q
scan line 9 s
left tee (†) t
right tee (-|) u
bottom tee (|) v
_
top tee (|) w
vertical line x
bullet ~
The best way to describe a new terminal's line graphics set
is to add a third column to the above table with the
characters for the new terminal that produce the appropriate
glyph when the terminal is in the alternate character set
mode. For example,
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
glyph name vt100+ new tty
char char
upper left corner l R
lower left corner m F
upper right corner k T
lower right corner j G
horizontal line q ,
vertical line x .
Now write down the characters left to right, as in
``acsc=lRmFkTjGq\,x.''.
Miscellaneous
If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character
as a pad, then this can be given as pad. Only the first
character of the pad string is used. If the terminal does
not have a pad character, specify npc.
If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be
indicated with hu (half-line up) and hd (half-line down).
This is primarily useful for superscripts and subscripts on
hardcopy terminals. If a hardcopy terminal can eject to the
next page (form feed), give this as ff (usually control L).
If there is a command to repeat a given character a given
number of times (to save time transmitting a large number of
identical characters) this can be indicated with the
parameterized string rep. The first parameter is the
character to be repeated and the second is the number of
times to repeat it. Thus, tparm(repeatchar, 'x', 10) is
the same as xxxxxxxxxx.
If the terminal has a settable command character, such as
the Tektronix 4025, this can be indicated with cmdch. A
prototype command character is chosen which is used in all
capabilities. This character is given in the cmdch
capability to identify it. The following convention is
supported on some UNIX systems: If the environment variable
CC exists, all occurrences of the prototype character are
replaced with the character in CC.
Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind
of known terminal, such as switch, dialup, patch, and
network, should include the gn (generic) capability so that
programs can complain that they do not know how to talk to
the terminal. (This capability does not apply to virtual
terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are
known.) If the terminal is one of those supported by the
UNIX system virtual terminal protocol, the terminal number
can be given as vt. A line-turn-around sequence to be
transmitted before doing reads should be specified in rfi.
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control,
give xon. Padding information should still be included so
that routines can make better decisions about costs, but
actual pad characters will not be transmitted. Sequences to
turn on and off xon/xoff handshaking may be given in smxon
and rmxon. If the characters used for handshaking are not
^S and ^Q, they may be specified with xonc and xoffc.
If the terminal has a ``meta key'' which acts as a shift
key, setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted, this
fact can be indicated with km. Otherwise, software will
assume that the 8th bit is parity and it will usually be
cleared. If strings exist to turn this ``meta mode'' on and
off, they can be given as smm and rmm.
If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on
the screen at once, the number of lines of memory can be
indicated with lm. A value of lm#0 indicates that the
number of lines is not fixed, but that there is still more
memory than fits on the screen.
Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer
connected to the terminal can be given as mc0: print the
contents of the screen, mc4: turn off the printer, and mc5:
turn on the printer. When the printer is on, all text sent
to the terminal will be sent to the printer. A variation,
mc5p, takes one parameter, and leaves the printer on for as
many characters as the value of the parameter, then turns
the printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255. If
the text is not displayed on the terminal screen when the
printer is on, specify mc5i (silent printer). All text,
including mc4, is transparently passed to the printer while
an mc5p is in effect.
Special Cases
The working model used by terminfo fits most terminals
reasonably well. However, some terminals do not completely
match that model, requiring special support by terminfo.
These are not meant to be construed as deficiencies in the
terminals; they are just differences between the working
model and the actual hardware. They may be unusual devices
or, for some reason, do not have all the features of the
terminfo model implemented.
Terminals which can not display tilde (~) characters, such
as certain Hazeltine terminals, should indicate hz.
Terminals which ignore a linefeed immediately after an am
wrap, such as the Concept 100, should indicate xenl. Those
terminals whose cursor remains on the right-most column
until another character has been received, rather than
wrapping immediately upon receiving the right-most
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
character, such as the VT100, should also indicate xenl.
If el is required to get rid of standout (instead of writing
normal text on top of it), xhp should be given.
Those Teleray terminals whose tabs turn all characters moved
over to blanks, should indicate xt (destructive tabs). This
capability is also taken to mean that it is not possible to
position the cursor on top of a ``magic cookie'' therefore,
to erase standout mode, it is instead necessary to use
delete and insert line.
Those Beehive Superbee terminals which do not transmit the
escape or control-C characters, should specify xsb,
indicating that the f1 key is to be used for escape and the
f2 key for control-C.
Similar Terminals
If there are two very similar terminals, one can be defined
as being just like the other with certain exceptions. The
string capability use can be given with the name of the
similar terminal. The capabilities given before use
override those in the terminal type invoked by use. A
capability can be canceled by placing xx@ to the left of the
capability definition, where xx is the capability. For
example, the entry
att4424-2|Teletype 4424 in display function group ii,
rev@, sgr@, smul@, use=att4424,
defines an AT&T 4424 terminal that does not have the rev,
sgr, and smul capabilities, and hence cannot do
highlighting. This is useful for different modes for a
terminal, or for different user preferences. More than one
use capability may be given.
FILES
/usr/lib/terminfo/?/* compiled terminal description
database
/usr/lib/.COREterm/?/* subset of compiled terminal
description database
/usr/lib/tabset/* tab settings for some terminals, in
a format appropriate to be output
to the terminal (escape sequences
that set margins and tabs)
SEE ALSO
Administrator's Reference Manual .
tput(1) in the
User'
s Reference Manual.
Chapter 9 of the Programmer's Guide.
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TERMINFO(4) TERMINFO(4)
WARNING
As described in the "Tabs and Initialization" section above,
a terminal's initialization strings, is1, is2, and is3, if
defined, must be output before a curses(3X) program is run.
An available mechanism for outputting such strings is tput
init (see tput(1) and profile(4)).
Tampering with entries in /usr/lib/.COREterm/?/* or
/usr/lib/terminfo/?/* (for example, changing or removing an
entry) can affect programs such as vi(1) that expect the
entry to be present and correct. In particular, removing
the description for the "dumb" terminal will cause
unexpected problems.
NOTE
The termcap database (from earlier releases of UNIX System
V) may not be supplied in future releases.
ORIGIN
AT&T V.3
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