NAME

sizesh, sizecsh − determine window dimensions & adjust TERMCAP accordingly

SYNOPSIS

sizesh
. .fix

or

sizecsh
source .fix

DESCRIPTION

Sizesh helps the user determine the dimensions of the window in which it runs, and then writes a file which will set the TERMCAP environment variable accordingly.  It instructs the user how to use that file just before it exits.  It is intended for use with the Bourne shell.  Sizecsh performs the same function for the C shell. 

Programs like vi and more, which determine the characteristics of the screen they are running on by interrogating the TERMCAP variable, may thus respond to variations in the sizes of windows (at least, to variations that take place before they start up). 

Each program first clears the window.  Then it writes digits across the top to assist the user in determining the number of columns available, and inquires what that number may be.  It repeats this until the user types a reasonable number, and then performs a similar operation for the number of lines.  When it has both dimensions, it tries to write a command to set TERMCAP into a file called “.fix” in the current directory.  If this succeeds, it instructs the user how to feed that command to the shell. 

FILES

 ./.fix

SEE ALSO

windows(1), termcap(5)

AUTHOR

Jerry Farrell

DIAGNOSTICS

Can’t get our temp file
The attempt to write the command into a file failed. Most commonly, this means the file already exists and is not writable by you, or the file does not exist and the directory is not writable by you.

BUGS

The existence of these programs may be considered a bug: their functionality should be moved into the shell and made automatic.  When that happens, these programs will likely disappear. 

Sizecsh gets the dimensions right, but along the way screws up some of the other terminal characteristics (e.g. homing).  Since the entries are identical between sizesh and sizecsh, this is curious. 

Sun System Release 0.3  —  17 February 1983