1 04/15/88 TERMINFO
2
3 Name:
4
5 terminfo - terminal capability data base
6
7
8 Synopsis:
9
10 >sl3p>cc>e>terminfo>*>*
11
12
13 Description:
14
15 Terminfo is a data base describing terminals, used, e.g. by vi
16 and curses. Terminals are described in terminfo by giving a set
17 of capabilities which they have,and by describing how operations are
18 performed. Padding requirements and initialization sequences are
19 included in terminfo.
20
21 Entries in terminfo consist of a number of ',' separated.fields.
22 White space after each ',' is ignored. The first entry for each
23 terminal gives the names which are known for the terminal, separated
24 by '|' characters. The first name given is the most common
25 abbreviation for the terminal, the last name given should be a long
26 name fully identifying the terminal, and all others are understood as
27
28
29 synonyms for the terminal name. All names but the last should be in
30 lower case and contain no blanks; the last name may well contain
31 upper case and blanks for readability.
32
33 Terminal names except for the last verbose entry should be chosen
34 using the following conventions. The particular piece of hardware
35 making up the terminal should have a root name chosen, thus "hp2621".
36 This name should not contain hyphens, except that synonyms may be
37 chosen that do not conflict with other names. Modes that the
38 hardware can be in, or user preferences, should be indicated by
39 appending a hyphen and an indicator of the mode. Thus, a vt100 in
40 132 column mode would be vt100-w. The following suffixes should be
41 used where possible:
42
43
44 Suffix Meaning Example
45
46 -w Wide mode more than 80 columns vt100-w
47 -am With auto. margins usually default vt100-am
48 -nam Without automatic margins vt100-nam
49 -n Number of lines on the screen aaa-60
50 -na No arrow keys leave them in local c100-na
51 -np Number of pages of memory c100-4p
52 -rv Reverse video c100-rv
53
54
55 Capabilities:
56
57 The variable is the name by which the programmer at the terminfo
58 level accesses the capabiltiy. The capname is the short name used
59 in the text of the database, and is used by a person updating the
60 database. The i.code is the two letter internal code used in the
61 compiled database, and always corresponds to the old termcap
62 capability name.
63
64 Capability names have no hard length limit, but an informal limit of
65 5 characters has been adopted to keep them short and to allow the
66 tabs in the source file caps to line up nicely. Whenever possible,
67 names are chosen to be the same as or similar to the ANSI X3.64-1979
68 standard. Semantics are also intended to match those of the
69 specification.
70
71
72 P indicates that padding may be specified
73
74 G indicates that the string is passed through tparm with parms
75 as given #i.
76
77 * indicates that padding may be based on the number of lines
78 affected.
79
80 #i indicates the i th parameter.
81
82
83 Variable Cap- I. Description
84 Booleans name Code
85
86 auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from column 0 to last
87 column
88 auto_right_margin am am Terminal has automatic margins
89 beehive_glitch xsb xb Beehive f1=escape f2=ctrl C
90 ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs Standout not erased by
91 overwriting hp
92 eat_newline_glitch xenl xn newline ignored after 80 cols
93 Concept
94 erase_overstrike, eo eo Can erase overstrikes with a blank
95 generic_type gn gn Generic line type e.g.
96 dialup switch.
97 hard_copy, hc hc Hardcopy terminal
98
99
100 has_meta_key km km Has a meta key shift sets
101 parity bit
102 has_status-line hs hs Has extra "status line"
103 insert_null_glitch in in Insert mode distinguishes nulls
104 memory_above da da Display may be retained above
105 the screen
106 memory_below db db Display may be retained below
107 the screen
108 move_insert_mode mir mi Safe to move while in insert mode
109 move_standout_mode msgr ms Safe to move in standout modes
110 over_strike os os Terminal overstrikes
111 status_line_esc_ok eslok es Escape can be used on the status
112 line
113 teleray_glitch xt xt Tabs ruin, magic so char
114 Teleray 1061
115
116
117 tilde_glitch hz hz Hazeltine; can not print ~'s
118 transparent_underline ul ul underline character overstrikes
119 xon_xoff xon xo Terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking
120
121
122 NUMBERS
123
124 columns cols co Number of columns in a line
125 init_tabs it it Tabs initially every # spaces
126 lines lines li Number of lines on screen or page
127 lines_of_memory 1m 1m Lines of memory if > lines.
128 0 means varies
129 magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg Number of blank chars left by
130 smso or rmso
131
132
133 padding_baud_rate pb pb Lowest baud where cr/nl padding
134 is needed
135 virtual_terminal vt vt Virtual terminal number UNIX
136 system
137 width_status_line wsl ws No. columns in status line
138
139
140 STRINGS
141
142 back_tab cbt bt Back tab P
143 bell bel bl Audible signal bell
144 carriage_return cr cr Carriage return P*
145 change_scroll_region csr cs change to lines #1 through #2
146 vt100 PG
147 clear_all-tabs tbc ct Clear all tab stops P
148
149
150 clear_screen clear cl Clear screen and home cursor P*
151 clr_eol el ce Clear to end of line P
152 clr_eos ed cd Clear to end of display P*
153 column_address hpa ch Set cursor column PG
154 command_character cmdch CC Term. settable cmd char in
155 prototype
156 cursor_address cup cm Screen rel. cursor motion row
157 #1 col #2 PG
158 cursor_down cud1 do Down one line
159 cursor_home home ho Home cursor if no cup
160 cursor_invisible civis vi Make cursor invisible
161 cursor_left cub1 le Move cursor left one space
162 cursor_mem_address mrcup CM Memory relative cursor addressing
163 cursor_normal cnorm ve Make cursor appear normal
164 undo vs/vi
165
166
167 cursor_right cufl nd Non-destructive space cursor
168 right
169 cursor_to_ll ll ll Last line, first column if no
170 cup
171 cursor_up cuul up Upline cursor up
172 cursor_visible cvvis vs Make cursor very visible
173 delete_character dch1 dc Delete character P*
174 delete_line dl1 dl Delete line P*
175 dis_status_line dsl ds Disable status line
176 down_half_line hd hd Half-line down forward 1/2
177 linefeed
178 enter_alt_charset smacs as Start alternate character set P
179 _mode
180 enter_blink_mode blink mb Turn on blinking
181 enter_bold_mode bold md Turn on bold extra bright mode
182
183
184 enter_ca_mode smcup ti String to begin programs that
185 use cup
186 enter_delete_mode smdc dm Delete mode enter
187 enter_dim_mode dim mh Turn on half-bright mode
188 enter_insert_mode smir im Insert mode enter
189 enter_protected_mode prot mp Turn on protected mode
190 enter_reverse_mode rev mr Turn on reverse video mode
191 enter_secure_mode invis mk Turn on blank mode chars
192 invisible
193 enter_standout_mode smso so Begin stand out mode
194 enter_underline_mode smul us Start underscore mode
195 erase_chars ech ec Erase #1 characters PG
196 exit_alt_charset_mode rmacs ae End alternate character set P
197 exit_attribute_mode sgr0 me Turn off all attributes
198
199
200 exit_ca_mode rmcup te String to end programs that use
201 cup
202 exit_delete_mode rmdc ed End delete mode
203 exit_insert_mode rmir ei End insert mode
204 exit_standout_mode rmso se End stand out mode
205 exit_underline_mode rmul ue End underscore mode
206 flash_screen flash vb Visible bell may not move
207 cursor
208 form_feed ff ff Hardcopy terminal page eject P*
209 from_status_line fsl fs Return from status line
210 init_1string is1 i1 Terminal initialization string
211 init_2string is2 i2 Terminal initilization string
212 init_3string is3 i3 Terminal initilization string
213 init_file if if Name of file containing is
214 insert_character ich1 ic Insert character P
215
216
217 insert_line il1 al Add new blank line P*
218 insert_padding ip ip Insert pad after character
219 inserted P*
220 key_backspace kbs kb Sent by backspace key
221 key_catab ktbc ka Sent by clear-all-tabs key
222 key_clear kclr kC Sent by clear screen or erase key
223 key_ctab kctab kt Sent by clear-tab key
224 key_dc kdch1 kD Sent by delete character key
225 key_dl kdl1 kL Sent by delete line key
226 key_down kcud1 kd Sent by terminal down arrow key
227 key_eic krmir kM Sent by rmir on smir in insert
228 mode
229 key_eol kel kE Sent by clear-to-end-of-line key
230 key_eos ked kS Sent by clear-to-end- of-screen
231 key
232
233
234 key_f0 kf0 k0 Sent by function key f0
235 key_f1 kf1 k1 Sent by function key f1
236 key_f10 kf10 ka Sent by function key f10
237 key_f2 kf2 k2 Sent by function key f2
238 key_f3 kf3 k3 Sent by function key f3
239 key_f4 kf4 k4 Sent by function key f4
240 key_f5 kf5 k5 Sent by function key f5
241 key_f6 kf6 k6 Sent by function key f6
242 key_f7 kf7 k7 Sent by function key f7
243 key_f8 kf8 k8 Sent by function key f8
244 key_f9 kf9 k9 Sent by function key f9
245 key_home khome kh Sent by home key
246 key_ic kich1 kI Sent by ins char/enter ins mode
247 key
248 key_il kil1 kA Sent by insert line
249
250
251 key_left kcub1 kl Sent by terminal left arrow key
252 key_ll kll kH Sent by home-down key
253 key_npage knp kN Sent by next-page key
254 key_ppage kpp kP Sent by previous-page key
255 key_right kcuf1 kr Sent by terminal right arrow key
256 key_sf kind kF Sent by scroll-forward/down key
257 key_sr kri kR Sent by scroll-backward/up key
258 key_stab khts kT Sent by set-tab key
259 key_up kcuu1 ku Sent by terminal up arrow key
260 keypad_local rmkx ke Out of "keypad transmit" mode
261 keypad_xmit smkx ks Put terminal in "keypad transmit"
262 mode
263 lab_f0 lf0 l0 Labels on funct. key f0 if not f0
264 lab_f1 lf1 l1 Labels on funct. key f1 if not f1
265
266
267 lab_f10 lf10 la Labels on function key f10 if not
268 f10
269 lab_f2 lf2 l2 Labels on funct. key f2 if not f2
270 lab_f3 lf3 l3 Labels on funct. key f3 if not f3
271 lab_f4 lf4 l4 Labels on funct. key f4 if not f4
272 lab_f5 lf5 l5 Labels on funct. key f5 if not f5
273 lab_f6 lf6 l6 Labels on funct. key f6 if not f6
274 lab_f7 lf7 l7 Labels on funct. key f7 if not f7
275 lab_f8 lf8 l8 Labels on funct. key f8 if not f8
276 lab_f9 lf9 l9 Labels on funct. key f9 if not f9
277 meta_on smm mm Turn on "meta mode" 8th bit
278 meta_off rmm mo Turn off "meta mode"
279 newline nel nw Newline behaves like cr followed
280 by lf
281 pad_char pad pc Pad character rather than null
282
283
284 parm_dch dch DC Delete #1 chars PG*
285 parm_delete_line dl DL Delete #1 lines PG*
286 parm_down_cursor cud DO Move cursor down #1 lines PG*
287 parm_ich ich IC Insert #1 blank chars PG*
288 parm_index indn SF Scroll forward #1 lines PG
289 parm_insert_line il AL Add #1 new blank lines PG*
290 parm_left_cursor cub LE Move cursor left #1 spaces PG
291 parm_right_cursor cuf RI Move cursor right #1 spaces PG*
292 parm_rindex rin SR Scroll backward #1 lines PG
293 parm_up_cursor cuu UP Move cursor up #1 lines PG*
294 pkey_key pfkey pk Prog funct key #1 to type
295 string #2
296 pkey_local pfloc pl Prog funct key #1 to execute
297 string #2
298
299
300 pkey_xmit pfx px Prog funct key #1 to xmit
301 string #2
302 print_screen mc0 ps Print contents of the screen
303 prtr_off mc4 pf Turn off the printer
304 prtr_on mc5 po Turn on the printer
305 repeat_char rep rp Repeat char #1 #2 times PG*
306 reset_1string rs1 r1 Reset terminal completely to sane
307 modes.
308 reset_2string rs2 r2 Reset terminal completely to sane
309 modes.
310 reset_3string rs3 r3 Reset terminal completely to sane
311 modes.
312 reset_file rf rf Name of file containing reset
313 string
314
315
316 restore_cursor rc rc Restore cursor to position of
317 last sc
318 row_address vpa cv Vertical position absolute set
319 rowPG
320 save_cursor sc sc Save cursor position P
321 scroll_forward ind sf Scroll text up P
322 scroll_reverse ri sr Scroll text down P
323 set_attributes sgr sa Define the video attributes PG9
324
325 set_tab hts st Set a tab in all rows, current
326 column
327 set_window wind wi Current window is lines #1-#2
328 cols #3-#4
329 tab ht ta Tab to next 8 space hardware tab
330 stop
331
332
333 to_status_line tsl ts Go to status line, column #1
334 underline_char uc uc Underscore one char and move past
335 it
336 up_half_line hu hu Half-line up reverse 1/2
337 linefeed
338 init_prog iprog iP Path name of program for init
339 key_a1 ka1 k1 Upper left of keypad
340 key_a3 ka3 k3 Upper right of keypad
341 key_b2 kb2 K2 Center of keypad
342 key_c1 kc1 K4 Lower left of keypad
343 key_c3 kc3 K5 Lower right of keypad
344 prtr_non mc5p pO Turn on the printer for #1 bytes
345
346
347 A Sample Entry:
348
349 The following entry, which describes the Concept-100, is among the
350 more complex entries in the terminfo file as of this writing.
351
352 concept100 | c100 | concept | c104 | c100-4p | concept 100,
353 am, bel=^G, blank=\EH, blink=\EC, clear=^L$<2*>, cnorm=\Ew,
354 cols#80, cr=^M$<9>, cub1=^H, cud1=^J, cuf1=\E=,
355 cup=\Ea%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c, cuu1=\E;, cvvis=\EW, db,
356 dch1=\E^A$<16*>, dim=\EE, dl1=\E^B$<3*>, ed=\E^C$<16*>,
357 el=\E^U$<16>, eo, flash=\Ek$<20>\EK, ht=\t$<8>,
358 il1=\E^R$<3*>, in, ind=^J, .ind=^J$<9>, ip=$<16*>,
359 is2=\EU\Ef\E7\E5\E8\El\ENH\EK\E\200\Eo&\200\Eo\47\E,
360
361
362 kbs=^h, kcub1=\E>, kcud1=\E<, kcuf1=\E=, kcuu1=\E;,
363 kf1=\E5, kf2=\E6, kf3=\E7, khome=\E?,
364 lines#24, mir, pb#9600, prot=\EI,
365 rep=\Er%p1%c%p2%' '%+%c$<.2*>, rev=\ED,
366 rmcup=Ev $<6>\Ep\r\n, rmir=\E\200, rmkx=\Ex, rmso=\Ed\Ee,
367 rmul=\Eg, rmul=\Eg, sgr0=\EN\200, smcup=\EU\Ev 8p\Ep\r,
368 smir=\E^P, smkx=\EX, smso=\EE\ED, smul=\EG, tabs,
369 ul vt#8, xenl,
370
371
372 Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at
373 the beginning of each line except the first. Comments may be
374 included on lines beginning with "#". Capabilities in terminfo are
375 of three types: Boolean capabilities which indicate that the terminal
376 has some particular feature, numeric capabilities giving the size of
377 the terminal or the size of particular delays, and string
378 capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to perform
379 particular terminal operations.
380
381
382 Types of Capabilities:
383
384 All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that Concept has
385 automatic margins i.e. an automatic return and linefeed when the
386 end of a line is reached is indicated by the capability am. Hence
387 the description of the Concept includes am. Numeric capabilities are
388 followed by the character '#' and then the value. Thus cols, which
389 indicates the number of columns the terminal has, gives the value
390 '80' for the Concept.
391
392 Finally, string valued capabilities, such as el clear to end of line
393 sequence are given by the two-character code, '=', and then a string
394 ending at the next following ','. A delay in milliseconds may appear
395 anywhere in such a capability, enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in
396 el=\EK$<3>, and padding characters are supplied by tputs to provide
397
398
399 this delay. The delay can be either a number, e.g. '20', or a
400 number followed by an '*', i.e., '3*'. A '*' indicates that the
401 padding required is proportional to the number of lines affected by
402 the operation, and the amount given is the per-affected-unit padding
403 required. In the case of insert character the factor is still the
404 number of lines affected. This is always one unless the terminal has
405 xenl and the software uses it. When a '*' is specified, it is
406 sometimes useful to give a delay of the form '3.5' to specify a delay
407 per unit to tenths of milliseconds. Only one decimal place is
408 allowed.
409
410 A number of escape sequences are provided in the string valued
411 capabilities for easy encoding of characters there. Both \E and \e
412 map to an ESCAPE character, ^x maps to a control-x for any
413 appropriate x, and the sequences \n \l \r \t \b \f \s give a newline,
414
415
416 linefeed, return, tab, backspace, formfeed, and space. Other escapes
417 include \^ for ^, \\ for \, \ for comma, \: for :, and \0 for null.
418 \0 will produce \200 which does not terminate a string but behaves
419 as a null character on most terminals. Finally, characters may be
420 given as three octal digits after a\.
421
422 Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To do this,
423 put a period before the capability name. For example, see the second
424 ind in the example above.
425
426
427 Preparing Descriptions:
428
429 We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals. The most
430 effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating the
431 description of a similar terminal in terminfo and to build up a
432 description gradually, using partial descriptions with vi to check
433 that they are correct. Be aware that a very unusual terminal may
434 expose deficiencies in the ability of the terminfo file to describe
435 it or bugs in vi. To easily test a new terminal description you can
436 set the environment variable TERMINFO to a pathname of a directory
437 containing the compiled description you are working on and programs
438 will look there rather than in >sl3p>cc>e>terminfo. To get the padding
439
440
441 for insert line right if the terminal manufacturer did not document
442 it a severe test is to edit /etc/ passwd at 9600 baud, delete 16 or
443 so lines from the middle of the screen, then hit the 'u' key several
444 times quickly. If the terminal messes up, more padding is usually
445 needed. A similar test can be used for insert character.
446
447
448 Basic Capabilities:
449
450 The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given by the
451 cols numeric capability. If the terminal is a CRT, then the number
452 of lines on the screen is given by the lines capability. If the
453 terminal wraps around the beginning of the next line when it reaches
454 the right margin, then it should have the am capability. If the
455 terminal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home
456 position, then this is given by the clear string capability. If the
457 terminal overstrikes rather than clearing a position when a
458 character is struck over then it should have the os capability. If
459 the terminal is a printing terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it
460 both hc and os. os applies to storage scope terminals. If there is
461 a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the current row, give
462 this as cr. Normally this will be carriage return control M. If
463
464
465 there is a code to produce an audible signal bell beep etc give
466 this as bel.
467
468 If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the left such
469 as backspace that capabiltiy should be given as cub1. Similarly,
470 codes to move to the right, up, and down should be given as cuf1,
471 cuu1, and cud1. These local cursor motions should not alter the text
472 they pass over, for example, you would not normally use 'cuf1='
473 because the space would erase the character moved over. A very
474 important point here is that the local cursor motions encoded in
475 terminfo are undefined at the left and top edges of a CRT terminal.
476 Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left edge,
477 unless bw is given, and never attempt to go up locally off the top.
478 In order to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom left
479 corner of the screen and send the ind index string.
480
481
482 To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner of the
483 screen and sends the ri reverse index string. The strings ind and
484 ri are undefined when not on their respective corners of the screen.
485
486 Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are indn and rin
487 which have the same semantics as ind and ri except that they take one
488 parameter, and scroll that many lines. They are also undefined
489 except at the appropreate edge of the screen.
490
491 The am capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right edge
492 of the screen when text is output, but this does not necessarily
493 apply to a cuf1 from the last column. The only local motion which is
494 defined from the left edge is if bw is given, then a cub1 from the
495 left edge will move to the right edge of the previous row. If bw is
496 not given, the effect is undefined. This is useful for drawing a box
497
498
499 around the edge of the screen, for example. If the terminal has a
500 switch selectable automatic margins, the terminfo file usually
501 assumes that this is on; i.e., am. If the terminal has a command
502 which moves to the first column of the next line, that command can be
503 given as nel newline. It does not matter if the command clears the
504 remainder of the current line, so if the terminal has no cr and lf it
505 may still be possible to craft a working nel out of one or both of
506 them.
507
508
509 These capabilities suffice to describe hardcopy and glass-tty
510 terminals. Thus the model 33 teletype is described as
511
512 33|tty33|tty|model 33 teletype
513 bel=^G, cols#72, cr=^M, cud1=^J, hc, ind=^J, os,
514
515 while the Lear Siegler ADM-3 is described as
516
517 adm3|3|1si adm3
518 am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H, cud1=^J,
519 ind=^J, lines#24,
520
521
522 Parameterized Strings:
523
524 Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters in the
525 terminal are described by a parameterized string capability, with
526 printf like escapes %x in it. For example, to address the
527 cursor, the cup capability is given, using two parameters: the row
528 and column to address to. Rows and columns are numbered from zero
529 and refer to the physical screen visable to the user not to any
530 unseen memory. If the terminal has memory relative cursor
531 addressing, that can be indicated by mrcup.
532
533 The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special % codes to
534 manipulate it. Typically a sequence will push one of the parameters
535 onto the stack and then print it in some format. Often more complex
536 operations are necessary.
537
538
539 The % encodings have the following meanings:
540
541 %% outputs '%'
542 %d print pop as in printf
543 %2d print pop like %2d
544 %3d print pop like %3d
545 %02d
546 %03d as in printf
547 %c print pop gives %c
548 %s print pop gives %s
549
550
551 %p1-9 push ith parm
552 %Pa-z set variable a-z to pop
553 %ga-z get variable a-z and push it
554 %'c' char constant c
555 %nn integer constant nn
556
557 %+ %- %* %/ %m arithmetic %m is mod: puchpop op pop
558
559 %& %| %^ bit operations: push pop op pop
560 %= %> %< logical operations: push pop op pop
561 %! %~ unary operations push op pop
562 %i add 1 to first two parms for ANSI terminals
563
564
565 %? expr %t thenpart %e elsepart %;
566 if-then-else, %e elsepart is optional.
567 else-if's are possible ala Algol 68:
568 %? c1 %t b1 %e c2 %t b2 %e c3 %t b3 %e c4
569 %t b4 %e %;
570 cc1...cn are conditions, bb1...bn are
571 bodies.
572
573 Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in the usual
574 order. That is, to get x-5 one would use "%gx%5%-".
575
576
577 Consider the Hewlett-Packard 2645, which to get to row 3 and column
578 12, needs to be sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds. Note that
579 the order of the rows and columns is inverted here, and that the row
580 and column are printed as two digits. Thus its cup capability is
581 cup=6\E&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY.
582
583 The Microterm ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent preceded
584 by a ^T, with the row and column simply encoded in binary,
585 cut=^T%p1%c%p2%c. Terminals which use %c need to be able to
586 backspace the cursor cub1, and to move the cursor up one line on
587 the screen cuu1. This is necessary because it is not always safe
588 to transmit \n ^D and \r, as the system may change or discard them.
589 The library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that
590 tabs are never expanded so \t is safe to send. This turns out to be
591 essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.
592
593
594 A final example is the LSI ADM-3a, which uses row and column offset
595 by a blank character, thus cup=\E=%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c. After
596 sending '\E=', this pushes the first parameter, pushes the ASCII
597 value for a space 32, adds them pushing the sum on the stack in
598 place of the two previous values and outputs that value as a
599 character. Then the same is done for the second parameter. More
600 complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
601
602
603 If the terminal has row or column absolute cursor addressing, these
604 can be given as single parameter capabilities hpa horizontal
605 position absolute and vpa vertical position absolute. Sometimes
606 these are shorter than the more general two parameter sequence as
607 with the hp2645 and can be used in preference to cup. If there are
608 parameterized local motions e.g. move n spaces to the right these
609 can be given as cud, cub, cuf, and cuu with a single parameter
610 indicating how many spaces to move. These are primarily useful if
611 the terminal does not have cup, such as the TEKTRONIX 4025.
612
613
614 Cursor Motions:
615
616 If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor to the very upper
617 left corner of screen then this can be given as home; similarly a
618 fast way of getting to the lower left-hand corner can be given as ll;
619 this may involve going up with cuu1 from the home position, but a
620 program should never do this itself unless ll does because it can
621 make no assumption about the effect of moving up from the home
622 position. Note that the home position is the same as addressing to
623 00: to the top left corner of the screen, not of memory. Thus
624 the \EH sequence on Hewlett-Packard terminals cannot be used for
625 home.
626
627
628 Area Clears:
629
630 If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
631 line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as el. If
632 the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
633 display, then this should be given as ed. Ed is only defined from
634 the first column of a line. Thus it can be simulated by a request
635 to delete a large number of lines if a true ed is not available.
636
637
638 Insert/delete line:
639
640 If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line where the
641 cursor is, this should be given as il1; this is done only from the
642 first position of a line. The cursor must then appear on the newly
643 blank line. If the terminal can delete the line which the cursor is
644 on, then this should be given as dl1; this is done only from the
645 first position on the line to be deleted. Versions of il1 and dl1
646 which take a single parameter and insert or delete that many lines
647 can be given as il and dl. If the terminal has a settable scrolling
648 region like the vt100 the command to set this can be described with
649 the csr capability which takes two parameters: the top and bottom
650 lines of the scrolling region. The cursor position is, alas,
651 undefined after using this command. It is possible to get the effect
652 of insert or delete line using this command - the sc and rc save and
653
654
655 restore cursor commands are also useful. Inserting lines at the top
656 or bottom of the screen can also be done using ri and ind on many
657 terminals without true insert/delete line, and is often faster even
658 on terminals with those features.
659
660 If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part of memory,
661 which all commands affect, it should be given as the parameterized
662 string wind. The four parameters are the starting and ending lines
663 in memory and the starting and ending columns in memory, in that
664 order. If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the da
665 capability should be given; if display memory can be retained below,
666 then db should be given. These indicate that deleting a line or
667 scrolling may bring non-blank lines up from below or that scrolling
668 back with ri may bring down non-blank lines.
669
670
671 Insert/Delete Character:
672
673 There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to
674 insert/delete character which can be described using terminfo. The
675 most common insert/delete character operations affect only the
676 characters on the current line and shift characters off the end of
677 the line rigidly. Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the
678 Perkin Elmer Owl, make a distinction between typed and untyped blanks
679 on the screen, shifting upon an insert or delete only to an untyped
680 blank on the screen which is either eliminated, or expanded to two
681 untyped blanks. You can determine the kind of terminal you have by
682 clearing the screen and then typing text separated by cursor motions.
683 Type abc def using local cursor motions not spaces between the abc
684 and the def. Then position the cursor before the abc and put the
685 terminal in insert mode. If typing characters causes the rest of the
686
687
688 line to shift rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your
689 terminal does not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions.
690 If the abc shifts over to the def which then move together around the
691 end of the current line and onto the next as you insert, you have the
692 second type of terminal, and should give the capability in, which
693 stands for insert null. While these are two logically separate
694 attributes one line vs. multiline insert mode and special
695 treatment of untyped spaces we have seen no terminals whose insert
696 mode cannot be described with the single attribute.
697
698 Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert mode, and
699 terminals which send a simple sequence to open a blank position on
700 the current line. Give as smir the sequence to get into insert mode.
701 Give as rmir the sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as ich1 any
702 sequence needed to be sent just before sending the character to be
703
704
705 inserted. Most terminals with a true insert mode will not give ich1;
706 terminals which send a sequence to open a screen position should give
707 it here. If your terminal has both insert mode is usually
708 preferable to ich1. Do not give both unless the terminal actually
709 requires both to be used in combination. If post insert padding is
710 needed, give this as a number of milliseconds in ip a string
711 option. Any other sequence which may need to be sent after an
712 insert of a single character may also be given in ip. If your
713 terminal needs both to be placed into an 'insert mode' and a special
714 code to precede each inserted character, then both smir/rmir and ich1
715 can be given, and both will be used. The ich capability, with one
716 parameter, n, will repeat the effects of ich1 n times.
717
718
719 It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode to
720 delete characters on the same line e.g. if there is a tab after the
721 insertion position. If your terminal allows motion while in insert
722 mode you can give the capability mir to speed up inserting in this
723 case. Omitting mir will affect only speed. Some terminals notably
724 Datamedia's must not have mir because of the way their insert mode
725 works.
726
727 Finally, you can specify dch1 to delete a single character, dch with
728 one parameter, n, to delete n characters, and delete mode by giving
729 smdc and rmdc to enter and exit delete mode any mode the terminal
730 needs to be placed in for dch1 to work.
731
732 A command to erase n characters equivilent to outputting n blanks
733 without moving the cursor can be given as ech with one parameter.
734
735
736 Highlighting, Underlining, and Visable Bells:
737
738 If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes, these
739 can be represented in a number of different ways. You should choose
740 one display form as standout mode, representing a good, high
741 contrast, easy-on-the-eyes, format for highlighting error messages
742 and other attention getters. If you have a choice reverse video
743 plus half-bright is good or reverse video alone. The sequences to
744 enter and exit standout mode are given as smso and rmso,
745 respectively. If the code to change into or out of standout mode
746 leaves one or even two blank spaces on the screen, as the TVI 912 and
747 Teleray 1061 do, then xmc should be given to tell how many spaces are
748 left.
749
750
751 Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given as smul
752 and rmul respectively. If the terminal has a code to underline the
753 current character and move the cursor one space to the right, such as
754 the Microterm Mime, this can be given as uc.
755
756 Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include blink
757 blinking bold bold or extra bright dim dim or half-bright invis
758 blanking or invisible text prot protected rev reverse video
759 sgr0 turn off all attribute modes smacs enter alternate character
760 set mode and rmacs exit alternate character set mode. Turning on
761 any of these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes.
762
763 If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of modes, this
764 should be given as sgr set attributes, taking 9 parameters. Each
765 parameter is either 0 or 1, as the corresponding attribute is on or
766
767
768 off. In order, the 9 parameters are standout, underline, reverse,
769 blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set. Not all
770 modes need be supported by sgr, only those for which corresponding
771 separate attribute commands exist.
772
773 Terminals with the "magic cookie" glitch xmc deposit special
774 "cookies" when they recieve mode-setting sequences, which affect the
775 display algorithm rather than having extra bits for each character.
776 Some terminals, such as the Hewlett-Packard 2621, automatically leave
777 standout mode when they move to a new line or the cursor is
778 addressed. Programs using standout mode should exit standout mode
779 before moving the cursor or sending a newline, unless the msgr
780 capability, asserting that it is safe to move in standout mode, is
781 present.
782
783
784 If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error
785 quietly a bell replacement then this can be given as flash; it must
786 not move the cursor. If the cursor needs to be made more visible
787 than normal when it is not on the bottom line to make for example
788 a non-blinking underline into an easier to find block or blinking
789 underline give this sequence as cvvis. If there is a way to make
790 the cursor completely invisible, give that as civis. The capability
791 cnorm should be given which undoes the effects of both of these
792 modes.
793
794
795 If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running a program
796 that uses these capabilities, the codes to enter and exit this mode
797 can be given as smcup and rmcup. This arises, for example, from
798 terminals like the Concept with more than one page of memory. If the
799 terminal has only memory relative cursor addressing and not screen
800 relative cursor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed
801 into the terminal for cursor addressing to work properly. This is
802 also used for the TEKTRONIX 4025, where smcup sets the command
803 character to be the one used by terminfo.
804
805
806 Keypad:
807
808 If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are
809 pressed, this information can be given. Note that it is not possible
810 to handle terminals where the keypad only works in local this
811 applies for example to the unshifted Hewlett-Packard 2621 keys.
812 If the keypad can be set to transmit or not transmit, give these
813 codes as smkx and rmkx. Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always
814 transmit. The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow,
815 down arrow, and home keys can be given as kcub1, kcuf1, kcuu1, kcud1,
816 and khome respectively. If there are function keys such as f0, f1,
817 ..., f10, the codes they send can be given as kf0, kf1, ..., kf10.
818 If these keys have labels other than the default f0 through f10, the
819 labels can be given as lf0, lf1, ..., lf10. The codes transmitted by
820 certain other special keys can be given: kll home down, kbs
821
822
823 backspace, ktbc clear all tabs, kctab clear the tab stop in this
824 column, kclr clear screen or erase key, kdch1 delete character,
825 kdl1 delete line, krmir exit insert mode, kel clear to end of
826 line, ked clear to end of screen, kich1 insert character or enter
827 insert mode, kil1insert line, knp next page, kpp previous
828 page, kind scroll forward/down, kri scroll backward/up, khts
829 set a tab stop in this column. In addition, if the keypad has a 3
830 by 3 array of keys including the four arrow keys, the other five keys
831 can be given as ka1, ka3, kb2, kc1, and kc3. These keys are useful
832 when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed.
833
834
835 Tabs and Initialization:
836
837 If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the next
838 tab stop can be given as ht usually control I. A "backtab" command
839 which moves leftward to the next tab stop can be given as cbt. By
840 convention, if the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being
841 expended by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal,
842 programs should not use ht or cbt even if they are present, since the
843 user may not have the tab stops properly set. If the terminal has
844 hardware tabs which are initially set every n spaces when the
845 terminal is powered up, the numeric parameter it is given, showing
846 the number of spaces the tabs are set to. This is normally used by
847 the tset command to determine whether to set the mode for hardware
848 tab expansion, and whether to set the tab stops. If the terminal has
849
850
851 tab stops that can be saved in nonvolatile memory, the terminfo
852 description can assume that they are properly set.
853
854 Other capabilities include is1, is2, and is3, initialization strings
855 for the terminal, iprog, the path name of a program to be run to
856 initialize the terminal, and 'if', the name of a file containing long
857 initialization strings. These strings are expected to set the
858 terminal into modes consistent with the rest of the terminfo
859 description. They are normally sent to the terminal, by the tset
860 program, each time the user logs in. They will be printed in the
861 following order: is1; is2; setting tabs using tbc and hts; if;
862 running the program iprog; and finally is3. Most initialization is
863 done with is2. Special terminal modes can be set up without
864 duplicating strings by putting the common sequences in is2 and
865 special cases in is1 and is3. A pair of sequences that does a harder
866
867
868 reset from a totally unknown state can be analogously given as rs1,
869 rs2, rf, and rs3, analogous to is2 and if. These strings are output
870 by the reset program, which is used when the terminal gets into a
871 wedged state. Commands are normally placed in rs2 and rf only if
872 they produce annoying effects on the screen and are not necessary
873 when logging in. For example, the command to set the vt100 into 80-
874 column mode would normally be part of is2, but it causes an annoying
875 glitch of the screen and is not normally needed since the terminal is
876 usually already in 80 column mode.
877
878 If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given
879 as tbc clear all tab stops and hts set a tab stop in the current
880 column of every row. If a more complex sequence is needed to set
881 the tabs than can be described by this, the sequence can be placed in
882 is2 or if.
883
884
885 Delays:
886
887 Certain capabilities control padding in the teletype driver. These
888 are primarily needed by hard copy terminals, and are used by the tset
889 program to set teletype modes appropriately. Delays embedded in the
890 capabilities cr, ind, cub1, ff, and tab will cause the appropriate
891 delay bits to be set in the teletype driver. If pb padding baud
892 rate is given, these values can be ignored at baud rates below the
893 value of pb.
894
895
896 Miscellaneous:
897
898 If the terminal requires other than a null zero character as a pad,
899 then this can be given as pad, Only the first character of the pad
900 string is used.
901
902 If the terminal has an extra "status line" that is not normally used
903 by software, this fact can be indicated. If the status line is
904 viewed as an extra line below the bottom line, into which one can
905 cursor address normally such as the Heathkit h19's 25th line or the
906 24th line of a vt100 which is set to a 23-line scrolling region, the
907 capability hs should be given. Special strings to go to the
908 beginning of the status line and to return from the status line can
909 be given as tsl and fsl. fsl must leave the cursor position in the
910 same place it was before tsl. If necessary the sc and rc strings
911
912
913 can be included in tsl and fsl to get this effect. The parameter tsl
914 takes one parameter, which is the column number of the status line
915 the cursor is to be moved to. If escape sequences and other special
916 commands, such as tab, work while in the status line, the flag eslok
917 can be given. A string which turns off the status line or otherwise
918 erases its contents should be given as dsl. If the terminal has
919 commands to save and restore the position of the cursor, give them as
920 sc and rc. The status line is normally assumed to be the same width
921 as the rest of the screen, e.g., cols. If the status line is a
922 different width possibly because the terminal does not allow an
923 entire line to be loaded the width, in columns, can be indicated
924 with the numeric parameter wsl.
925
926
927 If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be
928 indicated with hu half-line up and hd half-line down. This is
929 primarily useful for superscripts and subscripts on hardcopy
930 terminals. If a hardcopy terminal can eject to the next page form
931 feed, give this as ff usually control L.
932
933 If there is a command to repeat a given character a given number of
934 times to save time transmitting a large number of identical
935 characters this can be indicated with the parameterized string rep.
936 The first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second is
937 the number of times to repeat it. Thus, tparm repeat_char 'x' 10
938 is the same as 'xxxxxxxxxx'.
939
940 If the terminal has a settable command character, such as the
941 TEKTRONIX 4025, this can be indicated with cmdch. A prototype
942
943
944 command character is chosen which is used in all capabilities. This
945 character is given in the cmdch capability to identify it. The
946 following convention is supported on some UNIX systems: The
947 environment is to be searched for a CC variable, and if found, all
948 occurrences of the prototype character are replaced with the
949 character in the environment variable.
950
951 Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known
952 terminal, such as switch, dialup, patch, and network, should include
953 the gn generic capability so that programs can complain that they
954 do not know how to talk to the terminal. This capability does not
955 apply to virtual terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences
956 are known.
957
958
959 If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control, give xon.
960 Padding information should still be included so that routines can
961 make better decisions about costs, but actual pad characters will not
962 be transmitted.
963
964 If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on the screen
965 at once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated with lm. A
966 value of lm#0 indicates that the number of lines is not fixed, but
967 that there is still more memory than fits on the screen.
968
969 If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX system virtual
970 terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given as vt.
971
972 Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer connected to
973 the terminal can be given as mc0: print the contents of the screen,
974
975
976 mc4: turn off the printer, and mc5: turn on the printer. When the
977 printer is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent to the
978 printer. It is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the
979 terminal screen when the printer is on. A variation mc5p takes one
980 parameter, and leaves the printer on for as many characters as the
981 value of the parameter, then turns the printer off. The parameter
982 should not exceed 255. All text, including mc4, is transparently
983 passed to the printer while an mc5p is in effect.
984
985
986 Strings to program function keys can be given as pfkey, pfloc, and
987 pfx. Each of these strings takes two parameters: the function key
988 number to program from 0 - 10 and the string to program it with.
989 Function key numbers out of this range may program undefined keys in
990 a terminal dependent manner. The difference between the capabilities
991 is that pfkey causes pressing the given key to be the same as the
992 user typing the given string; pfloc causes the string to be executed
993 by the terminal in local; and pfx causes the string to be transmitted
994 to the computer.
995
996
997 Glitches and Braindamage:
998
999 Haseltine teminals, which do not allow '~' characters to be displayed
1000 should indicate hz.
1001
1002 Terminals which ignore a linefeed immediately after an am wrap, such
1003 as the Concept and vt100, should indicate xenl.
1004
1005 If el is required to get rid of standout instead of merely writing
1006 normal text on top of it, xhp should be given.
1007
1008
1009 Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over to
1010 blanks, should indicate xt destructive tabs. This glitch is also
1011 taken to mean that it is not possible to position the cursor on top
1012 of a "magic cookie", that to erase standout mode it is instead
1013 necessary to use delete and insert line.
1014
1015 The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the
1016 escape or control C characters, has xsb, indicating that the f1 key
1017 is used for escape and f2 for control C. Only certain Superbees
1018 have this problem depending on the ROM.
1019
1020 Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more
1021 capabilities of the form xx.
1022
1023
1024 Similar Terminals:
1025
1026 If there are two very similar terminals, one can be defined as being
1027 just like the other with certain exceptions. The string capability
1028 use can be given with the name of the similar terminal. The
1029 capabilities given before use override those in the terminal type
1030 invoked by use. A capability can be cancelled by placing xx@ to the
1031 left of the capability definition, where xx is the capability. For
1032 example, the entry
1033 2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621
1034
1035 defines a 2621-nl that does not have the smkx or rmkx capabilities,
1036 and hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual
1037 mode. This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or for
1038 different user preferences.
1039
1040
1041 Files:
1042
1043 >sl3p>cc>e>terminfo>?>* files containing terminal descriptions
1044
1045
1046 See also:
1047
1048 curses.gi.info, term.gi.info, tic.gi.info