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       vidattr, vidputs - curses interfaces to terminfo database


SYNOPSIS

       #include <curses.h>
       #include <term.h>

       int setupterm(char *term, int fildes, int *errret);
       int setterm(char *term);
       TERMINAL *set_curterm(TERMINAL *nterm);
       int del_curterm(TERMINAL *oterm);
       int restartterm(const char *term, int fildes, int *errret);
       char *tparm(char *str, ...);
       int tputs(const char *str, int affcnt, int (*putc)(int));
       int putp(const char *str);
       int vidputs(chtype attrs, int (*putc)(int));
       int vidattr(chtype attrs);
       int vid_puts(attr_t attrs, short pair, void *opts, int (*putc)(char));
       int vid_attr(attr_t attrs, short pair, void *opts);
       int mvcur(int oldrow, int oldcol, int newrow, int newcol);
       int tigetflag(char *capname);
       int tigetnum(char *capname);
       char *tigetstr(char *capname);


DESCRIPTION

       These  low-level  routines must be called by programs that have to deal
       directly with the terminfo database to handle certain terminal capabil-
       ities, such as programming function keys.  For all other functionality,
       curses routines are more suitable and their use is recommended.

       Initially, setupterm should be called.  Note that setupterm is automat-
       ically  called  by initscr and newterm.  This defines the set of termi-
       nal-dependent variables [listed in terminfo(5)].   The  terminfo  vari-
       ables  lines  and  columns  are initialized by setupterm as follows: If
       use_env(FALSE) has been called, values for lines and columns  specified
       in  terminfo  are  used.  Otherwise, if the environment variables LINES
       and COLUMNS exist, their values are used.  If these  environment  vari-
       ables  do not exist and the program is running in a window, the current
       window size is used.  Otherwise, if the environment  variables  do  not
       exist, the values for lines and columns specified in the terminfo data-
       base are used.

       The header files curses.h and term.h should be included (in this order)
       to  get the definitions for these strings, numbers, and flags.  Parame-
       terized strings should be passed through  tparm  to  instantiate  them.
       All  terminfo strings [including the output of tparm] should be printed
       with tputs or putp.  Call the reset_shell_mode to restore the tty modes
       before  exiting  [see  curs_kernel(3X)].  Programs which use cursor ad-
       dressing should output enter_ca_mode upon startup and should output ex-
       it_ca_mode before exiting.  Programs desiring shell escapes should call

       reset_shell_mode and output exit_ca_mode before the shell is called and
       should  output  enter_ca_mode  and call reset_prog_mode after returning

              0    means that the terminal could not be found, or that it is a
                   generic type, having too little information for curses  ap-
                   plications to run.

              -1   means that the terminfo database could not be found.

       If  errret  is  null, setupterm prints an error message upon finding an
       error and exits.  Thus, the simplest call is:

             setupterm((char *)0, 1, (int *)0);,

       which uses all the defaults and sends the output to stdout.

       The setterm routine is being replaced by setupterm.  The call:

             setupterm(term, 1, (int *)0)

       provides the same functionality as setterm(term).  The setterm  routine
       is  included here for BSD compatibility, and is not recommended for new
       programs.

       The set_curterm routine sets the variable cur_term to nterm, and  makes
       all of the terminfo boolean, numeric, and string variables use the val-
       ues from nterm.  It returns the old value of cur_term.

       The del_curterm routine frees the space pointed to by oterm  and  makes
       it available for further use.  If oterm is the same as cur_term, refer-
       ences to any of the terminfo boolean,  numeric,  and  string  variables
       thereafter  may  refer  to  invalid  memory locations until another se-
       tupterm has been called.

       The restartterm routine is similar to  setupterm  and  initscr,  except
       that it is called after restoring memory to a previous state (for exam-
       ple, when reloading a game saved as a core  image  dump).   It  assumes
       that  the windows and the input and output options are the same as when
       memory was saved, but the terminal type and baud rate may be different.
       Accordingly,  it  saves  various  tty state bits, does a setupterm, and
       then restores the bits.

       The tparm routine instantiates the string str with  parameters  pi.   A
       pointer is returned to the result of str with the parameters applied.

       The  tputs  routine  applies  padding information to the string str and
       outputs it.  The str must be a terminfo string variable or  the  return
       value from tparm, tgetstr, or tgoto.  affcnt is the number of lines af-
       fected, or 1 if not applicable.  putc  is  a  putchar-like  routine  to
       which the characters are passed, one at a time.

       The putp routine calls tputs(str, 1, putchar).  Note that the output of
       putp always goes to stdout, not to the fildes specified in setupterm.

       must provide a null pointer for that argument.

       The mvcur routine provides low-level cursor motion.   It  takes  effect
       immediately (rather than at the next refresh).

       The  tigetflag,  tigetnum and tigetstr routines return the value of the
       capability corresponding to the terminfo capname passed to  them,  such
       as xenl.

       The  tigetflag routine returns the value -1 if capname is not a boolean
       capability, or 0 if it is canceled or absent from the terminal descrip-
       tion.

       The  tigetnum  routine returns the value -2 if capname is not a numeric
       capability, or -1 if it is canceled or absent  from  the  terminal  de-
       scription.

       The  tigetstr  routine returns the value (char *)-1 if capname is not a
       string capability, or 0 if it is canceled or absent from  the  terminal
       description.

       The  capname  for each capability is given in the table column entitled
       capname code in the capabilities section of terminfo(5).

       char *boolnames, *boolcodes, *boolfnames

       char *numnames, *numcodes, *numfnames

       char *strnames, *strcodes, *strfnames

       These null-terminated arrays contain the capnames, the  termcap  codes,
       and the full C names, for each of the terminfo variables.


RETURN VALUE

       Routines  that  return  an integer return ERR upon failure and OK (SVr4
       only specifies "an integer value other than ERR") upon successful  com-
       pletion,  unless otherwise noted in the preceding routine descriptions.

       Routines that return pointers always return NULL on error.

       X/Open defines no error conditions.  In this implementation

              del_curterm
                   returns an error if its terminal parameter is null.

              restartterm
                   returns an error if the associated call  to  setupterm  re-
                   turns an error.

              setupterm
                   returns  an  error  if it cannot allocate enough memory, or
                   create the initial windows (stdscr, curscr, newscr).  Other

       In  System  V Release 4, set_curterm has an int return type and returns
       OK or ERR.  We have chosen to implement the XSI Curses semantics.

       In System V Release 4, the third argument of tputs  has  the  type  int
       (*putc)(char).

       The XSI Curses standard prototypes tparm with a fixed number of parame-
       ters, rather than a variable argument list.  This implementation uses a
       variable argument list.  Portable applications should provide 9 parame-
       ters after the format; zeroes are fine for this purpose.

       XSI notes that after calling mvcur, the curses state may not match  the
       actual terminal state, and that an application should touch and refresh
       the window before resuming normal curses calls.  Both ncurses and  Sys-
       tem  V Release 4 curses implement mvcur using the SCREEN data allocated
       in either initscr or newterm.  So though it is documented as a terminfo
       function,  mvcur  is  really a curses function which is not well speci-
       fied.


SEE ALSO

       curses(3X),   curs_initscr(3X),   curs_kernel(3X),    curs_termcap(3X),
       putc(3S), terminfo(5)



                                                             curs_terminfo(3X)