TERMINFO(5V) FILE FORMATS TERMINFO(5V)
NAME
terminfo - terminal capability data base
SYNOPSIS
/usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/*
AVAILABILITY
This database is available with the System V software
installation option. Refer to Installing SunOS 4.1 for
information on how to install optional software.
DESCRIPTION
terminfo is a compiled database (see tic(8V)) describing the
capabilities of terminals. Terminals are described in ter-
minfo source descriptions by giving a set of capabilities
which they have, by describing how operations are performed,
by describing padding requirements, and by specifying ini-
tialization sequences. This database is used by applica-
tions programs, and by libraries such as curses(3V), 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(8V).
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 pipe (|) characters. The first name
given is the most common abbreviation for the terminal (this
is the one to which the environment variable TERM would nor-
mally be set), the last name given should be a long name
fully identifying the terminal, and all others are under-
stood as synonyms for the terminal name. All names but the
last should contain no blanks; 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
Hewlett-Packard 2621, hp2621. This name should not con-
tain hyphens.
+ Modes that the hardware can be in or user preferences
should be indicated by appending a hyphen and an indica-
tor of the mode. Thus, a vt100 in 132-column mode would
be given as: vt100-w. The following suffixes should be
used where possible:
Suffix Meaning Example
-w wide mode (more than 80 columns) vt100-w
-am with automatic margins (usually default) vt100-am
-nam without automatic margins vt100-nam
-n number of lines on the screen aaa-60
-na no arrow keys (leave them in local) concept100-na
-np number of pages of memory concept100-4p
-rv reverse video concept100-rv
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(1V) 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
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 speci-
fied, 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 (# ).
(*) indicates that padding may be based on the inumber
of lines affected.
(# ) indicates the ith parameter.
i
Variable Capname Termcap Description
Boolean
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=ESC, f2=^C)
ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs Standout not erased by
overwriting (Hewlett-Packard)
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 (for example,
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 will not work, xon/xoff
required
non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not reverse rmcup
no_pad_char npc NP Pad character does not exist
over_strike os os Terminal overstrikes on hard-copy
terminal
prtr_silent mc5i 5i Printer will not echo on screen.
status_line_esc_ok eslok es Escape can be used on the
status line
dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt Destructive TAB characters, magic
smso char (Teleray 1061)
tilde_glitch hz hz Hazeltine; cannot print tildes(~)
transparent_underline ul ul Underline character overstrikes
xon_xoff xon xo Terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking
Number
columns cols co Number of columns in a line
init_tabs it it tab stops 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 (not
supported on all systems)
width_status_line wsl ws Number of columns in status line
String
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 RETURN (*)
change_scroll_region csr cs Change to lines #1 through #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 Terminal settable command 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
cvvis/civis)
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)
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 (must 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
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
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
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
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 stop in all rows,
current column.
set_window wind wi Current window is lines #1-#2
cols #3-#4 (G)
tab ht ta Move the cursor to the 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
line-feed)
xoff_character xoffc XF X-off character
xon_character xonc XN X-on character
SAMPLE ENTRY
The following entry, which describes the Concept 100 termi-
nal, 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 par-
ticular 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 (that is, 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
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(3V)) to provide this delay. The delay
can be either a number, for example, 20, or a number fol-
lowed by an * (for example, 3*), a / (for example, 5/), or
both (for example, 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:
\E, \e
map to ESC
^X maps to CTRL-X for any appropriate character X
\n maps to NEWLINE
\l maps to LINEFEED
\r maps to RETURN
\t maps to TAB
\b maps to BACKSPACE
\f maps to FORMFEED
\s maps to SPACE
\0 maps to NUL
(\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 (for example, \123), and the characters ^
(caret), \ (backslash), : (colon), and , (comma) may be
given as \^, \\, \:, and \, respectively.
Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To
do this, put a period before the capability name. For exam-
ple, see the second ind in the example above. Note: capa-
bilities are defined in a left-to-right order and, there-
fore, 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 ter-
minfo and to build up a description gradually, using partial
descriptions with some curses-based application to check
that they are correct. Be aware that a very unusual termi-
nal may expose deficiencies in the ability of the terminfo
file to describe it or bugs in the application. To test a
new terminal description, set the environment variable TER-
MINFO to a pathname of a directory containing the compiled
description you are working on and programs will look there
rather than in /usr/share/lib/terminfo. To get the padding
for insert-line correct (if the terminal manufacturer did
not document it) a severe test is to insert 16 lines into
the middle of a full screen at 9600 baud. 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 capa-
bility. 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 RETURN, CTRL-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 exam-
ple, 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.
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 respec-
tive 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; that is, am. If the termi-
nal 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 capa-
bility, with printf(3V)-like escapes (%x) in it. For exam-
ple, 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
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 for-
mat. 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(3V), flags are [-+#] and SPACE
%c print pop() gives %c
%p[1-9] push ith 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%tthenpart%eelsepart%;
if-then-else, `%eelsepart' is optional;
else-if's are possible in Algol 68:
%? c %t b %e c %t b %e c %t b %e
c %1t b %1e b %;2 2 3 3
c are4condi4tions,5b 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, for example,
`%:-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 mil-
liseconds. Note: 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 cur-
sor up one line on the screen (cuu1). This is necessary
because it is not always safe to transmit \n, ^D, and \r, as
the system may change or discard them. (The library rou-
tines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that TAB char-
acters 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 parame-
ter. 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 assump-
tion about the effect of moving up from the home position.
Note: 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 address-
ing, these can be given as single parameter capabilities hpa
(horizontal position absolute) and vpa (vertical position
absolute). Sometimes these are shorter than the more gen-
eral two-parameter sequence (as with the Hewlett-Packard
2645) and can be used in preference to cup. If there are
parameterized local motions (for example, 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 begin-
ning 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, 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 posi-
tion 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) com-
mands are also useful. Inserting lines at the top or bottom
of the screen can also be done using ri or ind on many ter-
minals without a true insert/delete line, and is often fas-
ter 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.
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 SPACE
characters) 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 termi-
nal does not distinguish between blanks and untyped posi-
tions. 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 treat-
ment of untyped blanks) 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 combina-
tion.) 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 termi-
nal needs both to be placed into an "insert mode" and a spe-
cial 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 pad-
ding in rmp.
It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert
mode to delete characters on the same line (for example, if
there is a TAB character 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 (not-
ably 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 attri-
butes, these can be represented in a number of different
ways. You should choose one display form as standout mode
(see curses(3V)), 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; how-
ever, different users have different preferences on dif-
ferent 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 blanks on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061
do, then xmc should be given to tell how many blanks 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
position 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). Turn-
ing 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
(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 parame-
ters 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 spe-
cial "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. Pro-
grams 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.
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 char-
acter 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: 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 does not 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 exam-
ple, `;3' is output when either `p2' or `p6' is true, that
is, if either underline or bold modes are turned on. Writ-
ing 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%;
;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: 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 tab stops), 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 executes the
string by the terminal in local mode; and pfx transmits the
string to the computer. The 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 tab stops, the command to
advance to the next tab stop can be given as ht (usually
CTRL-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 TAB characters are being
expanded by the computer rather than being sent to the ter-
minal, 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 tab stops which are ini-
tially set every n spaces when the terminal is powered up,
the numeric parameter it is given, showing the number of
spaces the tab stops are set to. This is normally used by
`tput init' (see tput(1V)) 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, initializa-
tion 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 tab stops using tbc and hts; print the file
if; and finally output is3. This is usually done using the
init option of tput(1V).
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 unk-
nown 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/share/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 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 tab stops
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 terminal 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 nor-
mally 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 termi-
nal 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, for
example, 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.
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 charac-
ters for the new terminal that produce the appropriate glyph
when the terminal is in the alternate character set mode.
For example,
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 CTRL-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 char-
acter to be repeated and the second is the number of times
to repeat it. Thus, `tparm(repeat_char, '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 capabil-
ity to identify it. On some UNIX systems, when the environ-
ment variable CC is set to a single-character value, all
occurrences of the prototype character are replaced with
that character.
Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind
of known terminal, such as switch, dialup, patch, and net-
work, 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.
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 (CTRL-S and CTRL-Q, respectively), 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 con-
nected to the terminal can be given as mc0: print the con-
tents 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 rea-
sonably 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 charac-
ter, 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 TAB charac-
ters). 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 CTRL-C characters, should specify xsb, indicating
that the f1 key is to be used for escape and the f2 key for
CTRL-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 over-
ride those in the terminal type invoked by use. A capabil-
ity can be canceled by placing xx@ to the left of the capa-
bility 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 highlight-
ing. This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or
for different user preferences. More than one use capabil-
ity may be given.
FILES
/usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/*
compiled terminal description database
/usr/share/lib/tabset/*
tab stop settings for some terminals, in
a format appropriate to be output to the
terminal (escape sequences that set mar-
gins and tab stops)
SEE ALSO
tput(1V), curses(3V), printf(3V), term(5V), captoinfo(8V),
infocmp(8V), tic(8V)
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(3V) program is run.
An available mechanism for outputting such strings is tput
init (see tput(1V)).
Tampering with entries in /usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/* (for
example, changing or removing an entry) can affect programs
that expect the entry to be present and correct. In partic-
ular, removing the description for the "dumb" terminal will
cause unexpected problems.
Sun Release 4.1 Last change: 26 February 1988
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