.\" Copyright (c) 1980 Regents of the University of California. .\" All rights reserved. The Berkeley software License Agreement .\" specifies the terms and conditions for redistribution. .\" .\" @(#)termcap.5 6.4 (Berkeley) 5/15/86 .\" .tr || .tr *\(** .TH TERMCAP 5 "1 November 1985" .UC .SH NAME termcap \- terminal capability data base .SH SYNOPSIS .B /etc/termcap .SH DESCRIPTION .B Termcap\^ is a data base describing terminals, used, .IR e.g. , by .BR vi\^ (1) and .BR curses\^ (3). Terminals are described in .B termcap\^ by giving a set of capabilities that they have and by describing how operations are performed. Padding requirements and initialization sequences are included in .BR termcap\^ . .PP Entries in .B termcap\^ consist of a number of `:'-separated fields. The first entry for each terminal gives the names that are known for the terminal, separated by `|' characters. The first name is always two characters long and is used by older systems which store the terminal type in a 16-bit word in a system-wide data base. The second name given is the most common abbreviation for the terminal, the last name given should be a long name fully identifying the terminal, and all others are understood as synonyms for the terminal name. All names but the first and last should be in lower case and contain no blanks; the last name may well contain upper case and blanks for readability. .PP 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, thus \*(lqhp2621\*(rq. This name should not contain hyphens. Modes that the hardware can be in or user preferences should be indicated by appending a hyphen and an indicator of the mode. Therefore, a \*(lqvt100\*(rq in 132-column mode would be \*(lqvt100-w\*(rq. The following suffixes should be used where possible: .sp .ta .if t .ta \w'\fBSuffix\fP\ \ \ 'u +\w'With automatic margins (usually default)\ \ 'u .if n .ta \w'Suffix\ \ \ 'u +\w'With automatic margins (usually default)\ \ 'u .nf .if t .nr Xx \n(.lu-\n(.i-\w'\fBSuffix\fP\ \ \ With automatic margins (usually default)\ \ vt100-am'u .if t .in +\n(Xxu/2u \fBSuffix Meaning Example\fP -w Wide mode (more than 80 columns) vt100-w -am With automatic margins (usually default) vt100-am -nam Without automatic margins vt100-nam -\fIn\fP Number of lines on the screen aaa-60 -na No arrow keys (leave them in local) concept100-na -\fIn\^\fPp Number of pages of memory concept100-4p -rv Reverse video concept100-rv .fi .SH CAPABILITIES .PP The characters in the .B Notes field in the table have the following meanings (more than one may apply to a capability): .PP .ta .ta \w'N\ \ \ 'u .nr fi \w'N\ \ \ ' .in +\n(fiu .ti -\n(fiu N indicates numeric parameter(s) .ti -\n(fiu P indicates that padding may be specified .ti -\n(fiu * indicates that padding may be based on the number of lines affected .ti -\n(fiu o indicates capability is obsolete .in +\n(fiu .PP \*(lqObsolete\*(rq capabilities have no .B terminfo\^ equivalents, since they were considered useless, or are subsumed by other capabilities. New software should not rely on them at all. .PP .if t .ta \w'\fBName \fP'u +\w'\fBType \fP'u +\w'\fBNotes \fP'u .if n .ta \w'Name 'u +\w'Type 'u +\w'Notes 'u \" Cawf troubled by \w'\fB .if t .nr fi \w'\fBName Type Notes \fP' .if n .nr fi \w'Name Type Notes ' .in +\n(fiu .ti -\n(fiu \fBName Type Notes Description\fP .ti -\n(fiu ae str (P) End alternate character set .ti -\n(fiu AL str (NP*) Add \fIn\^\fP new blank lines .ti -\n(fiu al str (P*) Add new blank line .ti -\n(fiu am bool Terminal has automatic margins .ti -\n(fiu as str (P) Start alternate character set .ti -\n(fiu bc str (o) Backspace if not \fB^H\fP .ti -\n(fiu bl str (P) Audible signal (bell) .ti -\n(fiu bs bool (o) Terminal can backspace with \fB^H\fP .ti -\n(fiu bt str (P) Back tab .ti -\n(fiu bw bool \fBle\fP (backspace) wraps from column 0 to last column .ti -\n(fiu CC str Terminal settable command character in prototype .ti -\n(fiu cd str (P*) Clear to end of display .ti -\n(fiu ce str (P) Clear to end of line .ti -\n(fiu ch str (NP) Set cursor column (horizontal position) .ti -\n(fiu cl str (P*) Clear screen and home cursor .ti -\n(fiu CM str (NP) Memory-relative cursor addressing .ti -\n(fiu cm str (NP) Screen-relative cursor motion .ti -\n(fiu co num Number of columns in a line (See BUGS section below) .ti -\n(fiu cr str (P) Carriage return .ti -\n(fiu cs str (NP) Change scrolling region (VT100) .ti -\n(fiu ct str (P) Clear all tab stops .ti -\n(fiu cv str (NP) Set cursor row (vertical position) .ti -\n(fiu da bool Display may be retained above the screen .ti -\n(fiu dB num (o) Milliseconds of \fBbs\fP delay needed (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu db bool Display may be retained below the screen .ti -\n(fiu DC str (NP*) Delete \fIn\^\fP characters .ti -\n(fiu dC num (o) Milliseconds of \fBcr\fP delay needed (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu dc str (P*) Delete character .ti -\n(fiu dF num (o) Milliseconds of \fBff\fP delay needed (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu DL str (NP*) Delete \fIn\^\fP lines .ti -\n(fiu dl str (P*) Delete line .ti -\n(fiu dm str Enter delete mode .ti -\n(fiu dN num (o) Milliseconds of \fBnl\fP delay needed (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu DO str (NP*) Move cursor down \fIn\^\fP lines .ti -\n(fiu do str Down one line .ti -\n(fiu ds str Disable status line .ti -\n(fiu dT num (o) Milliseconds of horizontal tab delay needed (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu dV num (o) Milliseconds of vertical tab delay needed (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu ec str (NP) Erase \fIn\^\fP characters .ti -\n(fiu ed str End delete mode .ti -\n(fiu ei str End insert mode .ti -\n(fiu eo bool Can erase overstrikes with a blank .ti -\n(fiu EP bool (o) Even parity .ti -\n(fiu es bool Escape can be used on the status line .ti -\n(fiu ff str (P*) Hardcopy terminal page eject .ti -\n(fiu fs str Return from status line .ti -\n(fiu gn bool Generic line type (\fIe.g.\fP dialup, switch) .ti -\n(fiu hc bool Hardcopy terminal .ti -\n(fiu HD bool (o) Half-duplex .ti -\n(fiu hd str Half-line down (forward 1/2 linefeed) .ti -\n(fiu ho str (P) Home cursor .ti -\n(fiu hs bool Has extra \*(lqstatus line\*(rq .ti -\n(fiu hu str Half-line up (reverse 1/2 linefeed) .ti -\n(fiu hz bool Cannot print ~s (Hazeltine) .ti -\n(fiu i1-i3 str Terminal initialization strings (\fBterminfo\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu IC str (NP*) Insert \fIn\^\fP blank characters .ti -\n(fiu ic str (P*) Insert character .ti -\n(fiu if str Name of file containing initialization string .ti -\n(fiu im str Enter insert mode .ti -\n(fiu in bool Insert mode distinguishes nulls .ti -\n(fiu iP str Pathname of program for initialization (\fBterminfo\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu ip str (P*) Insert pad after character inserted .ti -\n(fiu is str Terminal initialization string (\fBtermcap\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu it num Tabs initially every \fIn\^\fP positions .ti -\n(fiu K1 str Sent by keypad upper left .ti -\n(fiu K2 str Sent by keypad upper right .ti -\n(fiu K3 str Sent by keypad center .ti -\n(fiu K4 str Sent by keypad lower left .ti -\n(fiu K5 str Sent by keypad lower right .ti -\n(fiu k0-k9 str Sent by function keys 0-9 .ti -\n(fiu kA str Sent by insert-line key .ti -\n(fiu ka str Sent by clear-all-tabs key .ti -\n(fiu kb str Sent by backspace key .ti -\n(fiu kC str Sent by clear-screen or erase key .ti -\n(fiu kD str Sent by delete-character key .ti -\n(fiu kd str Sent by down-arrow key .ti -\n(fiu kE str Sent by clear-to-end-of-line key .ti -\n(fiu ke str Out of \*(lqkeypad transmit\*(rq mode .ti -\n(fiu kF str Sent by scroll-forward/down key .ti -\n(fiu kH str Sent by home-down key .ti -\n(fiu kh str Sent by home key .ti -\n(fiu kI str Sent by insert-character or enter-insert-mode key .ti -\n(fiu kL str Sent by delete-line key .ti -\n(fiu kl str Sent by left-arrow key .ti -\n(fiu kM str Sent by insert key while in insert mode .ti -\n(fiu km bool Has a \*(lqmeta\*(rq key (shift, sets parity bit) .ti -\n(fiu kN str Sent by next-page key .ti -\n(fiu kn num (o) Number of function (\fBk0\fP\-\fBk9\fP) keys (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu ko str (o) Termcap entries for other non-function keys .ti -\n(fiu kP str Sent by previous-page key .ti -\n(fiu kR str Sent by scroll-backward/up key .ti -\n(fiu kr str Sent by right-arrow key .ti -\n(fiu kS str Sent by clear-to-end-of-screen key .ti -\n(fiu ks str Put terminal in \*(lqkeypad transmit\*(rq mode .ti -\n(fiu kT str Sent by set-tab key .ti -\n(fiu kt str Sent by clear-tab key .ti -\n(fiu ku str Sent by up-arrow key .ti -\n(fiu l0-l9 str Labels on function keys if not \*(lqf\fIn\^\fP\*(rq .ti -\n(fiu LC bool (o) Lower-case only .ti -\n(fiu LE str (NP) Move cursor left \fIn\^\fP positions .ti -\n(fiu le str (P) Move cursor left one position .ti -\n(fiu li num Number of lines on screen or page (See BUGS section below) .ti -\n(fiu ll str Last line, first column .ti -\n(fiu lm num Lines of memory if > \fBli\fP (0 means varies) .ti -\n(fiu ma str (o) Arrow key map (used by \fBvi\^\fP version 2 only) .ti -\n(fiu mb str Turn on blinking attribute .ti -\n(fiu md str Turn on bold (extra bright) attribute .ti -\n(fiu me str Turn off all attributes .ti -\n(fiu mh str Turn on half-bright attribute .ti -\n(fiu mi bool Safe to move while in insert mode .ti -\n(fiu mk str Turn on blank attribute (characters invisible) .ti -\n(fiu ml str (o) Memory lock on above cursor .ti -\n(fiu mm str Turn on \*(lqmeta mode\*(rq (8th bit) .ti -\n(fiu mo str Turn off \*(lqmeta mode\*(rq .ti -\n(fiu mp str Turn on protected attribute .ti -\n(fiu mr str Turn on reverse-video attibute .ti -\n(fiu ms bool Safe to move in standout modes .ti -\n(fiu mu str (o) Memory unlock (turn off memory lock) .ti -\n(fiu nc bool (o) No correctly-working \fBcr\fP (Datamedia 2500, Hazeltine 2000) .ti -\n(fiu nd str Non-destructive space (cursor right) .ti -\n(fiu NL bool (o) \fB\\n\fP is newline, not line feed .ti -\n(fiu nl str (o) Newline character if not \fB\\n\fP .ti -\n(fiu ns bool (o) Terminal is a \s-1CRT\s0 but doesn't scroll .ti -\n(fiu nw str (P) Newline (behaves like \fBcr\fP followed by \fBdo\fP) .ti -\n(fiu OP bool (o) Odd parity .ti -\n(fiu os bool Terminal overstrikes .ti -\n(fiu pb num Lowest baud where delays are required .ti -\n(fiu pc str Pad character (default \s-2NUL\s0) .ti -\n(fiu pf str Turn off the printer .ti -\n(fiu pk str Program function key \fIn\^\fP to type string \fIs\fP (\fBterminfo\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu pl str Program function key \fIn\^\fP to execute string \fIs\fP (\fBterminfo\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu pO str (N) Turn on the printer for \fIn\^\fP bytes .ti -\n(fiu po str Turn on the printer .ti -\n(fiu ps str Print contents of the screen .ti -\n(fiu pt bool (o) Has hardware tabs (may need to be set with \fBis\fP) .ti -\n(fiu px str Program function key \fIn\^\fP to transmit string \fIs\fP (\fBterminfo\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu r1-r3 str Reset terminal completely to sane modes (\fBterminfo\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu rc str (P) Restore cursor to position of last \fBsc\fP .ti -\n(fiu rf str Name of file containing reset codes .ti -\n(fiu RI str (NP) Move cursor right \fIn\^\fP positions .ti -\n(fiu rp str (NP*) Repeat character \fIc n\^\fP times .ti -\n(fiu rs str Reset terminal completely to sane modes (\fBtermcap\^\fP only) .ti -\n(fiu sa str (NP) Define the video attributes .ti -\n(fiu sc str (P) Save cursor position .ti -\n(fiu se str End standout mode .ti -\n(fiu SF str (NP*) Scroll forward \fIn\^\fP lines .ti -\n(fiu sf str (P) Scroll text up .ti -\n(fiu sg num Number of garbage chars left by \fBso\fP or \fBse\fP (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu so str Begin standout mode .ti -\n(fiu SR str (NP*) Scroll backward \fIn\^\fP lines .ti -\n(fiu sr str (P) Scroll text down .ti -\n(fiu st str Set a tab in all rows, current column .ti -\n(fiu ta str (P) Tab to next 8-position hardware tab stop .ti -\n(fiu tc str Entry of similar terminal \- must be last .ti -\n(fiu te str String to end programs that use \fBtermcap\fP .ti -\n(fiu ti str String to begin programs that use \fBtermcap\fP .ti -\n(fiu ts str (N) Go to status line, column \fIn\^\fP .ti -\n(fiu UC bool (o) Upper-case only .ti -\n(fiu uc str Underscore one character and move past it .ti -\n(fiu ue str End underscore mode .ti -\n(fiu ug num Number of garbage chars left by \fBus\fP or \fBue\fP (default 0) .ti -\n(fiu ul bool Underline character overstrikes .ti -\n(fiu UP str (NP*) Move cursor up \fIn\^\fP lines .ti -\n(fiu up str Upline (cursor up) .ti -\n(fiu us str Start underscore mode .ti -\n(fiu vb str Visible bell (must not move cursor) .ti -\n(fiu ve str Make cursor appear normal (undo \fBvs\fP/\fBvi\fP) .ti -\n(fiu vi str Make cursor invisible .ti -\n(fiu vs str Make cursor very visible .ti -\n(fiu vt num Virtual terminal number (not supported on all systems) .ti -\n(fiu wi str (N) Set current window .ti -\n(fiu ws num Number of columns in status line .ti -\n(fiu xb bool Beehive (f1=\s-2ESC\s0, f2=^C) .ti -\n(fiu xn bool Newline ignored after 80 cols (Concept) .ti -\n(fiu xo bool Terminal uses xoff/xon (\s-2DC3\s0/\s-2DC1\s0) handshaking .ti -\n(fiu xr bool (o) Return acts like \fBce cr nl\fP (Delta Data) .ti -\n(fiu xs bool Standout not erased by overwriting (Hewlett-Packard) .ti -\n(fiu xt bool Tabs ruin, magic \fBso\fP char (Teleray 1061) .ti -\n(fiu xx bool (o) Tektronix 4025 insert-line .in -\n(fiu .PP .B A Sample Entry .PP The following entry, which describes the Concept\-100, is among the more complex entries in the .B termcap\^ file as of this writing. .PP .nf .if t .ta 8n +8n .if n .ta 2n +2n ca\||\|concept100\||\|c100\||\|concept\||\|c104\||\|concept100-4p\||\|HDS Concept\-100:\e :al=3*\eE^R:am:bl=^G:cd=16*\eE^C:ce=16\eE^U:cl=2*^L:cm=\eEa%+ %+ :\e :co#80:.cr=9^M:db:dc=16\eE^A:dl=3*\eE^B:do=^J:ei=\eE\e200:eo:im=\eE^P:in:\e :ip=16*:is=\eEU\eEf\eE7\eE5\eE8\eEl\eENH\eEK\eE\e200\eEo&\e200\eEo\e47\eE:k1=\eE5:\e :k2=\eE6:k3=\eE7:kb=^h:kd=\eE<:ke=\eEx:kh=\eE?:kl=\eE>:kr=\eE=:ks=\eEX:\e :ku=\eE;:le=^H:li#24:mb=\eEC:me=\eEN\e200:mh=\eEE:mi:mk=\eEH:mp=\eEI:\e :mr=\eED:nd=\eE=:pb#9600:rp=0.2*\eEr%.%+ :se=\eEd\eEe:sf=^J:so=\eEE\eED:\e :.ta=8\et:te=\eEv \e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\eEp\er\en:\e :ti=\eEU\eEv 8p\eEp\er:ue=\eEg:ul:up=\eE;:us=\eEG:\e :vb=\eEk\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\eEK:\e :ve=\eEw:vs=\eEW:vt#8:xn:\e :bs:cr=^M:dC#9:dT#8:nl=^J:ta=^I:pt: .fi .PP Entries may continue onto multiple lines by giving a \e as the last character of a line, and empty fields may be included for readability (here between the last field on a line and the first field on the next). Comments may be included on lines beginning with \*(lq#\*(rq. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Types of Capabilities .PP Capabilities in .B termcap\^ are of three types: Boolean capabilities, which indicate particular features that the terminal has; numeric capabilities, giving the size of the display or the size of other attributes; and string capabilities, which give character sequences that can be used to perform particular terminal operations. All capabilities have two-letter codes. For instance, the fact that the Concept has .I automatic margins .RI ( i.e. , an automatic return and linefeed when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the Boolean capability .BR am . Hence the description of the Concept includes .BR am . .PP Numeric capabilities are followed by the character `#' then the value. In the example above .BR co , which indicates the number of columns the display has, gives the value `80' for the Concept. .PP Finally, string-valued capabilities, such as .B ce (clear-to-end-of-line sequence) are given by the two-letter code, an `=', then a string ending at the next following `:'. A delay in milliseconds may appear after the `=' in such a capability, which causes padding characters to be supplied by .B tputs\^ after the remainder of the string is sent to provide this delay. The delay can be either a number, .I e.g. `20', or a number followed by an `*', .IR i.e. , `3*'. An `*' indicates that the padding required is proportional to the number of lines affected by the operation, and the amount given is the per-affected-line padding required. (In the case of insert-character, the factor is still the number of .I lines\^ affected; this is always 1 unless the terminal has .B in and the software uses it.) When an `*' is specified, it is sometimes useful to give a delay of the form `3.5' to specify a delay per line to tenths of milliseconds. (Only one decimal place is allowed.) .PP A number of escape sequences are provided in the string-valued capabilities for easy encoding of control characters there. .B \eE maps to an \s-2ESC\s0 character, .B ^X maps to a control-X for any appropriate X, and the sequences .B \en .B \er .B \et .B \eb .B \ef map to linefeed, return, tab, backspace, and formfeed, respectively. Finally, characters may be given as three octal digits after a .BR \e , and the characters .B ^ and .B \e may be given as .B \e^ and .BR \e\e . If it is necessary to place a .B : in a capability it must be escaped in octal as .BR \e072 . If it is necessary to place a \s-2NUL\s0 character in a string capability it must be encoded as .BR \e200 . (The routines that deal with .B termcap\^ use C strings and strip the high bits of the output very late, so that a .B \e200 comes out as a .B \e000 would.) .PP Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To do this, put a period before the capability name. For example, see the first .B cr and .B ta in the example above. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Preparing Descriptions .PP We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals. The most effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating the description of a similar terminal in .B termcap\^ and to build up a description gradually, using partial descriptions with .B vi\^ to check that they are correct. Be aware that a very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in the ability of the .B termcap\^ file to describe it or bugs in .BR vi\^ . To easily test a new terminal description you can set the environment variable .B .SM TERMCAP to the absolute pathname of a file containing the description you are working on and programs will look there rather than in .BR /etc/termcap\^ . .B .SM TERMCAP can also be set to the .B termcap\^ entry itself to avoid reading the file when starting up a program. .PP To get the padding for insert-line right (if the terminal manufacturer did not document it), a severe test is to use .B vi\^ to edit .B /etc/passwd\^ at 9600 baud, delete roughly 16 lines from the middle of the screen, then hit the `u' key several times quickly. If the display messes up, more padding is usually needed. A similar test can be used for insert-character. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Basic Capabilities .PP The number of columns on each line of the display is given by the .B co numeric capability. If the display is a \s-1CRT\s0, then the number of lines on the screen is given by the .B li capability. If the display wraps around to the beginning of the next line when the cursor reaches the right margin, then it should have the .B am capability. If the terminal can clear its screen, the code to do this is given by the .B cl string capability. If the terminal overstrikes (rather than clearing the position when a character is overwritten), it should have the .B os capability. If the terminal is a printing terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both .B hc and .BR os . .RB ( os applies to storage scope terminals, such as the Tektronix 4010 series, as well as to hard copy and .SM APL terminals.) If there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the current row, give this as .BR cr . (Normally this will be carriage-return, .BR ^M .) If there is a code to produce an audible signal (bell, beep, .IR etc.\^ ), give this as .BR bl . .PP If there is a code (such as backspace) to move the cursor one position to the left, that capability should be given as .BR le . Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and down should be given as .BR nd , .BR up , and .BR do , respectively. These .I local cursor motions\^ should not alter the text they pass over; for example, you would not normally use \*(lqnd=\ \*(rq unless the terminal has the .B os capability, because the space would erase the character moved over. .PP A very important point here is that the local cursor motions encoded in .B termcap\^ have undefined behavior at the left and top edges of a .SM CRT display. Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless .B bw is given, and never attempt to go up off the top using local cursor motions. .PP In order to scroll text up, a program goes to the bottom left corner of the screen and sends the .B sf (index) string. To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner of the screen and sends the .B sr (reverse index) string. The strings .B sf and .B sr have undefined behavior when not on their respective corners of the screen. Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are .B SF and .BR SR , which have the same semantics as .B sf and .B sr except that they take one parameter and scroll that many lines. They also have undefined behavior except at the appropriate corner of the screen. .PP The .B am capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right edge of the screen when text is output there, but this does not necessarily apply to .B nd from the last column. Leftward local motion is defined from the left edge only when .B bw is given; then an .B le from the left edge will move to the right edge of the previous row. This is useful for drawing a box around the edge of the screen, for example. If the terminal has switch-selectable automatic margins, the .B termcap\^ description usually assumes that this feature is on, .IR i.e. , .BR am . If the terminal has a command that moves to the first column of the next line, that command can be given as .B nw (newline). It is permissible for this to clear the remainder of the current line, so if the terminal has no correctly-working \s-2CR\s0 and \s-2LF\s0 it may still be possible to craft a working .B nw out of one or both of them. .PP These capabilities suffice to describe hardcopy and \*(lqglass-tty\*(rq terminals. Thus the Teletype model 33 is described as .PP .nf T3\||\|tty33\||\|33\||\|tty\||\|Teletype model 33:\e :bl=^G:co#72:cr=^M:do=^J:hc:os: .fi .PP and the Lear Siegler \s-1ADM\s0\-3 is described as .PP .nf l3\||\|adm3\||\|3\||\|LSI \s-1ADM\s0-3:\e :am:bl=^G:cl=^Z:co#80:cr=^M:do=^J:le=^H:li#24:sf=^J: .fi .br .ne 5 .PP .B Parameterized Strings .PP Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters are described by a parameterized string capability, with .BR printf\^ (3)-like escapes .B %x in it, while other characters are passed through unchanged. For example, to address the cursor the .B cm capability is given, using two parameters: the row and column to move 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 an analogous .B CM capability.) .PP The .B % encodings have the following meanings: .PP .in +16n .ta +8n .ti -8n %% output `%' .ti -8n %d output value as in \fBprintf\^\fP %d .ti -8n %2 output value as in \fBprintf\^\fP %2d .ti -8n %3 output value as in \fBprintf\^\fP %3d .ti -8n %. output value as in \fBprintf\^\fP %c .ti -8n %+\fIx\fP add \fIx\^\fP to value, then do %. .ti -8n %>\fIxy\fP if value > \fIx\^\fP then add \fIy\^\fP, no output .ti -8n %r reverse order of two parameters, no output .ti -8n %i increment by one, no output .ti -8n %n exclusive-or all parameters with 0140 (Datamedia 2500) .ti -8n %B BCD (16*(value/10)) + (value%10), no output .ti -8n %D Reverse coding (value \- 2*(value%16)), no output (Delta Data) .ti -16n .fi .PP Consider the Hewlett-Packard 2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12, needs to be sent \*(lq\eE&a12c03Y\*(rq padded for 6 milliseconds. Note that the order of the row and column coordinates is reversed here and that the row and column are sent as two-digit integers. Thus its .B cm capability is \*(lqcm=6\eE&%r%2c%2Y\*(rq. .PP The Microterm .SM ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent simply encoded in binary preceded by a .BR ^T , \*(lqcm=^T%.%.\*(rq. Terminals that use \*(lq%.\*(rq need to be able to backspace the cursor .RB ( le ) and to move the cursor up one line on the screen .RB ( up ). This is necessary because it is not always safe to transmit .BR \en , .BR ^D , and .BR \er , as the system may change or discard them. (Programs using .B termcap\^ must set terminal modes so that tabs are not expanded, so .B \et is safe to send. This turns out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.) .PP A final example is the Lear Siegler \s-1ADM\s0\-3a, which offsets row and column by a blank character, thus \*(lqcm=\eE=%+ %+ \*(rq. .PP Row or column absolute cursor addressing can be given as single parameter capabilities .B ch (horizontal position absolute) and .B cv (vertical position absolute). Sometimes these are shorter than the more general two-parameter sequence (as with the Hewlett-Packard 2645) and can be used in preference to .BR cm . If there are parameterized local motions .RI ( e.g. , move .I n\^ positions to the right) these can be given as .BR DO , .BR LE , .BR RI , and .B UP with a single parameter indicating how many positions to move. These are primarily useful if the terminal does not have .BR cm , such as the Tektronix 4025. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Cursor Motions .PP If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to the very upper left corner of the screen), this can be given as .BR ho . Similarly, a fast way of getting to the lower left-hand corner can be given as .BR ll ; this may involve going up with .B up from the home position, but a program should never do this itself (unless .B ll does), because it can make no assumption about the effect of moving up from the home position. Note that the home position is the same as cursor address (0,0): to the top left corner of the screen, not of memory. (Therefore, the \*(lq\eEH\*(rq sequence on Hewlett-Packard terminals cannot be used for .BR ho .) .br .ne 5 .PP .B Area Clears .PP 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 .BR ce . If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the display, this should be given as .BR cd . .B cd must only be invoked from the first column of a line. (Therefore, it can be simulated by a request to delete a large number of lines, if a true .B cd is not available.) .br .ne 5 .PP .B Insert/Delete Line .PP If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line containing the cursor, this should be given as .BR al ; this must be invoked only from the first position of a line. The cursor must then appear at the left of the newly blank line. If the terminal can delete the line that the cursor is on, this should be given as .BR dl ; this must only be used from the first position on the line to be deleted. Versions of .B al and .B dl which take a single parameter and insert or delete that many lines can be given as .B AL and .BR DL . If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the VT100), the command to set this can be described with the .B cs capability, which takes two parameters: the top and bottom lines of the scrolling region. The cursor position is, alas, undefined after using this command. It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line using this command \(em the .B sc and .B rc (save and restore cursor) commands are also useful. Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be done using .B sr or .B sf on many terminals without a true insert/delete line, and is often faster even on terminals with those features. .PP 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 .BR wi . The four parameters are the starting and ending lines in memory and the starting and ending columns in memory, in that order. (This .B terminfo\^ capability is described for completeness. It is unlikely that any .BR termcap\^ -using program will support it.) .PP If the terminal can retain display memory above the screen, then the .B da capability should be given; if display memory can be retained below, then .B db should be given. These indicate that deleting a line or scrolling may bring non-blank lines up from below or that scrolling back with .B sr may bring down non-blank lines. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Insert/Delete Character .PP There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to insert/delete character that can be described using .BR termcap\^ . 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 then typing text separated by cursor motions. Type \*(lqabc\ \ \ \ def\*(rq using local cursor motions (not spaces) between the \*(lqabc\*(rq and the \*(lqdef\*(rq. Then position the cursor before the \*(lqabc\*(rq and put the terminal in insert mode. If typing characters causes the rest of the line to shift rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your terminal does not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions. If the \*(lqabc\*(rq shifts over to the \*(lqdef\*(rq which then move together around the end of the current line and onto the next as you insert, then you have the second type of terminal and should give the capability \fBin\fP, which stands for \*(lqinsert null\*(rq. While these are two logically separate attributes (one line .I vs. multi-line insert mode, and special treatment of untyped spaces), we have seen no terminals whose insert mode cannot be described with the single attribute. .PP .B Termcap\^ can describe both terminals that have an insert mode and terminals that send a simple sequence to open a blank position on the current line. Give as .B im the sequence to get into insert mode. Give as .B ei the sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as .B ic any sequence that needs to be sent just before each character to be inserted. Most terminals with a true insert mode will not give .BR ic ; terminals that use a sequence to open a screen position should give it here. (If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually preferable to .BR ic . Do not give both unless the terminal actually requires both to be used in combination.) If post-insert padding is needed, give this as a number of milliseconds in .B ip (a string option). Any other sequence that may need to be sent after insertion of a single character can also be given in .BR ip . If your terminal needs to be placed into an `insert mode' and needs a special code preceding each inserted character, then both .BR im / ei and .B ic can be given, and both will be used. The .B IC capability, with one parameter .IR n\^ , will repeat the effects of .B ic .I n\^ times. .PP It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode to delete characters on the same line .RI ( e.g. , if there is a tab after the insertion position). If your terminal allows motion while in insert mode, you can give the capability .B mi to speed up inserting in this case. Omitting .B mi will affect only speed. Some terminals (notably Datamedia's) must not have .B mi because of the way their insert mode works. .PP Finally, you can specify .B dc to delete a single character, .B DC with one parameter .I n\^ to delete .I n\^ characters, and delete mode by giving .B dm and .B ed to enter and exit delete mode (which is any mode the terminal needs to be placed in for .B dc to work). .br .ne 5 .PP .B Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells .PP If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes, these can be represented in a number of different ways. You should choose one display form as .IR "standout mode" , 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.) The sequences to enter and exit standout mode are given as .B so and .BR se , respectively. If the code to change into or out of standout mode leaves one or even two blank spaces or garbage characters on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do, then .B sg should be given to tell how many characters are left. .PP Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given as .B us and .BR ue , respectively. Underline mode change garbage is specified by .BR ug , similar to .BR sg . If the terminal has a code to underline the current character and move the cursor one position to the right, such as the Microterm Mime, this can be given as .BR uc . .PP Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include .B mb (blinking), .B md (bold or extra bright), .B mh (dim or half-bright), .B mk (blanking or invisible text), .B mp (protected), .B mr (reverse video), .B me (turn off .I all attribute modes), .B as (enter alternate character set mode), and .B ae (exit alternate character set mode). Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes. .PP If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of mode, this should be given as .B sa (set attributes), taking 9 parameters. Each parameter is either 0 or 1, as the corresponding attributes is on or off. The 9 parameters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, and alternate character set. Not all modes need be supported by .BR sa , only those for which corresponding attribute commands exist. (It is unlikely that a .BR termcap\^ -using program will support this capability, which is defined for compatibility with .BR terminfo\^ .) .PP Terminals with the \*(lqmagic cookie\*(rq glitches .RB ( sg and .BR ug ), rather than maintaining extra attribute bits for each character cell, instead deposit special \*(lqcookies\*(rq, or \*(lqgarbage characters\*(rq, when they receive mode-setting sequences, which affect the display algorithm. .PP Some terminals, such as the Hewlett-Packard 2621, automatically leave standout mode when they move to a new line or when the cursor is addressed. Programs using standout mode should exit standout mode on such terminals before moving the cursor or sending a newline. On terminals where this is not a problem, the .B ms capability should be present to say that this overhead is unnecessary. .PP If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error quietly (a bell replacement), this can be given as .BR vb ; it must not move the cursor. .PP If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal when it is not on the bottom line (to change, for example, a non-blinking underline into an easier-to-find block or blinking underline), give this sequence as .BR vs . If there is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give that as .BR vi . The capability .BR ve , which undoes the effects of both of these modes, should also be given. .PP If your terminal correctly displays underlined characters (with no special codes needed) even though it does not overstrike, then you should give the capability .BR ul . If overstrikes are erasable with a blank, this should be indicated by giving .BR eo . .br .ne 5 .PP .B Keypad .PP If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are pressed, this information can be given. Note that it is not possible to handle terminals where the keypad only works in local mode (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 .B ks and .BR ke . 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 .BR kl , .BR kr , .BR ku , .BR kd , and .BR kh , respectively. If there are function keys such as f0, f1, ..., f9, the codes they send can be given as .BR k0 , .BR k1 , "" ..., .BR k9 . If these keys have labels other than the default f0 through f9, the labels can be given as .BR l0 , .BR l1 , "" ..., .BR l9 . The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be given: .B kH (home down), .B kb (backspace), .B ka (clear all tabs), .B kt (clear the tab stop in this column), .B kC (clear screen or erase), .B kD (delete character), .B kL (delete line), .B kM (exit insert mode), .B kE (clear to end of line), .B kS (clear to end of screen), .B kI (insert character or enter insert mode), .B kA (insert line), .B kN (next page), .B kP (previous page), .B kF (scroll forward/down), .B kR (scroll backward/up), and .B kT (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, then the other five keys can be given as .BR K1 , .BR K2 , .BR K3 , .BR K4 , and .BR K5 . These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed. The obsolete .B ko capability formerly used to describe \*(lqother\*(rq function keys has been completely supplanted by the above capabilities. .PP The .B ma entry is also used to indicate arrow keys on terminals that have single-character arrow keys. It is obsolete but still in use in version 2 of .B vi\^ which must be run on some minicomputers due to memory limitations. This field is redundant with .BR kl , .BR kr , .BR ku , .BR kd , and .BR kh . It consists of groups of two characters. In each group, the first character is what an arrow key sends, and the second character is the corresponding .B vi\^ command. These commands are .B h for .BR kl , .B j for .BR kd , .B k for .BR ku , .B l for .BR kr , and .B H for .BR kh . For example, the Mime would have \*(lqma=^Hh^Kj^Zk^Xl\*(rq indicating arrow keys left (^H), down (^K), up (^Z), and right (^X). (There is no home key on the Mime.) .br .ne 5 .PP .B Tabs and Initialization .PP 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 .B ti and .BR te . 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 screen-sized window must be fixed into the display for cursor addressing to work properly. This is also used for the Tektronix 4025, where .B ti sets the command character to be the one used by .BR termcap\^ . .PP Other capabilities include .BR is , an initialization string for the terminal, and .BR 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 .B termcap\^ description. They are normally sent to the terminal by the .B tset\^ program each time the user logs in. They will be printed in the following order: .BR is ; setting tabs using .B ct and .BR st ; and finally .BR if . .RI ( Terminfo\^ uses .B i1-i2 instead of .B is and runs the program .B iP and prints .B i3 after the other initializations.) A pair of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally unknown state can be analogously given as .B rs and .BR if . These strings are output by the .B reset\^ program, which is used when the terminal gets into a wedged state. .RI ( Terminfo\^ uses .B r1-r3 instead of .BR rs .) Commands are normally placed in .B rs and .B rf only if they produce annoying effects on the screen and are not necessary when logging in. For example, the command to set the VT100 into 80-column mode would normally be part of .BR is , but it causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not normally needed since the terminal is usually already in 80-column mode. .PP If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the next tab stop can be given as .B ta (usually .BR ^I ). A \*(lqbacktab\*(rq command which moves leftward to the previous tab stop can be given as .BR bt . By convention, if the terminal driver modes indicate that tab stops are being expanded by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal, programs should not use .B ta or .B bt even if they are present, since the user may not have the tab stops properly set. If the terminal has hardware tabs that are initially set every .I n\^ positions when the terminal is powered up, then the numeric parameter .B it is given, showing the number of positions between tab stops. This is normally used by the .B tset\^ command to determine whether to set the driver 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 .B termcap\^ description can assume that they are properly set. .PP If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given as .B ct (clear all tab stops) and .B st (set a tab stop in the current column of every row). If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be described by this, the sequence can be placed in .B is or .BR if . .br .ne 5 .PP .B Delays .PP Certain capabilities control padding in the terminal driver. These are primarily needed by hardcopy terminals and are used by the .B tset\^ program to set terminal driver modes appropriately. Delays embedded in the capabilities .BR cr , .BR sf , .BR le , .BR ff , and .B ta will cause the appropriate delay bits to be set in the terminal driver. If .B pb (padding baud rate) is given, these values can be ignored at baud rates below the value of .BR pb . For 4.2BSD .BR tset\^ , the delays are given as numeric capabilities .BR dC , .BR dN , .BR dB , .BR dF , and .BR dT instead. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Miscellaneous .PP If the terminal requires other than a \s-2NUL\s0 (zero) character as a pad, this can be given as .BR pc . Only the first character of the .B pc string is used. .PP If the terminal has commands to save and restore the position of the cursor, give them as .B sc and .BR rc . .PP If the terminal has an extra \*(lqstatus line\*(rq that is not normally used by software, this fact can be indicated. If the status line is viewed as an extra line below the bottom line, then the capability .B hs should be given. Special strings to go to a position in the status line and to return from the status line can be given as .B ts and .BR fs . .RB ( fs must leave the cursor position in the same place that it was before .BR ts . If necessary, the .B sc and .B rc strings can be included in .B ts and .B fs to get this effect.) The capability .B ts takes one parameter, which is the column number of the status line to which the cursor is to be moved. If escape sequences and other special commands such as tab work while in the status line, the flag .B es can be given. A string that turns off the status line (or otherwise erases its contents) should be given as .BR ds . The status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the rest of the screen, .IR i.e. , .BR co . If the status line is a different width (possibly because the terminal does not allow an entire line to be loaded), then its width in columns can be indicated with the numeric parameter .BR ws . .PP If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be indicated with .B hu (half-line up) and .B 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 .B ff (usually .BR ^L ). .PP 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 .BR rp . The first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second is the number of times to repeat it. (This is a .B terminfo\^ feature that is unlikely to be supported by a program that uses .BR termcap\^ .) .PP If the terminal has a settable command character, such as the Tektronix 4025, this can be indicated with .BR CC . A prototype command character is chosen which is used in all capabilities. This character is given in the .B CC capability to identify it. The following convention is supported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be searched for a .B .SM CC variable, and if found, all occurrences of the prototype character are replaced by the character in the environment variable. This use of the .B .SM CC environment variable is a very bad idea, as it conflicts with .BR make\^ (1). .PP Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known terminal, such as .BR switch\^ , .BR dialup\^ , .BR patch\^ , and .BR network\^ , should include the .B 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 .I virtual\^ terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are known.) .PP If the terminal uses xoff/xon (\s-2DC3\s0/\s-2DC1\s0) handshaking for flow control, give .BR xo . Padding information should still be included so that routines can make better decisions about costs, but actual pad characters will not be transmitted. .PP If the terminal has a \*(lqmeta key\*(rq which acts as a shift key, setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted, then this fact can be indicated with .BR km . Otherwise, software will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it will usually be cleared. If strings exist to turn this \*(lqmeta mode\*(rq on and off, they can be given as .B mm and .BR mo . .PP 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 .BR lm . An explicit value of 0 indicates that the number of lines is not fixed, but that there is still more memory than fits on the screen. .PP If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX system virtual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given as .BR vt . .PP Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer connected to the terminal can be given as .BR ps : print the contents of the screen; .BR pf : turn off the printer; and .BR po : turn on the printer. When the printer is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the terminal screen when the printer is on. A variation .B pO 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. All text, including .BR pf , is transparently passed to the printer while .B pO is in effect. .PP Strings to program function keys can be given as .BR pk , .BR pl , and .BR px . Each of these strings takes two parameters: the function key number to program (from 0 to 9) and the string to program it with. Function key numbers out of this range may program undefined keys in a terminal-dependent manner. The differences among the capabilities are that .B pk causes pressing the given key to be the same as the user typing the given string; .B pl causes the string to be executed by the terminal in local mode; and .B px causes the string to be transmitted to the computer. Unfortunately, due to lack of a definition for string parameters in .BR termcap\^ , only .B terminfo\^ supports these capabilities. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Glitches and Braindamage .PP Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to be displayed, should indicate .BR hz . .PP The .B nc capability, now obsolete, formerly indicated Datamedia terminals, which echo .B \er \en for carriage return then ignore a following linefeed. .PP Terminals that ignore a linefeed immediately after an .B am wrap, such as the Concept, should indicate .BR xn . .PP If .B ce is required to get rid of standout (instead of merely writing normal text on top of it), .B xs should be given. .PP Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over to blanks, should indicate .B xt (destructive tabs). This glitch is also taken to mean that it is not possible to position the cursor on top of a \*(lqmagic cookie\*(rq, and that to erase standout mode it is necessary to use delete and insert line. .PP The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the \s-2ESC\s0 or ^C characters, has .BR xb , indicating that the \*(lqf1\*(rq key is used for \s-2ESC\s0 and \*(lqf2\*(rq for ^C. (Only certain Superbees have this problem, depending on the ROM.) .PP Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more capabilities of the form \fBx\fIx\^\fP. .br .ne 5 .PP .B Similar Terminals .PP If there are two very similar terminals, one can be defined as being just like the other with certain exceptions. The string capability .B tc can be given with the name of the similar terminal. This capability must be .IR last\^ , and the combined length of the entries must not exceed 1024. The capabilities given before .B tc override those in the terminal type invoked by .BR tc . A capability can be canceled by placing .B xx@ to the left of the .B tc invocation, where .I xx\^ is the capability. For example, the entry .PP hn\||\|2621\-nl:ks@:ke@:tc=2621: .PP defines a \*(lq2621\-nl\*(rq that does not have the .B ks or .B ke capabilities, hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual mode. This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or for different user preferences. .SH AUTHOR William Joy .br Mark Horton added underlining and keypad support .SH FILES .TP 15 .B /etc/termcap file containing terminal descriptions .B /usr/etc/termcap file containing more terminal descriptions (Minix-vmd) .SH SEE ALSO .BR elvis (1), .BR more (1), .BR termcap (3), .BR printf (3). .SH "CAVEATS AND BUGS" Lines and columns are now stored by the kernel as well as in the termcap entry. Most programs now use the kernel information primarily; the information in this file is used only if the kernel does not have any information. .PP Not all programs support all entries. .PP The MINIX 3 .BR termcap (3) does not understand everything described here, unlike the one Minix-vmd uses.