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curs_termcap(3X)                                              curs_termcap(3X)



NAME
       tgetent,  tgetflag,  tgetnum,  tgetstr,  tgoto,  tputs  - direct curses
       interface to the terminfo capability database

SYNOPSIS
       #include <curses.h>
       #include <term.h>
       extern char PC; extern char *  UP;  extern  char  *  BC;  extern  short
       ospeed;
       int tgetent(char *bp, const char *name);
       int tgetflag(char *id);
       int tgetnum(char *id);
       char *tgetstr(char *id, char **area);
       char *tgoto(const char *cap, int col, int row);
       int tputs(const char *str, int affcnt, int (*putc)(int));

DESCRIPTION
       These  routines  are included as a conversion aid for programs that use
       the termcap library.  Their parameters are the same  and  the  routines
       are  emulated using the terminfo database.  Thus, they can only be used
       to query the capabilities of entries for which  a  terminfo  entry  has
       been compiled.

       The tgetent routine loads the entry for name.  It returns 1 on success,
       0 if there is no such entry, and -1 if the terminfo database could  not
       be found.  The emulation ignores the buffer pointer bp.

       The  tgetflag  routine  gets the boolean entry for id, or zero if it is
       not available.

       The tgetnum routine gets the numeric entry for id, or -1 if it  is  not
       available.

       The  tgetstr  routine returns the string entry for id, or zero if it is
       not available.  Use tputs to output the returned  string.   The  return
       value  will  also  be  copied to the buffer pointed to by area, and the
       area value will be updated to point past the null ending this value.

       Only the first two characters of the id parameter of tgetflag,  tgetnum
       and tgetstr are compared in lookups.

       The  tgoto  routine instantiates the parameters into the given capabil-ity. capability.
       ity.  The output from this routine is to be passed to tputs.

       The tputs routine is described on the  curs_terminfo(3X)  manual  page.
       It can retrieve capabilities by either termcap or terminfo name.

       The  variables PC, UP and BC are set by tgetent to the terminfo entry's
       data for pad_char, cursor_up and backspace_if_not_bs, respectively.  UP
       is  not used by ncurses.  PC is used in the tdelay_output function.  BC
       is used in the tgoto emulation.  The variable ospeed is set by  ncurses
       in a system-specific coding to reflect the terminal speed.


RETURN VALUE
       Except  where  explicitly noted, routines that return an integer return
       ERR upon failure and OK (SVr4 only specifies "an  integer  value  other
       than ERR") upon successful completion.

       Routines that return pointers return NULL on error.

BUGS
       If  you  call tgetstr to fetch ca or any other parameterized string, be
       aware that it will be returned in terminfo notation, not the older  and
       not-quite-compatible  termcap  notation.   This won't cause problems if
       all you do with it is call tgoto or tparm, which both expand  terminfo-style terminfostyle
       style  strings as terminfo.  (The tgoto function, if configured to sup-port support
       port termcap, will check if the  string  is  indeed  terminfo-style  by
       looking  for  "%p"  parameters or "$<..>" delays, and invoke a termcap-style termcapstyle
       style parser if the string does not appear to be terminfo).

       Because terminfo conventions for representing padding in  string  capa-bilities capabilities
       bilities  differ  from  termcap's,  tputs("50"); will put out a literal
       "50" rather than busy-waiting for 50 milliseconds.  Cope with it.

       Note that termcap has nothing analogous to terminfo's sgr string.   One
       consequence  of  this  is that termcap applications assume me (terminfo
       sgr0) does not reset the alternate character set.  This  implementation
       checks  for,  and  modifies  the data shown to the termcap interface to
       accommodate termcap's limitation in this respect.

PORTABILITY
       The XSI Curses standard, Issue 4 describes these  functions.   However,
       they  are marked TO BE WITHDRAWN and may be removed in future versions.

       Neither the XSI Curses standard nor the SVr4 man pages  documented  the
       return  values  of  tgetent  correctly,  though  all three were in fact
       returned ever since SVr1.  In particular, an omission in the XSI Curses
       documentation  has  been misinterpreted to mean that tgetent returns OK
       or ERR.  Because the purpose of these functions is to provide  compati-bility compatibility
       bility  with the termcap library, that is a defect in XCurses, Issue 4,
       Version 2 rather than in ncurses.

       External variables are provided for support of certain termcap applica-tions. applications.
       tions.  However, termcap applications' use of those variables is poorly
       documented, e.g., not distinguishing between input and output.  In par-ticular, particular,
       ticular,  some  applications  are  reported  to  declare  and/or modify
       ospeed.

SEE ALSO
       curses(3X), terminfo(5), putc(3S).



                                                              curs_termcap(3X)