termcap

NAME

termcap - terminal capability database

DESCRIPTION

The termcap database is an obsolete facility for describing the capabilities of character-cell terminals and printers. It is retained only for capability with old programs; new ones should use the terminfo(5) database and associated libraries.

/etc/termcap is an ASCII file (the database master) that lists the capabilities of many different types of terminals. Programs can read termcap to find the particular escape codes needed to control the visual attributes of the terminal actually in use. (Other aspects of the terminal are handled by stty(1).) The termcap database is indexed on the TERM environment variable.

Termcap entries must be defined on a single logical line, with '\' used to suppress the newline. Fields are separated by ':'. The first field of each entry starts at the left-hand margin, and contains a list of names for the terminal, separated by '|'.

The first subfield may (in BSD termcap entries from versions 4.3 and prior) contain a short name consisting of two characters. This short name may consist of capital or small letters. In 4.4BSD termcap entries this field is omitted.

The second subfield (first, in the newer 4.4BSD format) contains the name used by the environment variable TERM. It should be spelled in lowercase letters. Selectable hardware capabilities should be marked by appending a hyphen and a suffix to this name. See below for an example. Usual suffixes are w (more than 80 characters wide), am (automatic margins), nam (no automatic margins), and rv (reverse video display). The third subfield contains a long and descriptive name for this termcap entry.

Subsequent fields contain the terminal capabilities; any continued capability lines must be indented one tab from the left margin.

Although there is no defined order, it is suggested to write first boolean, then numeric, and then string capabilities, each sorted alphabetically without looking at lower or upper spelling. Capabilities of similar functions can be written in one line.


Example for:



Head line: vt|vt101|DEC VT 101 terminal in 80 character mode:\

Head line: Vt|vt101-w|DEC VT 101 terminal in (wide) 132 character mode:\

Boolean: :bs:\

Numeric: :co#80:\

String: :sr=\E[H:\

 

Boolean Capabilities


5i      Printer will not echo on screen

am      Automatic margins which means automatic line wrap

bs      Control-H (8 dec.) performs a backspace

bw      Backspace on left margin wraps to previous line and right margin

da      Display retained above screen

db      Display retained below screen

eo      A space erases all characters at cursor position

es      Escape sequences and special characters work in status line

gn      Generic device

hc      This is a hardcopy terminal

HC      The cursor is hard to see when not on bottom line

hs      Has a status line

hz      Hazeltine bug, the terminal can not print tilde characters

in      Terminal inserts null bytes, not spaces, to fill whitespace

km      Terminal has a meta key

mi      Cursor movement works in insert mode

ms      Cursor movement works in standout/underline mode

NP      No pad character

NR      ti does not reverse te

nx      No padding, must use XON/XOFF

os      Terminal can overstrike

ul      Terminal underlines although it can not overstrike

xb      Beehive glitch, f1 sends ESCAPE, f2 sends ^C

xn      Newline/wraparound glitch

xo      Terminal uses xon/xoff protocol

xs      Text typed over standout text will be displayed in standout

xt      Teleray glitch, destructive tabs and odd standout mode

Numeric Capabilities


co      Number of columns

dB      Delay in milliseconds for backspace on hardcopy terminals

dC      Delay in milliseconds for carriage return on hardcopy terminals

dF      Delay in milliseconds for form feed on hardcopy terminals

dN      Delay in milliseconds for new line on hardcopy terminals

dT      Delay in milliseconds for tabulator stop on hardcopy terminals

dV      Delay in milliseconds for vertical tabulator stop on hardcopy terminals

it      Difference between tab positions

lh      Height of soft labels

lm      Lines of memory

lw      Width of soft labels

li      Number of lines

Nl      Number of soft labels

pb      Lowest baud rate which needs padding

sg      Standout glitch

ug      Underline glitch

vt      virtual terminal number

ws      Width of status line if different from screen width

String Capabilities


!1      shifted save key

!2      shifted suspend key

!3      shifted undo key

#1      shifted help key

#2      shifted home key

#3      shifted input key

#4      shifted cursor left key

%0      redo key

%1      help key

%2      mark key

%3      message key

%4      move key

%5      next-object key

%6      open key

%7      options key

%8      previous-object key

%9      print key

%a      shifted message key

%b      shifted move key

%c      shifted next key

%d      shifted options key

%e      shifted previous key

%f      shifted print key

%g      shifted redo key

%h      shifted replace key

%i      shifted cursor right key

%j      shifted resume key

&0      shifted cancel key

&1      reference key

&2      refresh key

&3      replace key

&4      restart key

&5      resume key

&6      save key

&7      suspend key

&8      undo key

&9      shifted begin key

*0      shifted find key

*1      shifted command key

*2      shifted copy key

*3      shifted create key

*4      shifted delete character

*5      shifted delete line

*6      select key

*7      shifted end key

*8      shifted clear line key

*9      shifted exit key

@0      find key

@1      begin key

@2      cancel key

@3      close key

@4      command key

@5      copy key

@6      create key

@7      end key

@8      enter/send key

@9      exit key

al      Insert one line

AL      Insert %1 lines

ac      Pairs of block graphic characters to map alternate character set

ae      End alternative character set

as      Start alternative character set for block graphic characters

bc      Backspace, if not ^H

bl      Audio bell

bt      Move to previous tab stop

cb      Clear from beginning of line to cursor

cc      Dummy command character

cd      Clear to end of screen

ce      Clear to end of line

ch      Move cursor horizontally only to column %1

cl      Clear screen and cursor home

cm      Cursor move to row %1 and column %2 (on screen)

CM      Move cursor to row %1 and column %2 (in memory)

cr      Carriage return

cs      Scroll region from line %1 to %2

ct      Clear tabs

cv      Move cursor vertically only to line %1

dc      Delete one character

DC      Delete %1 characters

dl      Delete one line

DL      Delete %1 lines

dm      Begin delete mode

do      Cursor down one line

DO      Cursor down #1 lines

ds      Disable status line

eA      Enable alternate character set

ec      Erase %1 characters starting at cursor

ed      End delete mode

ei      End insert mode

ff      Formfeed character on hardcopy terminals

fs      Return character to its position before going to status line

F1      The string sent by function key f11

F2      The string sent by function key f12

F3      The string sent by function key f13

...     ...

F9      The string sent by function key f19

FA      The string sent by function key f20

FB      The string sent by function key f21

...     ...

FZ      The string sent by function key f45

Fa      The string sent by function key f46

Fb      The string sent by function key f47

...     ...

Fr      The string sent by function key f63

hd      Move cursor a half line down

ho      Cursor home

hu      Move cursor a half line up

i1      Initialization string 1 at login

i3      Initialization string 3 at login

is      Initialization string 2 at login

ic      Insert one character

IC      Insert %1 characters

if      Initialization file

im      Begin insert mode

ip      Insert pad time and needed special characters after insert

iP      Initialization program

K1      upper left key on keypad

K2      center key on keypad

K3      upper right key on keypad

K4      bottom left key on keypad

K5      bottom right key on keypad

k0      Function key 0

k1      Function key 1

k2      Function key 2

k3      Function key 3

k4      Function key 4

k5      Function key 5

k6      Function key 6

k7      Function key 7

k8      Function key 8

k9      Function key 9

k;      Function key 10

ka      Clear all tabs key

kA      Insert line key

kb      Backspace key

kB      Back tab stop

kC      Clear screen key

kd      Cursor down key

kD      Key for delete character under cursor

ke      turn keypad off

kE      Key for clear to end of line

kF      Key for scrolling forward/down

kh      Cursor home key

kH      Cursor hown down key

kI      Insert character/Insert mode key

kl      Cursor left key

kL      Key for delete line

kM      Key for exit insert mode

kN      Key for next page

kP      Key for previous page

kr      Cursor right key

kR      Key for scrolling backward/up

ks      Turn keypad on

kS      Clear to end of screen key

kt      Clear this tab key

kT      Set tab here key

ku      Cursor up key

l0      Label of zeroth function key, if not f0

l1      Label of first function key, if not f1

l2      Label of first function key, if not f2

...     ...

la      Label of tenth function key, if not f10

le      Cursor left one character

ll      Move cursor to lower left corner

LE      Cursor left %1 characters

LF      Turn soft labels off

LO      Turn soft labels on

mb      Start blinking

MC      Clear soft margins

md      Start bold mode

me      End all mode like so, us, mb, md and mr

mh      Start half bright mode

mk      Dark mode (Characters invisible)

ML      Set left soft margin

mm      Put terminal in meta mode

mo      Put terminal out of meta mode

mp      Turn on protected attribute

mr      Start reverse mode

MR      Set right soft margin

nd      Cursor right one character

nw      Carriage return command

pc      Padding character

pf      Turn printer off

pk      Program key %1 to send string %2 as if typed by user

pl      Program key %1 to execute string %2 in local mode

pn      Program soft label %1 to show string %2

po      Turn the printer on

pO      Turn the printer on for %1 (<256) bytes

ps      Print screen contents on printer

px      Program key %1 to send string %2 to computer

r1      Reset string 1 to set terminal to sane modes

r2      Reset string 2 to set terminal to sane modes

r3      Reset string 3 to set terminal to sane modes

RA      disable automatic margins

rc      Restore saved cursor position

rf      Reset string filename

RF      Request for input from terminal

RI      Cursor right %1 characters

rp      Repeat character %1 for %2 times

rP      Padding after character sent in replace mode

rs      Reset string

RX      Turn off XON/XOFF flow control

sa      Set %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 attributes

SA      enable automatic margins

sc      Save cursor position

se      End standout mode

sf      Normal scroll one line

SF      Normal scroll %1 lines

so      Start standout mode

sr      Reverse scroll

SR      scroll back %1 lines

st      Set tabulator stop in all rows at current column

SX      Turn on XON/XOFF flow control

ta      move to next hardware tab

tc      Read in terminal description from another entry

te      End program that uses cursor motion

ti      Begin program that uses cursor motion

ts      Move cursor to column %1 of status line

uc      Underline character under cursor and move cursor right

ue      End underlining

up      Cursor up one line

UP      Cursor up %1 lines

us      Start underlining

vb      Visible bell

ve      Normal cursor visible

vi      Cursor invisible

vs      Standout cursor

wi      Set window from line %1 to %2 and column %3 to %4

XF      XOFF character if not ^S

There are several ways of defining the control codes for string capabilities:

Every normal character represents itself, except '^','\' and '%'.

A '^x' means Control-x. Control-A equals 1 decimal.

\x means a special code. x can be one of the following characters:

E Escape (27)
n Linefeed (10)
r Carriage return (13)
t Tabulation (9)
b Backspace (8)
f Form feed (12)
0 Null character. A \xxx specifies the octal character xxx.
i
Increments parameters by one.
r
Single parameter capability
+
Add value of next character to this parameter and do binary output
2
Do ASCII output of this parameter with a field with of 2
d
Do ASCII output of this parameter with a field with of 3
%
Print a '%'

If you use binary output, then you should avoid the null character because it terminates the string. You should reset tabulator expansion if a tabulator can be the binary output of a parameter.

Warning:
The above metacharacters for parameters may be wrong, they document Minix termcap which may not be compatible with Linux termcap.

The block graphic characters can be specified by three string capabilities:

as
start the alternative charset
ae
end it
ac
pairs of characters. The first character is the name of the block graphic symbol and the second characters is its definition.

The following names are available:


+       right arrow (>)

,       left arrow (<)

.       down arrow (v)

0       full square (#)

I       lantern (#)

-       upper arrow (^)

'       rhombus (+)

a       chess board (:)

f       degree (')

g       plus-minus (#)

h       square (#)

j       right bottom corner (+)

k       right upper corner (+)

l       left upper corner (+)

m       left bottom corner (+)

n       cross (+)

o       upper horizontal line (-)

q       middle horizontal line (-)

s       bottom horizontal line (_)

t       left tee (+)

u       right tee (+)

v       bottom tee (+)

w       normal tee (+)

x       vertical line (|)

~       paragraph (???)

The values in parentheses are suggested defaults which are used by curses, if the capabilities are missing.

SEE ALSO

ncurses(3), termcap(3), terminfo(5)