# curs_termcap 3x

    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  pro-
           grams  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 capa-
           bilities 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 tget-
           flag, tgetnum and tgetstr are compared in lookups.

           The  tgoto  routine  instantiates  the parameters into the
           given capability.  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 term-
           cap or terminfo name.

           The variables PC, UP and BC are set by tgetent to the ter-
           minfo   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  speci-
           fies  "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
           strings  as  terminfo.  (The tgoto function, if configured
           to support termcap, will check if  the  string  is  indeed
           terminfo-style  by  looking for "%p" parameters or "$<..>"
           delays, and invoke a termcap-style parser  if  the  string
           does not appear to be terminfo).

           Because  terminfo  conventions for representing padding in
           string capabilities 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 applica-
           tions assume me (terminfo sgr0) does not reset the  alter-
           nate  character  set.  This implementation checks for, and
           modifies the data shown to the termcap interface to accom-
           modate termcap's limitation in this respect.

## PORTABILITY

           The  XSI  Curses  standard,  Issue 4 describes these func-
           tions.  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 par-
           ticular, 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
           compatibility  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  applications.  However, termcap applications' use
           of those variables is poorly documented, e.g., not distin-
           guishing  between  input  and output.  In particular, some
           applications are reported to declare and/or modify ospeed.

## SEE ALSO

           curses(3x), terminfo(5), putc(3S).

                                                           curs_termcap(3x)