xref: /original-bsd/share/termcap/termcap.5 (revision bd226a66)
1.\" Copyright (c) 1985, 1991 The Regents of the University of California.
2.\" All rights reserved.
3.\"
4.\" %sccs.include.redist.man%
5.\"
6.\"     @(#)termcap.5	6.9 (Berkeley) 05/10/91
7.\"
8.Dd
9.Dt TERMCAP 5
10.Os BSD 3
11.Sh NAME
12.Nm termcap
13.Nd terminal capability data base
14.Sh SYNOPSIS
15.Nm termcap
16.Sh DESCRIPTION
17The
18.Nm Termcap
19file
20is a data base describing terminals,
21used,
22for example,
23by
24.Xr \&vi 1
25and
26.Xr curses 3 .
27Terminals are described in
28.Nm termcap
29by giving a set of capabilities that they have and by describing
30how operations are performed.
31Padding requirements and initialization sequences
32are included in
33.Nm termcap .
34.Pp
35Entries in
36.Nm termcap
37consist of a number of `:'-separated fields.
38The first entry for each terminal gives the names that are known for the
39terminal, separated by `|' characters.
40The first name is always two characters
41long and is used by older systems which store the terminal type
42in a 16-bit word in a system-wide data base.
43The second name given is the most common abbreviation for the terminal,
44the last name given should be a long name fully identifying the terminal,
45and all others are understood as synonyms for the terminal name.
46All names but the first and last
47should be in lower case and contain no blanks;
48the last name may well contain
49upper case and blanks for readability.
50.Pp
51Terminal names (except for the last, verbose entry)
52should be chosen using the following conventions.
53The particular piece of hardware making up the terminal
54should have a root name chosen, thus
55.Dq hp2621
56This name should not contain hyphens.
57Modes that the hardware can be in
58or user preferences
59should be indicated by appending a hyphen and an indicator of the mode.
60Therefore, a
61.Dq vt100
62in 132-column mode would be
63.Dq vt100-w .
64The following suffixes should be used where possible:
65.Pp
66.Bd -filled -offset indent
67.Bl -column indent "With automatic margins (usually default)xx"
68.Sy Suffix	Meaning	Example
69-w	Wide mode (more than 80 columns)	vt100-w
70-am	With automatic margins (usually default)	vt100-am
71-nam	Without automatic margins	vt100-nam
72.Pf \- Ar n Ta No "Number of lines on the screen	aaa-60"
73-na	No arrow keys (leave them in local)	concept100-na
74.Pf \- Ar \&np Ta No "Number of pages of memory	concept100-4p"
75-rv	Reverse video	concept100-rv
76.El
77.Ed
78.Sh CAPABILITIES
79The characters in the
80The
81.Em Notes
82function
83field in the table have the following meanings
84(more than one may apply to a capability):
85.Pp
86.Bd -unfilled -offset indent
87N	indicates numeric parameter(s)
88P	indicates that padding may be specified
89*	indicates that padding may be based on the number of lines affected
90o	indicates capability is obsolete
91.Ed
92.Pp
93.Dq Obsolete
94capabilities have no
95.Em terminfo
96equivalents,
97since they were considered useless,
98or are subsumed by other capabilities.
99New software should not rely on them at all.
100.Pp
101.Bl -column indent indent indent
102.Sy Name	Type	Notes	Description
103functions
104.It "ae	str	(P)	End alternate character set."
105.It AL	str	(NP*)	Add"
106.Em n
107new blank lines
108.It "al	str	(P*)	Add new blank line."
109.It "am	bool		Terminal has automatic margins."
110.It "as	str	(P)	Start alternate character set."
111.It "bc	str	(o)	Backspace if not."
112.Sy \&^H .
113.It "bl	str	(P)	Audible signal (bell)."
114.It "bs	bool	(o)	Terminal can backspace with"
115.Sy \&^H .
116.It "bt	str	(P)	Back tab."
117.It "bw	bool	" Ta Sy \&le
118(backspace) wraps from column 0 to last column.
119.It "CC	str		Terminal settable command character in prototype."
120.It "cd	str	(P*)	Clear to end of display."
121.It "ce	str	(P)	Clear to end of line."
122.It "ch	str	(NP)	Set cursor column (horizontal position)."
123.It "cl	str	(P*)	Clear screen and home cursor."
124.It "CM	str	(NP)	Memory-relative cursor addressing."
125.It "cm	str	(NP)	Screen-relative cursor motion."
126.It "co	num		Number of columns in a line (See"
127.Sx BUGS
128section below).
129.It "cr	str	(P)	Carriage return."
130.It "cs	str	(NP)	Change scrolling region (VT100)."
131.It "ct	str	(P)	Clear all tab stops."
132.It "cv	str	(NP)	Set cursor row (vertical position)."
133.It "da	bool		Display may be retained above the screen."
134.It "dB	num	(o)	Milliseconds of"
135.Sy \&bs
136delay needed (default 0).
137.It "db	bool		Display may be retained below the screen."
138.It "DC	str	(NP*)	Delete"
139.Em n
140characters.
141.It "dC	num	(o)	Milliseconds of"
142.Sy \&cr
143delay needed (default 0).
144.It "dc	str	(P*)	Delete character."
145.It "dF	num	(o)	Milliseconds of"
146.Sy \&ff
147delay needed (default 0).
148.It "DL	str	(NP*)	Delete"
149.Ar n
150lines.
151.It "dl	str	(P*)	Delete line."
152.It "dm	str		Enter delete mode."
153.It "dN	num	(o)	Milliseconds of
154.Sy \&nl
155delay needed (default 0).
156.It "DO	str	(NP*)	Move cursor down:
157.Ar n
158lines.
159.It "do	str		Down one line."
160.It "ds	str		Disable status line."
161.It "dT	num	(o)	Milliseconds of horizontal tab delay needed (default 0)."
162.It "dV	num	(o)	Milliseconds of vertical tab delay needed (default 0)."
163.It "ec	str	(NP)	Erase"
164.Ar n
165characters.
166.It "ed	str		End delete mode."
167.It "ei	str		End insert mode."
168.It "eo	bool		Can erase overstrikes with a blank."
169.It "EP	bool	(o)	Even parity."
170.It "es	bool		Escape can be used on the status line."
171.It "ff	str	(P*)	Hardcopy terminal page eject."
172.It "fs	str		Return from status line."
173.It "gn	bool		Generic line type, for example dialup, switch)."
174.It "hc	bool		Hardcopy terminal."
175.It "HD	bool	(o)	Half-duplex."
176.It "hd	str		Half-line down (forward 1/2 linefeed)."
177.It "ho	str	(P)	Home cursor."
178.It "hs	bool		Has extra"
179.Dq status line .
180.It "hu	str		Half-line up (reverse 1/2 linefeed)."
181.It "hz	bool		Cannot print ``~'' (Hazeltine)."
182.It "i1-i3	str		Terminal initialization strings"
183.Pf ( Xr terminfo
184only)
185.It "IC	str	(NP*)	Insert"
186.Ar n
187blank characters.
188.It "ic	str	(P*)	Insert character."
189.It "if	str		Name of file containing initialization string."
190.It "im	str		Enter insert mode."
191.It "in	bool		Insert mode distinguishes nulls."
192.It "iP	str		Pathname of program for initialization"
193.Pf ( Xr terminfo
194only).
195.It "ip	str	(P*)	Insert pad after character inserted."
196.It "is	str		Terminal initialization string"
197.Pf ( Nm termcap
198only).
199.It "it	num		Tabs initially every"
200.Ar n
201positions.
202.It "K1	str		Sent by keypad upper left."
203.It "K2	str		Sent by keypad upper right."
204.It "K3	str		Sent by keypad center."
205.It "K4	str		Sent by keypad lower left."
206.It "K5	str		Sent by keypad lower right."
207.It "k0-k9	str		Sent by function keys 0-9."
208.It "kA	str		Sent by insert-line key."
209.It "ka	str		Sent by clear-all-tabs key."
210.It "kb	str		Sent by backspace key."
211.It "kC	str		Sent by clear-screen or erase key."
212.It "kD	str		Sent by delete-character key."
213.It "kd	str		Sent by down-arrow key."
214.It "kE	str		Sent by clear-to-end-of-line key."
215.It "ke	str		Out of"
216.Dq keypad transmit
217mode.
218.It "kF	str		Sent by scroll-forward/down key."
219.It "kH	str		Sent by home-down key."
220.It "kh	str		Sent by home key."
221.It "kI	str		Sent by insert-character or enter-insert-mode key."
222.It "kL	str		Sent by delete-line key."
223.It "kl	str		Sent by left-arrow key."
224.It "kM	str		Sent by insert key while in insert mode."
225.It "km	bool		Has a"
226.Dq meta
227key (shift, sets parity bit).
228.It "kN	str		Sent by next-page key."
229.It "kn	num	(o)	Number of function"
230.Pq Sy \&k\&0 Ns \- Sy \&k\&9
231keys (default 0).
232.It "ko	str	(o)	Termcap entries for other non-function keys."
233.It "kP	str		Sent by previous-page key."
234.It "kR	str		Sent by scroll-backward/up key."
235.It "kr	str		Sent by right-arrow key."
236.It "kS	str		Sent by clear-to-end-of-screen key."
237.It "ks	str		Put terminal in"
238.Dq keypad transmit
239mode.
240.It "kT	str		Sent by set-tab key."
241.It "kt	str		Sent by clear-tab key."
242.It "ku	str		Sent by up-arrow key."
243.It "l0-l9	str		Labels on function keys if not"
244.Dq \&f Ns Em n .
245.It "LC	bool	(o)	Lower-case only."
246.It "LE	str	(NP)	Move cursor left"
247.Ar n
248positions.
249.It "le	str	(P)	Move cursor left one position."
250.It "li	num		Number of lines on screen or page (See"
251.Sx BUGS
252section below)
253.It "ll	str		Last line, first column
254.It "lm	num		Lines of memory if >" Sy \&li
255(0 means varies).
256.It "ma	str	(o)	Arrow key map (used by"
257.Xr \&vi
258version 2 only).
259.It "mb	str		Turn on blinking attribute."
260.It "md	str		Turn on bold (extra bright) attribute."
261.It "me	str		Turn off all attributes."
262.It "mh	str		Turn on half-bright attribute."
263.It "mi	bool		Safe to move while in insert mode."
264.It "mk	str		Turn on blank attribute (characters invisible)."
265.It "ml	str	(o)	Memory lock on above cursor."
266.It "mm	str		Turn on"
267.Dq meta mode
268(8th bit).
269.It "mo	str		Turn off"
270.Dq meta mode .
271.It "mp	str		Turn on protected attribute."
272.It "mr	str		Turn on reverse-video attibute."
273.It "ms	bool		Safe to move in standout modes."
274.It "mu	str	(o)	Memory unlock (turn off memory lock)."
275.It "nc	bool	(o)	No correctly-working"
276.Sy \&cr
277(Datamedia 2500, Hazeltine 2000).
278.It "nd	str		Non-destructive space (cursor right)."
279.It "NL	bool	(o)" Ta Sy \&\en No "is newline, not line feed."
280.It "nl	str	(o)	Newline character if not" Sy \en .
281.It "ns	bool	(o)	Terminal is a" Tn CRT No "but doesn't scroll."
282.It "nw	str	(P)	Newline (behaves like"
283.Sy \&cr
284followed by
285.Sy \&do ).
286.It "OP	bool	(o)	Odd parity."
287.It "os	bool		Terminal overstrikes."
288.It "pb	num		Lowest baud where delays are required."
289.It "pc	str		Pad character (default" Tn NUL ).
290.It "pf	str		Turn off the printer."
291.It "pk	str		Program function key"
292.Em n
293to type string
294.Em s
295.Pf ( Xr terminfo
296only).
297.It "pl	str		Program function key"
298.Em n
299to execute string
300.Em s
301.Pf ( Xr terminfo
302only).
303.It "pO	str	(N)	Turn on the printer for"
304.Em n
305bytes.
306.It "po	str		Turn on the printer."
307.It "ps	str		Print contents of the screen."
308.It "pt	bool	(o)	Has hardware tabs (may need to be set with"
309.Sy \&is ).
310.It "px	str		Program function key"
311.Em n
312to transmit string
313.Em s
314.Pf ( Xr terminfo
315only).
316.It "r1-r3	str		Reset terminal completely to sane modes"
317.Pf ( Xr terminfo
318only).
319.It "rc	str	(P)	Restore cursor to position of last"
320.Sy \&sc .
321.It "rf	str		Name of file containing reset codes."
322.It "RI	str	(NP)	Move cursor right"
323.Em n
324positions.
325.It "rp	str	(NP*)	Repeat character"
326.Em c n
327times.
328.It "rs	str		Reset terminal completely to sane modes"
329.Pf ( Nm termcap
330only).
331.It "sa	str	(NP)	Define the video attributes."
332.It "sc	str	(P)	Save cursor position."
333.It "se	str		End standout mode."
334.It "SF	str	(NP*)	Scroll forward"
335.Em n
336lines.
337.It "sf	str	(P)	Scroll text up."
338.It "sg	num		Number of garbage chars left by"
339.Sy \&so
340or
341.Sy \&se
342(default 0).
343.It "so	str		Begin standout mode."
344.It "SR	str	(NP*)	Scroll backward"
345.Em n
346lines.
347.It "sr	str	(P)	Scroll text down."
348.It "st	str		Set a tab in all rows, current column."
349.It "ta	str	(P)	Tab to next 8-position hardware tab stop."
350.It "tc	str		Entry of similar terminal \- must be last."
351.It "te	str		String to end programs that use"
352.Nm termcap .
353.It "ti	str		String to begin programs that use"
354.Nm termcap .
355.It "ts	str	(N)	Go to status line, column"
356.Em n .
357.It "UC	bool	(o)	Upper-case only."
358.It "uc	str		Underscore one character and move past it."
359.It "ue	str		End underscore mode."
360.It "ug	num		Number of garbage chars left by"
361.Sy \&us
362or
363.Sy \&ue
364(default 0).
365.It "ul	bool		Underline character overstrikes."
366.It "UP	str	(NP*)	Move cursor up"
367.Em n
368lines.
369.It "up	str		Upline (cursor up)."
370.It "us	str		Start underscore mode."
371.It "vb	str		Visible bell (must not move cursor)."
372.It "ve	str		Make cursor appear normal (undo"
373.Sy \&vs Ns / Sy \&vi ) .
374.It "vi	str		Make cursor invisible."
375.It "vs	str		Make cursor very visible."
376.It "vt	num		Virtual terminal number (not supported on all systems)."
377.It "wi	str	(N)	Set current window."
378.It "ws	num		Number of columns in status line."
379.It "xb	bool		Beehive"
380.Pf ( "f1=" Dv ESC ,
381.Pf "f2=" Sy \&^C ) .
382.It "xn	bool		Newline ignored after 80 cols (Concept)."
383.It "xo	bool		Terminal uses xoff/xon"
384.Pq Dv DC3 Ns / Ns Dv DC1
385handshaking.
386.It "xr	bool	(o)	Return acts like"
387.Sy "ce cr nl"
388(Delta Data).
389.It "xs	bool		Standout not erased by overwriting (Hewlett-Packard)."
390.It "xt	bool		Tabs ruin, magic"
391.SY \&so
392char (Teleray 1061).
393.It "xx	bool	(o)	Tektronix 4025 insert-line."
394.El
395.Ss A Sample Entry
396The following entry, which describes the Concept\-100, is among the more
397complex entries in the
398.Nm termcap
399file as of this writing.
400.Pp
401.Bd -literal
402ca\||\|concept100\||\|c100\||\|concept\||\|c104\||\|concept100-4p\||\|HDS Concept\-100:\e
403	:al=3*\eE^R:am:bl=^G:cd=16*\eE^C:ce=16\eE^U:cl=2*^L:cm=\eEa%+ %+ :\e
404	: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
405	:ip=16*:is=\eEU\eEf\eE7\eE5\eE8\eEl\eENH\eEK\eE\e200\eEo&\e200\eEo\e47\eE:k1=\eE5:\e
406	:k2=\eE6:k3=\eE7:kb=^h:kd=\eE<:ke=\eEx:kh=\eE?:kl=\eE>:kr=\eE=:ks=\eEX:\e
407	:ku=\eE;:le=^H:li#24:mb=\eEC:me=\eEN\e200:mh=\eEE:mi:mk=\eEH:mp=\eEI:\e
408	:mr=\eED:nd=\eE=:pb#9600:rp=0.2*\eEr%.%+ :se=\eEd\eEe:sf=^J:so=\eEE\eED:\e
409	:.ta=8\et:te=\eEv    \e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\eEp\er\en:\e
410	:ti=\eEU\eEv  8p\eEp\er:ue=\eEg:ul:up=\eE;:us=\eEG:\e
411	:vb=\eEk\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\e200\eEK:\e
412	:ve=\eEw:vs=\eEW:vt#8:xn:\e
413	:bs:cr=^M:dC#9:dT#8:nl=^J:ta=^I:pt:
414.Ed
415.Pp
416Entries may continue onto multiple lines by giving a \e as the last
417character of a line, and empty fields
418may be included for readability (here between the last field on a line
419and the first field on the next).
420Comments may be included on lines beginning with
421.Dq # .
422.Ss Types of Capabilities
423Capabilities in
424.Nm termcap
425are of three types: Boolean capabilities,
426which indicate particular features that the terminal has;
427numeric capabilities,
428giving the size of the display or the size of other attributes;
429and string capabilities,
430which give character sequences that can be used to perform particular
431terminal operations.
432All capabilities have two-letter codes.
433For instance, the fact that
434the Concept has
435.Em automatic margins
436(an automatic return and linefeed
437when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the Boolean capability
438.Sy \&am .
439Hence the description of the Concept includes
440.Sy \&am .
441.Pp
442Numeric capabilities are followed by the character `#' then the value.
443In the example above
444.Sy \&co ,
445which indicates the number of columns the display has,
446gives the value `80' for the Concept.
447.Pp
448Finally, string-valued capabilities, such as
449.Sy \&ce
450(clear-to-end-of-line
451sequence) are given by the two-letter code, an `=', then a string
452ending at the next following `:'.
453A delay in milliseconds may appear after
454the `=' in such a capability,
455which causes padding characters to be supplied by
456.Xr tputs
457after the remainder of the string is sent to provide this delay.
458The delay can be either a number,
459such as `20', or a number followed by
460an `*',
461such as `3*'.
462An `*' indicates that the padding required is proportional
463to the number of lines affected by the operation, and the amount given is
464the per-affected-line padding required.
465(In the case of insert-character,
466the factor is still the number of
467.Em lines
468affected;
469this is always 1 unless the terminal has
470.Sy \&in
471and the software uses it.)
472When an `*' is specified, it is sometimes useful to give a delay of the form
473`3.5' to specify a delay per line to tenths of milliseconds.
474(Only one decimal place is allowed.)
475.Pp
476A number of escape sequences are provided in the string-valued capabilities
477for easy encoding of control characters there.
478.Sy \&\eE
479maps to an
480.Dv ESC
481character,
482.Sy \&^X
483maps to a control-X for any appropriate X,
484and the sequences
485.Sy \&\en
486.Sy \&\er
487.Sy \&\et
488.Sy \&\eb
489.Sy \&\ef
490map to linefeed, return, tab, backspace, and formfeed, respectively.
491Finally, characters may be given as three octal digits after a
492.Sy \&\e ,
493and the characters
494.Sy \&^
495and
496.Sy \&\e
497may be given as
498.Sy \&\e^
499and
500.Sy \&\e\e .
501If it is necessary to place a
502.Sy \&:
503in a capability it must be escaped in
504octal as
505.Sy \&\e072 .
506If it is necessary to place a
507.Dv NUL
508character in a string capability it
509must be encoded as
510.Sy \&\e200 .
511(The routines that deal with
512.Nm termcap
513use C strings and strip the high bits of the output very late, so that
514a
515.Sy \&\e200
516comes out as a
517.Sy \&\e000
518would.)
519.Pp
520Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out.
521To do this, put a period before the capability name.
522For example, see the first
523.Sy \&cr
524and
525.Sy \&ta
526in the example above.
527.Ss Preparing Descriptions
528The most effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating
529the description of a similar terminal in
530.Nm termcap
531and to build up a description gradually, using partial descriptions
532with
533.Xr \&vi
534to check that they are correct.
535Be aware that a very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in
536the ability of the
537.Nm termcap
538file to describe it
539or bugs in
540.Xr \&vi .
541To easily test a new terminal description you are working on
542you can put it in your home directory in a file called
543.Pa .termcap
544and programs will look there before looking in
545.Pa /usr/share/misc/termcap .
546You can also set the environment variable
547.Ev TERMPATH
548to a list of absolute file pathnames (separated by spaces or colons),
549one of which contains the description you are working on,
550and programs will search them in the order listed, and nowhere else.
551See
552.Xr termcap 3 .
553The
554.Ev TERMCAP
555environment variable is usually set to the
556.Nm termcap
557entry itself
558to avoid reading files when starting up a program.
559.Pp
560To get the padding for insert-line right
561(if the terminal manufacturer did not document it),
562a severe test is to use
563.Xr \&vi
564to edit
565.Pa /etc/passwd
566at 9600 baud, delete roughly 16 lines from the middle of the screen,
567then hit the `u' key several times quickly.
568If the display messes up, more padding is usually needed.
569A similar test can be used for insert-character.
570.Ss Basic Capabilities
571The number of columns on each line of the display is given by the
572.Sy \&co
573numeric capability.
574If the display is a
575.Tn CRT ,
576then the
577number of lines on the screen is given by the
578.Sy \&li
579capability.
580If the display wraps around to the beginning of the next line when
581the cursor reaches the right margin, then it should have the
582.Sy \&am
583capability.
584If the terminal can clear its screen,
585the code to do this is given by the
586.Sy \&cl
587string capability.
588If the terminal overstrikes
589(rather than clearing the position when a character is overwritten),
590it should have the
591.Sy \&os
592capability.
593If the terminal is a printing terminal,
594with no soft copy unit,
595give it both
596.Sy \&hc
597and
598.Sy \&os .
599.Pf ( Sy \&os
600applies to storage scope terminals,
601such as the Tektronix 4010 series,
602as well as to hard copy and
603.Tn APL
604terminals.)
605If there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the current row,
606give this as
607.Sy \&cr .
608(Normally this will be carriage-return,
609.Sy \&^M . )
610If there is a code to produce an audible signal (bell, beep,
611etc. ) ,
612give this as
613.Sy \&bl .
614.Pp
615If there is a code (such as backspace)
616to move the cursor one position to the left,
617that capability should be given as
618.Sy \&le .
619Similarly,
620codes to move to the right, up, and down
621should be given as
622.Sy \&nd ,
623.Sy \&up ,
624and
625.Sy \&do ,
626respectively.
627These
628.Em local cursor motions
629should not alter the text they pass over;
630for example, you would not normally use
631.Dq nd=\ \&
632unless the terminal has the
633.Sy \&os
634capability,
635because the space would erase the character moved over.
636.Pp
637A very important point here is that the local cursor motions encoded
638in
639.Nm termcap
640have undefined behavior at the left and top edges of a
641.Tn CRT
642display.
643Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left edge,
644unless
645.Sy \&bw
646is given, and never attempt to go up off the top
647using local cursor motions.
648.Pp
649In order to scroll text up,
650a program goes to the bottom left corner of the screen and sends the
651.Sy \&sf
652(index) string.
653To scroll text down,
654a program goes to the top left corner of the screen and sends the
655.Sy \&sr
656(reverse index) string.
657The strings
658.Sy \&sf
659and
660.Sy \&sr
661have undefined behavior
662when not on their respective corners of the screen.
663Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are
664.Sy \&SF
665and
666.Sy \&SR ,
667which have the same semantics as
668.Sy \&sf
669and
670.Sy \&sr
671except that they take one parameter
672and scroll that many lines.
673They also have undefined behavior
674except at the appropriate corner of the screen.
675.Pp
676The
677.Sy \&am
678capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right
679edge of the screen when text is output there,
680but this does not necessarily apply to
681.Sy \&nd
682from the last column.
683Leftward local motion is defined from the left edge only when
684.Sy \&bw
685is given; then an
686.Sy \&le
687from the left edge will move to the right edge of the previous row.
688This is useful for drawing a box around the edge of the screen,
689for example.
690If the terminal has switch-selectable automatic margins,
691the
692.Nm termcap
693description usually assumes that this feature is on,
694.Em i.e . ,
695.Sy \&am .
696If the terminal has a command
697that moves to the first column of the next line,
698that command can be given as
699.Sy \&nw
700(newline).
701It is permissible for this to clear the remainder of the current line,
702so if the terminal has no correctly-working
703.Tn \&CR
704and
705.Tn \&LF
706it may still be possible to craft a working
707.Sy \&nw
708out of one or both of them.
709.Pp
710These capabilities suffice to describe hardcopy and
711.Dq glass-tty
712terminals.
713Thus the Teletype model 33 is described as
714.Bd -literal -offset indent
715T3\||\|tty33\||\|33\||\|tty\||\|Teletype model 33:\e
716	:bl=^G:co#72:cr=^M:do=^J:hc:os:
717.Ed
718.Pp
719and the Lear Siegler
720.Tn ADM Ns \-3
721is described as
722.Bd -literal -offset indent
723l3\||\|adm3\||\|3\||\|LSI \s-1ADM\s0-3:\e
724:am:bl=^G:cl=^Z:co#80:cr=^M:do=^J:le=^H:li#24:sf=^J:
725.Ed
726.Ss Parameterized Strings
727Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters
728are described by a
729parameterized string capability, with
730.Xr printf 3 Ns \-like
731escapes
732.Sy \&%x
733in it,
734while other characters are passed through unchanged.
735For example, to address the cursor the
736.Sy \&cm
737capability is given, using two parameters: the row and column to move to.
738(Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to the physical screen
739visible to the user, not to any unseen memory.
740If the terminal has memory-relative cursor addressing,
741that can be indicated by an analogous
742.Sy \&CM
743capability.)
744.Pp
745The
746.Sy \&%
747encodings have the following meanings:
748.Bl -column xxxxx
749.It "%%	output `%'"
750.It "%d	output value as in"
751.Xr printf
752%d
753.It "%2	output value as in"
754.Xr printf
755%2d
756.It "%3	output value as in"
757.Xr printf
758%3d
759.It "%.	output value as in"
760.Xr printf
761%c
762.It "%+" Ns Em x Ta No add
763.Em x
764to value, then do %.
765.It "%>" Ns Em \&xy Ta No if
766value >
767.Em x
768then add
769.Em y ,
770no output
771.It "%r	reverse order of two parameters, no output"
772.It "%i	increment by one, no output"
773.It "%n	exclusive-or all parameters with 0140 (Datamedia 2500)"
774.It "%B" Ta Tn BCD No "(16*(value/10)) + (value%10), no output"
775.It "%D	Reverse coding (value \- 2*(value%16)), no output (Delta Data)."
776.El
777.Pp
778Consider the Hewlett-Packard 2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12, needs
779to be sent
780.Dq \eE&a12c03Y
781padded for 6 milliseconds.
782Note that the order
783of the row and column coordinates is reversed here
784and that the row and column
785are sent as two-digit integers.
786Thus its
787.Sy \&cm
788capability is
789.Dq Li cm=6\eE&%r%2c%2Y .
790.Pp
791The Datamedia 2500 needs the current row and column sent
792encoded in binary using
793.Dq \&%. .
794Terminals that use
795.Dq \&%.
796need to be able to
797backspace the cursor
798.Po Sy \&le Pc
799and to move the cursor up one line on the screen
800.Po Sy \&up Pc .
801This is necessary because it is not always safe to transmit
802.Sy \&\en ,
803.Sy \&^D ,
804and
805.Sy \&\er ,
806as the system may change or discard them.
807(Programs using
808.Nm termcap
809must set terminal modes so that tabs are not expanded, so
810.Sy \&\et
811is safe to send.
812This turns out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
813.Pp
814A final example is the Lear Siegler
815.Tn ADM Ns \-3a,
816which offsets row and column
817by a blank character, thus
818.Dq Li cm=\eE=%+ %+\ \& .
819.Pp
820Row or column absolute cursor addressing
821can be given as single parameter capabilities
822.Sy \&ch
823(horizontal position absolute) and
824.Sy \&cv
825(vertical position absolute).
826Sometimes these are shorter than the more general two-parameter sequence
827(as with the Hewlett-Packard 2645) and can be used in preference to
828.Sy \&cm .
829If there are parameterized local motions
830.Pf ( Em e.g . ,
831move
832.Ar n
833positions to the right)
834these can be given as
835.Sy \&DO ,
836.Sy \&LE ,
837.Sy \&RI ,
838and
839.Sy \&UP
840with a single parameter indicating how many positions to move.
841These are primarily useful if the terminal does not have
842.Sy \&cm ,
843such as the Tektronix 4025.
844.Ss Cursor Motions
845.Pp
846If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor
847(to the very upper left corner of the screen), this can be given as
848.Sy \&ho .
849Similarly, a fast way of getting to the lower left-hand corner
850can be given as
851.Sy \&ll ;
852this may involve going up with
853.Sy \&up
854from the home position,
855but a program should never do this itself (unless
856.Sy \&ll
857does), because it can
858make no assumption about the effect of moving up from the home position.
859Note that the home position is the same as
860cursor address (0,0): to the top left corner of the screen, not of memory.
861(Therefore, the
862.Dq \eEH
863sequence on Hewlett-Packard terminals
864cannot be used for
865.Sy \&ho . )
866.Ss Area Clears
867If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
868line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as
869.Sy \&ce .
870If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
871display, this should be given as
872.Sy \&cd .
873.Sy \&cd
874must only be invoked from the first column of a line.
875(Therefore,
876it can be simulated by a request to delete a large number of lines,
877if a true
878.Sy \&cd
879is not available.)
880.Ss Insert/Delete Line
881If the terminal can open a new blank line
882before the line containing the cursor,
883this should be given as
884.Sy \&al ;
885this must be invoked only from the first
886position of a line.
887The cursor must then appear at the left of the newly blank line.
888If the terminal can delete the line that the cursor is on, this
889should be given as
890.Sy \&dl ;
891this must only be used from the first position on
892the line to be deleted.
893Versions of
894.Sy \&al
895and
896.Sy \&dl
897which take a single parameter
898and insert or delete that many lines
899can be given as
900.Sy \&AL
901and
902.Sy \&DL .
903If the terminal has a settable scrolling region
904(like the VT100),
905the command to set this can be described with the
906.Sy \&cs
907capability,
908which takes two parameters: the top and bottom lines of the scrolling region.
909The cursor position is, alas, undefined after using this command.
910It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line
911using this command \(em the
912.Sy \&sc
913and
914.Sy \&rc
915(save and restore cursor) commands are also useful.
916Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be done using
917.Sy \&sr
918or
919.Sy \&sf
920on many terminals without a true insert/delete line,
921and is often faster even on terminals with those features.
922.Pp
923If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part of memory
924which all commands affect, it should be given as the parameterized string
925.Sy \&wi .
926The four parameters are the starting and ending lines in memory
927and the starting and ending columns in memory, in that order.
928(This
929.Xr terminfo
930capability is described for completeness.
931It is unlikely that any
932.Nm termcap Ns \- using
933program will support it.)
934.Pp
935If the terminal can retain display memory above the screen, then the
936.Sy \&da
937capability should be given;
938if display memory can be retained
939below, then
940.Sy \&db
941should be given.
942These indicate
943that deleting a line or scrolling may bring non-blank lines up from below
944or that scrolling back with
945.Sy \&sr
946may bring down non-blank lines.
947.Ss Insert/Delete Character
948There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to
949insert/delete character that can be described using
950.Nm termcap .
951The most common insert/delete character operations affect only the characters
952on the current line and shift characters off the end of the line rigidly.
953Other terminals, such as the Concept\-100 and the Perkin Elmer Owl, make
954a distinction between typed and untyped blanks on the screen, shifting
955upon an insert or delete only to an untyped blank on the screen which is
956either eliminated or expanded to two untyped blanks.
957You can determine
958the kind of terminal you have by clearing the screen then typing
959text separated by cursor motions.
960Type
961.Dq Li abc\ \ \ \ def
962using local
963cursor motions (not spaces) between the
964.Dq abc
965and the
966.Dq def .
967Then position the cursor before the
968.Dq abc
969and put the terminal in insert
970mode.
971If typing characters causes the rest of the line to shift
972rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your terminal does
973not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions.
974If the
975.Dq abc
976shifts over to the
977.Dq def
978which then move together around the end of the
979current line and onto the next as you insert, then you have the second type of
980terminal and should give the capability
981.Sy \&in ,
982which stands for
983.Dq insert null .
984While these are two logically separate attributes
985(one line
986.Em \&vs .
987multi-line insert mode,
988and special treatment of untyped spaces),
989we have seen no terminals whose insert
990mode cannot be described with the single attribute.
991.Pp
992.Nm Termcap
993can describe both terminals that have an insert mode and terminals
994that send a simple sequence to open a blank position on the current line.
995Give as
996.Sy \&im
997the sequence to get into insert mode.
998Give as
999.Sy \&ei
1000the sequence to leave insert mode.
1001Now give as
1002.Sy \&ic
1003any sequence that needs to be sent just before
1004each character to be inserted.
1005Most terminals with a true insert mode
1006will not give
1007.Sy \&ic ;
1008terminals that use a sequence to open a screen
1009position should give it here.
1010(If your terminal has both,
1011insert mode is usually preferable to
1012.Sy \&ic .
1013Do not give both unless the terminal actually requires both to be used
1014in combination.)
1015If post-insert padding is needed, give this as a number of milliseconds
1016in
1017.Sy \&ip
1018(a string option).
1019Any other sequence that may need to be
1020sent after insertion of a single character can also be given in
1021.Sy \&ip .
1022If your terminal needs to be placed into an `insert mode'
1023and needs a special code preceding each inserted character,
1024then both
1025.Sy \&im Ns / Sy \&ei
1026and
1027.Sy \&ic
1028can be given, and both will be used.
1029The
1030.Sy \&IC
1031capability, with one parameter
1032.Em n ,
1033will repeat the effects of
1034.Sy \&ic
1035.Em n
1036times.
1037.Pp
1038It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode
1039to delete characters on the same line
1040.Pf ( Em e.g . ,
1041if there is a tab after
1042the insertion position).
1043If your terminal allows motion while in
1044insert mode, you can give the capability
1045.Sy \&mi
1046to speed up inserting
1047in this case.
1048Omitting
1049.Sy \&mi
1050will affect only speed.
1051Some terminals
1052(notably Datamedia's) must not have
1053.Sy \&mi
1054because of the way their
1055insert mode works.
1056.Pp
1057Finally, you can specify
1058.Sy \&dc
1059to delete a single character,
1060.Sy \&DC
1061with one parameter
1062.Em n
1063to delete
1064.Em n
1065characters,
1066and delete mode by giving
1067.Sy \&dm
1068and
1069.Sy \&ed
1070to enter and exit delete mode
1071(which is any mode the terminal needs to be placed in for
1072.Sy \&dc
1073to work).
1074.Ss Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible  Bells
1075If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes,
1076these can be represented in a number of different ways.
1077You should choose one display form as
1078.Em standout mode ,
1079representing a good high-contrast, easy-on-the-eyes format
1080for highlighting error messages and other attention getters.
1081(If you have a choice, reverse video plus half-bright is good,
1082or reverse video alone.)
1083The sequences to enter and exit standout mode
1084are given as
1085.Sy \&so
1086and
1087.Sy \&se ,
1088respectively.
1089If the code to change into or out of standout
1090mode leaves one or even two blank spaces or garbage characters on the screen,
1091as the
1092.Tn TVI
1093912 and Teleray 1061 do,
1094then
1095.Sy \&sg
1096should be given to tell how many characters are left.
1097.Pp
1098Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given as
1099.Sy \&us
1100and
1101.Sy \&ue ,
1102respectively.
1103Underline mode change garbage is specified by
1104.Sy \&ug ,
1105similar to
1106.Sy \&sg .
1107If the terminal has a code to underline the current character and move
1108the cursor one position to the right,
1109such as the Microterm Mime,
1110this can be given as
1111.Sy \&uc .
1112.Pp
1113Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include
1114.Sy \&mb
1115(blinking),
1116.Sy \&md
1117(bold or extra bright),
1118.Sy \&mh
1119(dim or half-bright),
1120.Sy \&mk
1121(blanking or invisible text),
1122.Sy \&mp
1123(protected),
1124.Sy \&mr
1125(reverse video),
1126.Sy \&me
1127(turn off
1128.Em all
1129attribute modes),
1130.Sy \&as
1131(enter alternate character set mode), and
1132.Sy \&ae
1133(exit alternate character set mode).
1134Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes.
1135.Pp
1136If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of mode,
1137this should be given as
1138.Sy \&sa
1139(set attributes), taking 9 parameters.
1140Each parameter is either 0 or 1,
1141as the corresponding attributes is on or off.
1142The 9 parameters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, blink,
1143dim, bold, blank, protect, and alternate character set.
1144Not all modes need be supported by
1145.Sy \&sa ,
1146only those for which corresponding attribute commands exist.
1147(It is unlikely that a
1148.Nm termcap Ns \-using
1149program will support this capability, which is defined for compatibility
1150with
1151.Xr terminfo . )
1152.Pp
1153Terminals with the
1154.Dq magic cookie
1155glitches
1156.Pf ( Sy \&sg
1157and
1158.Sy \&ug ) ,
1159rather than maintaining extra attribute bits for each character cell,
1160instead deposit special
1161.Dq cookies ,
1162or
1163.Dq garbage characters ,,
1164when they receive mode-setting sequences,
1165which affect the display algorithm.
1166.Pp
1167Some terminals,
1168such as the Hewlett-Packard 2621,
1169automatically leave standout
1170mode when they move to a new line or when the cursor is addressed.
1171Programs using standout mode
1172should exit standout mode on such terminals
1173before moving the cursor or sending a newline.
1174On terminals where this is not a problem,
1175the
1176.Sy \&ms
1177capability should be present
1178to say that this overhead is unnecessary.
1179.Pp
1180If the terminal has
1181a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error quietly
1182(a bell replacement),
1183this can be given as
1184.Sy \&vb ;
1185it must not move the cursor.
1186.Pp
1187If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal
1188when it is not on the bottom line
1189(to change, for example, a non-blinking underline into an easier-to-find
1190block or blinking underline),
1191give this sequence as
1192.Sy \&vs .
1193If there is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give that as
1194.Sy \&vi .
1195The capability
1196.Sy \&ve ,
1197which undoes the effects of both of these modes,
1198should also be given.
1199.Pp
1200If your terminal correctly displays underlined characters
1201(with no special codes needed)
1202even though it does not overstrike,
1203then you should give the capability
1204.Sy \&ul .
1205If overstrikes are erasable with a blank,
1206this should be indicated by giving
1207.Sy \&eo .
1208.Ss Keypad
1209If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are pressed,
1210this information can be given.
1211Note that it is not possible to handle
1212terminals where the keypad only works in local mode
1213(this applies, for example, to the unshifted Hewlett-Packard 2621 keys).
1214If the keypad can be set to transmit or not transmit,
1215give these codes as
1216.Sy \&ks
1217and
1218.Sy \&ke .
1219Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
1220The codes sent by the left-arrow, right-arrow, up-arrow, down-arrow,
1221and home keys can be given as
1222.Sy \&kl ,
1223.Sy \&kr ,
1224.Sy \&ku ,
1225.Sy \&kd ,
1226and
1227.Sy \&kh ,
1228respectively.
1229If there are function keys such as f0, f1, ..., f9, the codes they send
1230can be given as
1231.Sy \&k0 ,
1232.Sy \&k1 ,
1233...,
1234.Sy \&k9 .
1235If these keys have labels other than the default f0 through f9, the labels
1236can be given as
1237.Sy \&l0 ,
1238.Sy \&l1 ,
1239...,
1240.Sy \&l9 .
1241The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be given:
1242.Sy \&kH
1243(home down),
1244.Sy \&kb
1245(backspace),
1246.Sy \&ka
1247(clear all tabs),
1248.Sy \&kt
1249(clear the tab stop in this column),
1250.Sy \&kC
1251(clear screen or erase),
1252.Sy \&kD
1253(delete character),
1254.Sy \&kL
1255(delete line),
1256.Sy \&kM
1257(exit insert mode),
1258.Sy \&kE
1259(clear to end of line),
1260.Sy \&kS
1261(clear to end of screen),
1262.Sy \&kI
1263(insert character or enter insert mode),
1264.Sy \&kA
1265(insert line),
1266.Sy \&kN
1267(next page),
1268.Sy \&kP
1269(previous page),
1270.Sy \&kF
1271(scroll forward/down),
1272.Sy \&kR
1273(scroll backward/up), and
1274.Sy \&kT
1275(set a tab stop in this column).
1276In addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys
1277including the four arrow keys, then the other five keys can be given as
1278.Sy \&K1 ,
1279.Sy \&K2 ,
1280.Sy \&K3 ,
1281.Sy \&K4 ,
1282and
1283.Sy \&K5 .
1284These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed.
1285The obsolete
1286.Sy \&ko
1287capability formerly used to describe
1288.Dq other
1289function keys has been
1290completely supplanted by the above capabilities.
1291.Pp
1292The
1293.Sy \&ma
1294entry is also used to indicate arrow keys on terminals that have
1295single-character arrow keys.
1296It is obsolete but still in use in
1297version 2 of
1298.Sy \&vi
1299which must be run on some minicomputers due to
1300memory limitations.
1301This field is redundant with
1302.Sy \&kl ,
1303.Sy \&kr ,
1304.Sy \&ku ,
1305.Sy \&kd ,
1306and
1307.Sy \&kh .
1308It consists of groups of two characters.
1309In each group, the first character is what an arrow key sends, and the
1310second character is the corresponding
1311.Sy \&vi
1312command.
1313These commands are
1314.Ar h
1315for
1316.Sy \&kl ,
1317.Ar j
1318for
1319.Sy \&kd ,
1320.Ar k
1321for
1322.Sy \&ku ,
1323.Ar l
1324for
1325.Sy \&kr ,
1326and
1327.Ar H
1328for
1329.Sy \&kh .
1330For example, the Mime would have
1331.Dq Li ma=^Hh^Kj^Zk^Xl
1332indicating arrow keys left (^H), down (^K), up (^Z), and right (^X).
1333(There is no home key on the Mime.)
1334.Ss Tabs and Initialization
1335If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running
1336a program that uses these capabilities,
1337the codes to enter and exit this mode can be given as
1338.Sy \&ti
1339and
1340.Sy \&te .
1341This arises, for example, from terminals like the Concept with more than
1342one page of memory.
1343If the terminal has only memory-relative cursor addressing and not
1344screen-relative cursor addressing,
1345a screen-sized window must be fixed into
1346the display for cursor addressing to work properly.
1347This is also used for the Tektronix 4025, where
1348.Sy \&ti
1349sets the command character to be the one used by
1350.Nm termcap .
1351.Pp
1352Other capabilities
1353include
1354.Sy \&is ,
1355an initialization string for the terminal,
1356and
1357.Sy \&if ,
1358the name of a file containing long initialization strings.
1359These strings are expected to set the terminal into modes
1360consistent with the rest of the
1361.Nm termcap
1362description.
1363They are normally sent to the terminal by the
1364.Xr tset
1365program each time the user logs in.
1366They will be printed in the following order:
1367.Sy \&is ;
1368setting tabs using
1369.Sy \&ct
1370and
1371.Sy \&st ;
1372and finally
1373.Sy \&if .
1374.Pf ( Xr Terminfo
1375uses
1376.Sy \&i\&1-i2
1377instead of
1378.Sy \&is
1379and runs the program
1380.Sy \&iP
1381and prints
1382.Sy "\&i\&3"
1383after the other initializations.)
1384A pair of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally unknown state
1385can be analogously given as
1386.Sy \&rs
1387and
1388.Sy \&if .
1389These strings are output by the
1390.Xr reset
1391program, which is used when the terminal gets into a wedged state.
1392.Pf ( Xr Terminfo
1393uses
1394.Sy "\&r1-r3"
1395instead of
1396.Sy \&rs . )
1397Commands are normally placed in
1398.Sy \&rs
1399and
1400.Sy \&rf
1401only if they produce annoying effects on the screen and are not necessary
1402when logging in.
1403For example, the command to set the VT100 into 80-column mode
1404would normally be part of
1405.Sy \&is ,
1406but it causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not normally needed
1407since the terminal is usually already in 80-column mode.
1408.Pp
1409If the terminal has hardware tabs,
1410the command to advance to the next tab stop can be given as
1411.Sy \&ta
1412(usually
1413.Sy \&^I ) .
1414A
1415.Dq backtab
1416command which moves leftward to the previous tab stop
1417can be given as
1418.Sy \&bt .
1419By convention,
1420if the terminal driver modes indicate that tab stops are being expanded
1421by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal,
1422programs should not use
1423.Sy \&ta
1424or
1425.Sy \&bt
1426even if they are present,
1427since the user may not have the tab stops properly set.
1428If the terminal has hardware tabs that are initially set every
1429.Ar n
1430positions when the terminal is powered up, then the numeric parameter
1431.Sy \&it
1432is given, showing the number of positions between tab stops.
1433This is normally used by the
1434.Xr tset
1435command to determine whether to set the driver mode for hardware tab
1436expansion, and whether to set the tab stops.
1437If the terminal has tab stops that can be saved in nonvolatile memory, the
1438.Nm termcap
1439description can assume that they are properly set.
1440.Pp
1441If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given as
1442.Sy \&ct
1443(clear all tab stops) and
1444.Sy \&st
1445(set a tab stop in the current column of every row).
1446If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be
1447described by this, the sequence can be placed in
1448.Sy \&is
1449or
1450.Sy \&if .
1451.Ss Delays
1452Certain capabilities control padding in the terminal driver.
1453These are primarily needed by hardcopy terminals and are used by the
1454.Xr tset
1455program to set terminal driver modes appropriately.
1456Delays embedded in the capabilities
1457.Sy \&cr ,
1458.Sy \&sf ,
1459.Sy \&le ,
1460.Sy \&ff ,
1461and
1462.Sy \&ta
1463will cause the appropriate delay bits to be set in the terminal driver.
1464If
1465.Sy \&pb
1466(padding baud rate) is given, these values can be ignored at baud rates
1467below the value of
1468.Sy \&pb .
1469For
1470.Bx 4.2
1471.Xr tset ,
1472the delays are given as numeric capabilities
1473.Sy \&dC ,
1474.Sy \&dN ,
1475.Sy \&dB ,
1476.Sy \&dF ,
1477and
1478.Sy \&dT
1479instead.
1480.Ss Miscellaneous
1481If the terminal requires other than a
1482.Dv NUL
1483(zero) character as a pad,
1484this can be given as
1485.Sy \&pc .
1486Only the first character of the
1487.Sy \&pc
1488string is used.
1489.Pp
1490If the terminal has commands to save and restore the position of the
1491cursor, give them as
1492.Sy \&sc
1493and
1494.Sy \&rc .
1495.Pp
1496If the terminal has an extra
1497.Dq status line
1498that is not normally used by
1499software, this fact can be indicated.
1500If the status line is viewed as an extra line below the bottom line,
1501then the capability
1502.Sy \&hs
1503should be given.
1504Special strings to go to a position in the status line and to return
1505from the status line can be given as
1506.Sy \&ts
1507and
1508.Sy \&fs .
1509.Pf ( Xr \&fs
1510must leave the cursor position in the same place that it was before
1511.Sy \&ts .
1512If necessary, the
1513.Sy \&sc
1514and
1515.Sy \&rc
1516strings can be included in
1517.Sy \&ts
1518and
1519.Sy \&fs
1520to get this effect.)
1521The capability
1522.Sy \&ts
1523takes one parameter, which is the column number of the status line
1524to which the cursor is to be moved.
1525If escape sequences and other special commands such as tab work while in
1526the status line, the flag
1527.Sy \&es
1528can be given.
1529A string that turns off the status line (or otherwise erases its contents)
1530should be given as
1531.Sy \&ds .
1532The status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the
1533rest of the screen,
1534.Em i.e . ,
1535.Sy \&co .
1536If the status line is a different width (possibly because the terminal
1537does not allow an entire line to be loaded), then its width in columns
1538can be indicated with the numeric parameter
1539.Sy \&ws .
1540.Pp
1541If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be
1542indicated with
1543.Sy \&hu
1544(half-line up) and
1545.Sy \&hd
1546(half-line down).
1547This is primarily useful for superscripts and subscripts on hardcopy
1548terminals.
1549If a hardcopy terminal can eject to the next page (form feed),
1550give this as
1551.Sy \&ff
1552(usually
1553.Sy \&^L ) .
1554.Pp
1555If there is a command to repeat a given character a given number of times
1556(to save time transmitting a large number of identical characters),
1557this can be indicated with the parameterized string
1558.Sy \&rp .
1559The first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second is
1560the number of times to repeat it.
1561(This is a
1562.Xr terminfo
1563feature that is unlikely to be supported by a program that uses
1564.Nm termcap . )
1565.Pp
1566If the terminal has a settable command character, such as the
1567Tektronix 4025, this can be indicated with
1568.Sy \&CC .
1569A prototype command character is chosen which is used in all capabilities.
1570This character is given in the
1571.Sy \&CC
1572capability to identify it.
1573The following convention is supported on some
1574.Ux
1575systems:
1576The environment is to be searched for a
1577.Ev \&CC
1578variable,
1579and if found,
1580all occurrences of the prototype character are replaced by the character
1581in the environment variable.
1582This use of the
1583.Ev \&CC
1584environment variable
1585is a very bad idea, as it conflicts with
1586.Xr make 1 .
1587.Pp
1588Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known
1589terminal, such as
1590.Em switch ,
1591.Em dialup ,
1592.Em patch ,
1593and
1594.Xr network ,
1595should include the
1596.Sy \&gn
1597(generic) capability so that programs can complain that they do not know
1598how to talk to the terminal.
1599(This capability does not apply to
1600.Em virtual
1601terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are known.)
1602.Pp
1603If the terminal uses xoff/xon
1604.Pq Tn DC3 Ns / Ns Tn DC1
1605handshaking for flow control, give
1606.Sy \&xo .
1607Padding information should still be included so that routines can make
1608better decisions about costs, but actual pad characters will not be
1609transmitted.
1610.Pp
1611If the terminal has a
1612.Dq meta key
1613which acts as a shift key, setting the
16148th bit of any character transmitted, then this fact can be indicated with
1615.Sy \&km .
1616Otherwise, software will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it will
1617usually be cleared.
1618If strings exist to turn this
1619.Dq meta mode
1620on and off, they can be given as
1621.Sy \&mm
1622and
1623.Sy \&mo .
1624.Pp
1625If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on the screen at once,
1626the number of lines of memory can be indicated with
1627.Sy \&lm .
1628An explicit value of 0 indicates that the number of lines is not fixed,
1629but that there is still more memory than fits on the screen.
1630.Pp
1631If the terminal is one of those supported by the
1632.Ux
1633system virtual
1634terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given as
1635.Sy \&vt .
1636.Pp
1637Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer
1638connected to the terminal can be given as
1639.Sy \&ps :
1640print the contents of the screen;
1641.Sy \&pf :
1642turn off the printer; and
1643.Sy \&po :
1644turn on the printer.
1645When the printer is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent to the
1646printer.
1647It is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the terminal screen
1648when the printer is on.
1649A variation
1650.Sy \&pO
1651takes one parameter and leaves the printer on for as many characters as the
1652value of the parameter, then turns the printer off.
1653The parameter should not exceed 255.
1654All text, including
1655.Sy \&pf ,
1656is transparently passed to the printer while
1657.Sy \&pO
1658is in effect.
1659.Pp
1660Strings to program function keys can be given as
1661.Sy \&pk ,
1662.Sy \&pl ,
1663and
1664.Sy \&px .
1665Each of these strings takes two parameters: the function key number
1666to program (from 0 to 9) and the string to program it with.
1667Function key numbers out of this range may program undefined keys
1668in a terminal-dependent manner.
1669The differences among the capabilities are that
1670.Sy \&pk
1671causes pressing the given key to be the same as the user typing the given
1672string;
1673.Sy \&pl
1674causes the string to be executed by the terminal in local mode;
1675and
1676.Sy \&px
1677causes the string to be transmitted to the computer.
1678Unfortunately, due to lack of a definition for string parameters in
1679.Nm termcap ,
1680only
1681.Xr terminfo
1682supports these capabilities.
1683.Ss Glitches and Braindamage
1684Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to be displayed,
1685should indicate
1686.Sy \&hz .
1687.Pp
1688The
1689.Sy \&nc
1690capability, now obsolete, formerly indicated Datamedia terminals,
1691which echo
1692.Sy \&\er \en
1693for
1694carriage return then ignore a following linefeed.
1695.Pp
1696Terminals that ignore a linefeed immediately after an
1697.Sy \&am
1698wrap, such as the Concept, should indicate
1699.Sy \&xn .
1700.Pp
1701If
1702.Sy \&ce
1703is required to get rid of standout
1704(instead of merely writing normal text on top of it),
1705.Sy \&xs
1706should be given.
1707.Pp
1708Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over to blanks,
1709should indicate
1710.Sy \&xt
1711(destructive tabs).
1712This glitch is also taken to mean that it is not possible
1713to position the cursor on top of a \*(lqmagic cookie\*(rq, and that
1714to erase standout mode it is necessary to use delete and insert line.
1715.Pp
1716The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the
1717.Dv ESC
1718or
1719.Sy \&^C
1720characters, has
1721.Sy \&xb ,
1722indicating that the
1723.Dq \&f\&1
1724key is used for
1725.Dv ESC
1726and
1727.Dq \&f\&2
1728for ^C.
1729(Only certain Superbees have this problem, depending on the
1730.Tn ROM . )
1731.Pp
1732Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more
1733capabilities of the form
1734.Sy x Em x .
1735.Ss Similar Terminals
1736If there are two very similar terminals,
1737one can be defined as being just like the other with certain exceptions.
1738The string capability
1739.Sy \&tc
1740can be given
1741with the name of the similar terminal.
1742This capability must be
1743.Em last ,
1744and the combined length of the entries
1745must not exceed 1024.
1746The capabilities given before
1747.Sy \&tc
1748override those in the terminal type invoked by
1749.Sy \&tc .
1750A capability can be canceled by placing
1751.Sy \&xx@
1752to the left of the
1753.Sy \&tc
1754invocation, where
1755.Sy \&xx
1756is the capability.
1757For example, the entry
1758.Bd -literal -offset indent
1759hn\||\|2621\-nl:ks@:ke@:tc=2621:
1760.Ed
1761.Pp
1762defines a
1763.Dq 2621\-nl
1764that does not have the
1765.Sy \&ks
1766or
1767.Sy \&ke
1768capabilities,
1769hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual mode.
1770This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or for different
1771user preferences.
1772.Sh FILES
1773.Bl -tag -width /usr/share/misc/termcap -compact
1774.It Pa /usr/share/misc/termcap
1775File containing terminal descriptions.
1776.El
1777.Sh SEE ALSO
1778.Xr \&ex 1 ,
1779.Xr more 1 ,
1780.Xr tset 1 ,
1781.Xr \&ul 1 ,
1782.Xr vi 1 ,
1783.Xr curses 3 ,
1784.Xr printf 3 ,
1785.Xr termcap 3 ,
1786.Xr term 7
1787.Sh CAVEATS AND BUGS
1788The
1789.Em Note :
1790.Nm termcap
1791functions
1792were replaced by
1793.Xr terminfo
1794in
1795.At V
1796Release 2.0.
1797The transition will be relatively painless if capabilities flagged as
1798.Dq obsolete
1799are avoided.
1800.Pp
1801Lines and columns are now stored by the kernel as well as in the termcap
1802entry.
1803Most programs now use the kernel information primarily; the information
1804in this file is used only if the kernel does not have any information.
1805.Pp
1806.Xr \&Vi
1807allows only 256 characters for string capabilities, and the routines
1808in
1809.Xr termlib 3
1810do not check for overflow of this buffer.
1811The total length of a single entry (excluding only escaped newlines)
1812may not exceed 1024.
1813.Pp
1814Not all programs support all entries.
1815.Sh HISTORY
1816The
1817.Nm
1818file format appeared in
1819.Bx 3 .
1820