4.3BSD-Reno/share/man/cat5/termcap.0
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
NNAAMMEE
termcap - terminal capability data base
SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
/etc/termcap
DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
_T_e_r_m_c_a_p is a data base describing terminals, used, _e._g., by
_v_i(1) and _c_u_r_s_e_s(3X). Terminals are described in _t_e_r_m_c_a_p by
giving a set of capabilities that they have and by describ-
ing how operations are performed. Padding requirements and
initialization sequences are included in _t_e_r_m_c_a_p.
Entries in _t_e_r_m_c_a_p consist of a number of `:'-separated
fields. The first entry for each terminal gives the names
that are known for the terminal, separated by `|' charac-
ters. 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.
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 "hp2621". This name should not contain
hyphens. Modes that the hardware can be in or user prefer-
ences should be indicated by appending a hyphen and an indi-
cator of the mode. Therefore, a "vt100" in 132-column mode
would be "vt100-w". The following suffixes should be used
where possible:
SSuuffffiixx MMeeaanniinngg EExxaammppllee
-w Wide mode (more than 80 columns) vt100-w
-am With automatic margins (usually default) vt100-am
-nam Without automatic margins vt100-nam
-_n Number of lines on the screen aaa-60
-na No arrow keys (leave them in local) concept100-na
-_np Number of pages of memory concept100-4p
-rv Reverse video concept100-rv
CCAAPPAABBIILLIITTIIEESS
The characters in the _N_o_t_e_s field in the table have the fol-
lowing meanings (more than one may apply to a capability):
N indicates numeric parameter(s)
P indicates that padding may be specified
* indicates that padding may be based on the number of lines affected
Printed 7/27/90 June 1
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
o indicates capability is obsolete
"Obsolete" capabilities have no _t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o equivalents, since
they were considered useless, or are subsumed by other capa-
bilities. New software should not rely on them at all.
NNaammee TTyyppee NNootteess DDeessccrriippttiioonn
ae str (P) End alternate character set
AL str (NP*) Add _n new blank lines
al str (P*) Add new blank line
am bool Terminal has automatic margins
as str (P) Start alternate character set
bc str (o) Backspace if not ^^HH
bl str (P) Audible signal (bell)
bs bool (o) Terminal can backspace with ^^HH
bt str (P) Back tab
bw bool llee (backspace) wraps from column 0 to last column
CC str Terminal settable command character in prototype
cd str (P*) Clear to end of display
ce str (P) Clear to end of line
ch str (NP) Set cursor column (horizontal position)
cl str (P*) Clear screen and home cursor
CM str (NP) Memory-relative cursor addressing
cm str (NP) Screen-relative cursor motion
co num Number of columns in a line (See BUGS section below)
cr str (P) Carriage return
cs str (NP) Change scrolling region (VT100)
ct str (P) Clear all tab stops
cv str (NP) Set cursor row (vertical position)
da bool Display may be retained above the screen
dB num (o) Milliseconds of bbss delay needed (default 0)
db bool Display may be retained below the screen
DC str (NP*) Delete _n characters
dC num (o) Milliseconds of ccrr delay needed (default 0)
dc str (P*) Delete character
dF num (o) Milliseconds of ffff delay needed (default 0)
DL str (NP*) Delete _n lines
dl str (P*) Delete line
dm str Enter delete mode
dN num (o) Milliseconds of nnll delay needed (default 0)
DO str (NP*) Move cursor down _n lines
do str Down one line
ds str Disable status line
dT num (o) Milliseconds of horizontal tab delay needed (default 0)
dV num (o) Milliseconds of vertical tab delay needed (default 0)
ec str (NP) Erase _n characters
ed str End delete mode
ei str End insert mode
eo bool Can erase overstrikes with a blank
EP bool (o) Even parity
es bool Escape can be used on the status line
ff str (P*) Hardcopy terminal page eject
Printed 7/27/90 June 2
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
fs str Return from status line
gn bool Generic line type (_e._g. dialup, switch)
hc bool Hardcopy terminal
HD bool (o) Half-duplex
hd str Half-line down (forward 1/2 linefeed)
ho str (P) Home cursor
hs bool Has extra "status line"
hu str Half-line up (reverse 1/2 linefeed)
hz bool Cannot print ~s (Hazeltine)
i1-i3 str Terminal initialization strings (_t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o only)
IC str (NP*) Insert _n blank characters
ic str (P*) Insert character
if str Name of file containing initialization string
im str Enter insert mode
in bool Insert mode distinguishes nulls
iP str Pathname of program for initialization (_t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o only)
ip str (P*) Insert pad after character inserted
is str Terminal initialization string (_t_e_r_m_c_a_p only)
it num Tabs initially every _n positions
K1 str Sent by keypad upper left
K2 str Sent by keypad upper right
K3 str Sent by keypad center
K4 str Sent by keypad lower left
K5 str Sent by keypad lower right
k0-k9 str Sent by function keys 0-9
kA str Sent by insert-line key
ka str Sent by clear-all-tabs key
kb str Sent by backspace key
kC str Sent by clear-screen or erase key
kD str Sent by delete-character key
kd str Sent by down-arrow key
kE str Sent by clear-to-end-of-line key
ke str Out of "keypad transmit" mode
kF str Sent by scroll-forward/down key
kH str Sent by home-down key
kh str Sent by home key
kI str Sent by insert-character or enter-insert-mode key
kL str Sent by delete-line key
kl str Sent by left-arrow key
kM str Sent by insert key while in insert mode
km bool Has a "meta" key (shift, sets parity bit)
kN str Sent by next-page key
kn num (o) Number of function (kk00-kk99) keys (default 0)
ko str (o) Termcap entries for other non-function keys
kP str Sent by previous-page key
kR str Sent by scroll-backward/up key
kr str Sent by right-arrow key
kS str Sent by clear-to-end-of-screen key
ks str Put terminal in "keypad transmit" mode
kT str Sent by set-tab key
kt str Sent by clear-tab key
ku str Sent by up-arrow key
Printed 7/27/90 June 3
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
l0-l9 str Labels on function keys if not "f_n"
LC bool (o) Lower-case only
LE str (NP) Move cursor left _n positions
le str (P) Move cursor left one position
li num Number of lines on screen or page (See BUGS section below)
ll str Last line, first column
lm num Lines of memory if > llii (0 means varies)
ma str (o) Arrow key map (used by _v_i version 2 only)
mb str Turn on blinking attribute
md str Turn on bold (extra bright) attribute
me str Turn off all attributes
mh str Turn on half-bright attribute
mi bool Safe to move while in insert mode
mk str Turn on blank attribute (characters invisible)
ml str (o) Memory lock on above cursor
mm str Turn on "meta mode" (8th bit)
mo str Turn off "meta mode"
mp str Turn on protected attribute
mr str Turn on reverse-video attibute
ms bool Safe to move in standout modes
mu str (o) Memory unlock (turn off memory lock)
nc bool (o) No correctly-working ccrr (Datamedia 2500, Hazeltine 2000)
nd str Non-destructive space (cursor right)
NL bool (o) \\nn is newline, not line feed
nl str (o) Newline character if not \\nn
ns bool (o) Terminal is a CRT but doesn't scroll
nw str (P) Newline (behaves like ccrr followed by ddoo)
OP bool (o) Odd parity
os bool Terminal overstrikes
pb num Lowest baud where delays are required
pc str Pad character (default NUL)
pf str Turn off the printer
pk str Program function key _n to type string _s (_t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o only)
pl str Program function key _n to execute string _s (_t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o only)
pO str (N) Turn on the printer for _n bytes
po str Turn on the printer
ps str Print contents of the screen
pt bool (o) Has hardware tabs (may need to be set with iiss)
px str Program function key _n to transmit string _s (_t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o only)
r1-r3 str Reset terminal completely to sane modes (_t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o only)
rc str (P) Restore cursor to position of last sscc
rf str Name of file containing reset codes
RI str (NP) Move cursor right _n positions
rp str (NP*) Repeat character _c _n times
rs str Reset terminal completely to sane modes (_t_e_r_m_c_a_p only)
sa str (NP) Define the video attributes
sc str (P) Save cursor position
se str End standout mode
SF str (NP*) Scroll forward _n lines
sf str (P) Scroll text up
sg num Number of garbage chars left by ssoo or ssee (default 0)
so str Begin standout mode
Printed 7/27/90 June 4
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
SR str (NP*) Scroll backward _n lines
sr str (P) Scroll text down
st str Set a tab in all rows, current column
ta str (P) Tab to next 8-position hardware tab stop
tc str Entry of similar terminal - must be last
te str String to end programs that use _t_e_r_m_c_a_p
ti str String to begin programs that use _t_e_r_m_c_a_p
ts str (N) Go to status line, column _n
UC bool (o) Upper-case only
uc str Underscore one character and move past it
ue str End underscore mode
ug num Number of garbage chars left by uuss or uuee (default 0)
ul bool Underline character overstrikes
UP str (NP*) Move cursor up _n lines
up str Upline (cursor up)
us str Start underscore mode
vb str Visible bell (must not move cursor)
ve str Make cursor appear normal (undo vvss/vvii)
vi str Make cursor invisible
vs str Make cursor very visible
vt num Virtual terminal number (not supported on all systems)
wi str (N) Set current window
ws num Number of columns in status line
xb bool Beehive (f1=ESC, f2=^C)
xn bool Newline ignored after 80 cols (Concept)
xo bool Terminal uses xoff/xon (DC3/DC1) handshaking
xr bool (o) Return acts like ccee ccrr nnll (Delta Data)
xs bool Standout not erased by overwriting (Hewlett-Packard)
xt bool Tabs ruin, magic ssoo char (Teleray 1061)
xx bool (o) Tektronix 4025 insert-line
AA SSaammppllee EEnnttrryy
The following entry, which describes the Concept-100, is
among the more complex entries in the _t_e_r_m_c_a_p file as of
this writing.
ca|concept100|c100|concept|c104|concept100-4p|HDS Concept-100:\
:al=3*\E^R:am:bl=^G:cd=16*\E^C:ce=16\E^U:cl=2*^L:cm=\Ea%+ %+ :\
:co#80:.cr=9^M:db:dc=16\E^A:dl=3*\E^B:do=^J:ei=\E\200:eo:im=\E^P:in:\
:ip=16*:is=\EU\Ef\E7\E5\E8\El\ENH\EK\E\200\Eo&\200\Eo\47\E:k1=\E5:\
:k2=\E6:k3=\E7:kb=^h:kd=\E<:ke=\Ex:kh=\E?:kl=\E>:kr=\E=:ks=\EX:\
:ku=\E;:le=^H:li#24:mb=\EC:me=\EN\200:mh=\EE:mi:mk=\EH:mp=\EI:\
:mr=\ED:nd=\E=:pb#9600:rp=0.2*\Er%.%+ :se=\Ed\Ee:sf=^J:so=\EE\ED:\
:.ta=8\t:te=\Ev \200\200\200\200\200\200\Ep\r\n:\
:ti=\EU\Ev 8p\Ep\r:ue=\Eg:ul:up=\E;:us=\EG:\
:vb=\Ek\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\200\EK:\
:ve=\Ew:vs=\EW:vt#8:xn:\
:bs:cr=^M:dC#9:dT#8:nl=^J:ta=^I:pt:
Entries may continue onto multiple lines by giving a \ as
the last character of a line, and empty fields may be
Printed 7/27/90 June 5
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
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 "#".
TTyyppeess ooff CCaappaabbiilliittiieess
Capabilities in _t_e_r_m_c_a_p are of three types: Boolean capabil-
ities, 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 partic-
ular terminal operations. All capabilities have two-letter
codes. For instance, the fact that the Concept has
_a_u_t_o_m_a_t_i_c _m_a_r_g_i_n_s (_i._e., an automatic return and linefeed
when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the
Boolean capability aamm. Hence the description of the Concept
includes aamm.
Numeric capabilities are followed by the character `#' then
the value. In the example above ccoo, which indicates the
number of columns the display has, gives the value `80' for
the Concept.
Finally, string-valued capabilities, such as ccee (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 _t_p_u_t_s after the remainder of the string is sent to pro-
vide this delay. The delay can be either a number, _e._g.
`20', or a number followed by an `*', _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
_l_i_n_e_s affected; this is always 1 unless the terminal has iinn
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.)
A number of escape sequences are provided in the string-
valued capabilities for easy encoding of control characters
there. \\EE maps to an ESC character, ^^XX maps to a control-X
for any appropriate X, and the sequences \\nn \\rr \\tt \\bb \\ff map
to linefeed, return, tab, backspace, and formfeed, respec-
tively. Finally, characters may be given as three octal
digits after a \\, and the characters ^^ and \\ may be given as
\\^^ and \\\\. If it is necessary to place a :: in a capability
it must be escaped in octal as \\007722. If it is necessary to
place a NUL character in a string capability it must be
encoded as \\220000. (The routines that deal with _t_e_r_m_c_a_p use C
Printed 7/27/90 June 6
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
strings and strip the high bits of the output very late, so
that a \\220000 comes out as a \\000000 would.)
Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To
do this, put a period before the capability name. For exam-
ple, see the first ccrr and ttaa in the example above.
PPrreeppaarriinngg DDeessccrriippttiioonnss
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
_t_e_r_m_c_a_p and to build up a description gradually, using par-
tial descriptions with _v_i to check that they are correct.
Be aware that a very unusual terminal may expose deficien-
cies in the ability of the _t_e_r_m_c_a_p file to describe it or
bugs in _v_i. To easily test a new terminal description you
are working on you can put it in your home directory in a
file called ._t_e_r_m_c_a_p and programs will look there before
looking in /_e_t_c/_t_e_r_m_c_a_p. You can also set the environment
variable TTEERRMMPPAATTHH to a list of absolute file pathnames
(separated by spaces or colons), one of which contains the
description you are working on, and programs will search
them in the order listed, and nowhere else. See
_t_e_r_m_c_a_p(3X). The TTEERRMMCCAAPP environment variable is usually
set to the _t_e_r_m_c_a_p entry itself to avoid reading files when
starting up a program.
To get the padding for insert-line right (if the terminal
manufacturer did not document it), a severe test is to use
_v_i to edit /_e_t_c/_p_a_s_s_w_d 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.
BBaassiicc CCaappaabbiilliittiieess
The number of columns on each line of the display is given
by the ccoo numeric capability. If the display is a CRT, then
the number of lines on the screen is given by the llii capa-
bility. If the display wraps around to the beginning of the
next line when the cursor reaches the right margin, then it
should have the aamm capability. If the terminal can clear
its screen, the code to do this is given by the ccll string
capability. If the terminal overstrikes (rather than clear-
ing the position when a character is overwritten), it should
have the ooss capability. If the terminal is a printing ter-
minal, with no soft copy unit, give it both hhcc and ooss. (ooss
applies to storage scope terminals, such as the Tektronix
4010 series, as well as to hard copy and APL terminals.) If
there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the
Printed 7/27/90 June 7
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
current row, give this as ccrr. (Normally this will be
carriage-return, ^^MM.) If there is a code to produce an audi-
ble signal (bell, beep, _e_t_c.), give this as bbll.
If there is a code (such as backspace) to move the cursor
one position to the left, that capability should be given as
llee. Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and down
should be given as nndd, uupp, and ddoo, respectively. These
_l_o_c_a_l _c_u_r_s_o_r _m_o_t_i_o_n_s should not alter the text they pass
over; for example, you would not normally use "nd= " unless
the terminal has the ooss capability, because the space would
erase the character moved over.
A very important point here is that the local cursor motions
encoded in _t_e_r_m_c_a_p have undefined behavior at the left and
top edges of a CRT display. Programs should never attempt
to backspace around the left edge, unless bbww is given, and
never attempt to go up off the top using local cursor
motions.
In order to scroll text up, a program goes to the bottom
left corner of the screen and sends the ssff (index) string.
To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner
of the screen and sends the ssrr (reverse index) string. The
strings ssff and ssrr have undefined behavior when not on their
respective corners of the screen. Parameterized versions of
the scrolling sequences are SSFF and SSRR, which have the same
semantics as ssff and ssrr except that they take one parameter
and scroll that many lines. They also have undefined
behavior except at the appropriate corner of the screen.
The aamm 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 nndd from the last column.
Leftward local motion is defined from the left edge only
when bbww is given; then an llee 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
_t_e_r_m_c_a_p description usually assumes that this feature is on,
_i._e., aamm. If the terminal has a command that moves to the
first column of the next line, that command can be given as
nnww (newline). It is permissible for this to clear the
remainder of the current line, so if the terminal has no
correctly-working CR and LF it may still be possible to
craft a working nnww out of one or both of them.
These capabilities suffice to describe hardcopy and "glass-
tty" terminals. Thus the Teletype model 33 is described as
T3|tty33|33|tty|Teletype model 33:\
:bl=^G:co#72:cr=^M:do=^J:hc:os:
Printed 7/27/90 June 8
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
and the Lear Siegler ADM-3 is described as
l3|adm3|3|LSI ADM-3:\
:am:bl=^G:cl=^Z:co#80:cr=^M:do=^J:le=^H:li#24:sf=^J:
PPaarraammeetteerriizzeedd SSttrriinnggss
Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters are
described by a parameterized string capability, with
_p_r_i_n_t_f(3S)-like escapes %%xx in it, while other characters are
passed through unchanged. For example, to address the cur-
sor the ccmm 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 CCMM capability.)
The %% encodings have the following meanings:
%% output `%'
%d output value as in _p_r_i_n_t_f %d
%2 output value as in _p_r_i_n_t_f %2d
%3 output value as in _p_r_i_n_t_f %3d
%. output value as in _p_r_i_n_t_f %c
%+_x add _x to value, then do %.
%>_x_y if value > _x then add _y, no output
%r reverse order of two parameters, no output
%i increment by one, no output
%n exclusive-or all parameters with 0140 (Datamedia 2500)
%B BCD (16*(value/10)) + (value%10), no output
%D Reverse coding (value - 2*(value%16)), no output (Delta Data)
Consider the Hewlett-Packard 2645, which, to get to row 3
and column 12, needs to be sent "\E&a12c03Y" 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 ccmm capability is
"cm=6\E&%r%2c%2Y".
The Datamedia 2500 needs the current row and column sent
encoded in binary using "%.". Terminals that use "%." need
to be able to backspace the cursor (llee) and to move the cur-
sor up one line on the screen (uupp). This is necessary
because it is not always safe to transmit \\nn, ^^DD, and \\rr, as
the system may change or discard them. (Programs using
_t_e_r_m_c_a_p must set terminal modes so that tabs are not
expanded, so \\tt is safe to send. This turns out to be
essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
A final example is the Lear Siegler ADM-3a, which offsets
row and column by a blank character, thus "cm=\E=%+ %+ ".
Printed 7/27/90 June 9
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
Row or column absolute cursor addressing can be given as
single parameter capabilities cchh (horizontal position abso-
lute) and ccvv (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 ccmm. If there are parameterized local motions (_e._g., move
_n positions to the right) these can be given as DDOO, LLEE, RRII,
and UUPP with a single parameter indicating how many positions
to move. These are primarily useful if the terminal does
not have ccmm, such as the Tektronix 4025.
CCuurrssoorr MMoottiioonnss
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
hhoo. Similarly, a fast way of getting to the lower left-hand
corner can be given as llll; this may involve going up with uupp
from the home position, but a program should never do this
itself (unless llll 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 "\EH" sequence on Hewlett-Packard terminals
cannot be used for hhoo.)
AArreeaa CClleeaarrss
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 ccee. If the terminal can clear from the current
position to the end of the display, this should be given as
ccdd. ccdd 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 ccdd is not avail-
able.)
IInnsseerrtt//DDeelleettee LLiinnee
If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line
containing the cursor, this should be given as aall; this must
be invoked only from the first position of a line. The cur-
sor 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 ddll; this must only be used from the
first position on the line to be deleted. Versions of aall
and ddll which take a single parameter and insert or delete
that many lines can be given as AALL and DDLL. If the terminal
has a settable scrolling region (like the VT100), the com-
mand to set this can be described with the ccss 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
Printed 7/27/90 June 10
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
of insert or delete line using this command - the sscc and rrcc
(save and restore cursor) commands are also useful. Insert-
ing lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be
done using ssrr or ssff on many terminals without a true
insert/delete line, and is often faster even on terminals
with those features.
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 wwii. The four parameters are the
starting and ending lines in memory and the starting and
ending columns in memory, in that order. (This _t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o
capability is described for completeness. It is unlikely
that any _t_e_r_m_c_a_p-using program will support it.)
If the terminal can retain display memory above the screen,
then the ddaa capability should be given; if display memory
can be retained below, then ddbb should be given. These indi-
cate that deleting a line or scrolling may bring non-blank
lines up from below or that scrolling back with ssrr may bring
down non-blank lines.
IInnsseerrtt//DDeelleettee CChhaarraacctteerr
There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with
respect to insert/delete character that can be described
using _t_e_r_m_c_a_p. 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 termi-
nal you have by clearing the screen then typing text
separated by cursor motions. Type "abc def" using local
cursor motions (not spaces) between the "abc" and the "def".
Then position the cursor before the "abc" and put the termi-
nal 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 "abc" shifts over to the
"def" 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 iinn,
which stands for "insert null". While these are two logi-
cally separate attributes (one line _v_s. 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.
Printed 7/27/90 June 11
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
_T_e_r_m_c_a_p 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 iimm the sequence to
get into insert mode. Give as eeii the sequence to leave
insert mode. Now give as iicc any sequence that needs to be
sent just before each character to be inserted. Most termi-
nals with a true insert mode will not give iicc; 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 iicc. 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 mil-
liseconds in iipp (a string option). Any other sequence that
may need to be sent after insertion of a single character
can also be given in iipp. If your terminal needs to be
placed into an `insert mode' and needs a special code
preceding each inserted character, then both iimm/eeii and iicc
can be given, and both will be used. The IICC capability,
with one parameter _n, will repeat the effects of iicc _n times.
It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert
mode to delete characters on the same line (_e._g., if there
is a tab after the insertion position). If your terminal
allows motion while in insert mode, you can give the capa-
bility mmii to speed up inserting in this case. Omitting mmii
will affect only speed. Some terminals (notably
Datamedia's) must not have mmii because of the way their
insert mode works.
Finally, you can specify ddcc to delete a single character, DDCC
with one parameter _n to delete _n characters, and delete mode
by giving ddmm and eedd to enter and exit delete mode (which is
any mode the terminal needs to be placed in for ddcc to work).
HHiigghhlliigghhttiinngg,, UUnnddeerrlliinniinngg,, aanndd VViissiibbllee BBeellllss
If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attri-
butes, these can be represented in a number of different
ways. You should choose one display form as _s_t_a_n_d_o_u_t _m_o_d_e,
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 ssoo and ssee, 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 ssgg should
be given to tell how many characters are left.
Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given
as uuss and uuee, respectively. Underline mode change garbage
is specified by uugg, similar to ssgg. If the terminal has a
Printed 7/27/90 June 12
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
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 uucc.
Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes
include mmbb (blinking), mmdd (bold or extra bright), mmhh (dim or
half-bright), mmkk (blanking or invisible text), mmpp (pro-
tected), mmrr (reverse video), mmee (turn off _a_l_l attribute
modes), aass (enter alternate character set mode), and aaee
(exit alternate character set mode). Turning on any of
these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes.
If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of
mode, this should be given as ssaa (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 ssaa, only those for which
corresponding attribute commands exist. (It is unlikely
that a _t_e_r_m_c_a_p-using program will support this capability,
which is defined for compatibility with _t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o.)
Terminals with the "magic cookie" glitches (ssgg and uugg),
rather than maintaining extra attribute bits for each char-
acter cell, instead deposit special "cookies", or "garbage
characters", when they receive mode-setting sequences, which
affect the display algorithm.
Some terminals, such as the Hewlett-Packard 2621, automati-
cally 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 mmss capability should be present to say
that this overhead is unnecessary.
If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate
an error quietly (a bell replacement), this can be given as
vvbb; it must not move the cursor.
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 vvss. If there is
a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give that as
vvii. The capability vvee, which undoes the effects of both of
these modes, should also be given.
If your terminal correctly displays underlined characters
(with no special codes needed) even though it does not over-
strike, then you should give the capability uull. If
Printed 7/27/90 June 13
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
overstrikes are erasable with a blank, this should be indi-
cated by giving eeoo.
KKeeyyppaadd
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 kkss and
kkee. 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 kkll, kkrr, kkuu, kkdd,
and kkhh, respectively. If there are function keys such as
f0, f1, ..., f9, the codes they send can be given as kk00, kk11,
kk99. If these keys have labels other than the default f0
through f9, the labels can be given as ll00, ll11, ll99. The
codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be
given: kkHH (home down), kkbb (backspace), kkaa (clear all tabs),
kktt (clear the tab stop in this column), kkCC (clear screen or
erase), kkDD (delete character), kkLL (delete line), kkMM (exit
insert mode), kkEE (clear to end of line), kkSS (clear to end of
screen), kkII (insert character or enter insert mode), kkAA
(insert line), kkNN (next page), kkPP (previous page), kkFF
(scroll forward/down), kkRR (scroll backward/up), and kkTT (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 KK11, KK22, KK33, KK44, and KK55.
These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3 direc-
tional pad are needed. The obsolete kkoo capability formerly
used to describe "other" function keys has been completely
supplanted by the above capabilities.
The mmaa entry is also used to indicate arrow keys on termi-
nals that have single-character arrow keys. It is obsolete
but still in use in version 2 of _v_i which must be run on
some minicomputers due to memory limitations. This field is
redundant with kkll, kkrr, kkuu, kkdd, and kkhh. It consists of
groups of two characters. In each group, the first charac-
ter is what an arrow key sends, and the second character is
the corresponding _v_i command. These commands are hh for kkll,
jj for kkdd, kk for kkuu, ll for kkrr, and HH for kkhh. For example,
the Mime would have "ma=^Hh^Kj^Zk^Xl" indicating arrow keys
left (^H), down (^K), up (^Z), and right (^X). (There is no
home key on the Mime.)
TTaabbss aanndd IInniittiiaalliizzaattiioonn
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 ttii and ttee. This arises, for
Printed 7/27/90 June 14
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
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 ttii sets the command character to
be the one used by _t_e_r_m_c_a_p.
Other capabilities include iiss, an initialization string for
the terminal, and iiff, 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
_t_e_r_m_c_a_p description. They are normally sent to the terminal
by the _t_s_e_t program each time the user logs in. They will
be printed in the following order: iiss; setting tabs using cctt
and sstt; and finally iiff. (_T_e_r_m_i_n_f_o uses ii11--ii22 instead of iiss
and runs the program iiPP and prints ii33 after the other ini-
tializations.) A pair of sequences that does a harder reset
from a totally unknown state can be analogously given as rrss
and iiff. These strings are output by the _r_e_s_e_t program,
which is used when the terminal gets into a wedged state.
(_T_e_r_m_i_n_f_o uses rr11--rr33 instead of rrss.) Commands are normally
placed in rrss and rrff only if they produce annoying effects on
the screen and are not necessary when logging in. For exam-
ple, the command to set the VT100 into 80-column mode would
normally be part of iiss, but it causes an annoying glitch of
the screen and is not normally needed since the terminal is
usually already in 80-column mode.
If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to
the next tab stop can be given as ttaa (usually ^^II). A "back-
tab" command which moves leftward to the previous tab stop
can be given as bbtt. By convention, if the terminal driver
modes indicate that tab stops are being expanded by the com-
puter rather than being sent to the terminal, programs
should not use ttaa or bbtt even if they are present, since the
user may not have the tab stops properly set. If the termi-
nal has hardware tabs that are initially set every _n posi-
tions when the terminal is powered up, then the numeric
parameter iitt is given, showing the number of positions
between tab stops. This is normally used by the _t_s_e_t com-
mand 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 nonvola-
tile memory, the _t_e_r_m_c_a_p description can assume that they
are properly set.
If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can
be given as cctt (clear all tab stops) and sstt (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 iiss or iiff.
Printed 7/27/90 June 15
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
DDeellaayyss
Certain capabilities control padding in the terminal driver.
These are primarily needed by hardcopy terminals and are
used by the _t_s_e_t program to set terminal driver modes
appropriately. Delays embedded in the capabilities ccrr, ssff,
llee, ffff, and ttaa will cause the appropriate delay bits to be
set in the terminal driver. If ppbb (padding baud rate) is
given, these values can be ignored at baud rates below the
value of ppbb. For 4.2BSD _t_s_e_t, the delays are given as
numeric capabilities ddCC, ddNN, ddBB, ddFF, and ddTT instead.
MMiisscceellllaanneeoouuss
If the terminal requires other than a NUL (zero) character
as a pad, this can be given as ppcc. Only the first character
of the ppcc string is used.
If the terminal has commands to save and restore the posi-
tion of the cursor, give them as sscc and rrcc.
If the terminal has an extra "status line" that is not nor-
mally 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 hhss 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 ttss and ffss. (ffss must
leave the cursor position in the same place that it was
before ttss. If necessary, the sscc and rrcc strings can be
included in ttss and ffss to get this effect.) The capability ttss
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 eess can be given. A string that
turns off the status line (or otherwise erases its contents)
should be given as ddss. The status line is normally assumed
to be the same width as the rest of the screen, _i._e., ccoo.
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 wwss.
If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be
indicated with hhuu (half-line up) and hhdd (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 ffff (usually ^^LL).
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 rrpp. The first parameter is the
Printed 7/27/90 June 16
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
character to be repeated and the second is the number of
times to repeat it. (This is a _t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o feature that is
unlikely to be supported by a program that uses _t_e_r_m_c_a_p.)
If the terminal has a settable command character, such as
the Tektronix 4025, this can be indicated with CCCC. A proto-
type command character is chosen which is used in all capa-
bilities. This character is given in the CCCC capability to
identify it. The following convention is supported on some
UNIX systems: The environment is to be searched for a CCCC
variable, and if found, all occurrences of the prototype
character are replaced by the character in the environment
variable. This use of the CCCC environment variable is a very
bad idea, as it conflicts with _m_a_k_e(1).
Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind
of known terminal, such as _s_w_i_t_c_h, _d_i_a_l_u_p, _p_a_t_c_h, and _n_e_t_-
_w_o_r_k, should include the ggnn (generic) capability so that
programs can complain that they do not know how to talk to
the terminal. (This capability does not apply to _v_i_r_t_u_a_l
terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are
known.)
If the terminal uses xoff/xon (DC3/DC1) handshaking for flow
control, give xxoo. Padding information should still be
included so that routines can make better decisions about
costs, but actual pad characters will not be transmitted.
If the terminal has a "meta key" which acts as a shift key,
setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted, then this
fact can be indicated with kkmm. Otherwise, software will
assume that the 8th bit is parity and it will usually be
cleared. If strings exist to turn this "meta mode" on and
off, they can be given as mmmm and mmoo.
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 llmm. 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.
If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX system
virtual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given
as vvtt.
Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer con-
nected to the terminal can be given as ppss: print the con-
tents of the screen; ppff: turn off the printer; and ppoo: 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 ppOO takes one parameter
Printed 7/27/90 June 17
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
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 ppff, is
transparently passed to the printer while ppOO is in effect.
Strings to program function keys can be given as ppkk, ppll, and
ppxx. Each of these strings takes two parameters: the func-
tion 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 ppkk causes press-
ing the given key to be the same as the user typing the
given string; ppll causes the string to be executed by the
terminal in local mode; and ppxx causes the string to be
transmitted to the computer. Unfortunately, due to lack of
a definition for string parameters in _t_e_r_m_c_a_p, only _t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o
supports these capabilities.
GGlliittcchheess aanndd BBrraaiinnddaammaaggee
Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to be
displayed, should indicate hhzz.
The nncc capability, now obsolete, formerly indicated
Datamedia terminals, which echo \\rr \\nn for carriage return
then ignore a following linefeed.
Terminals that ignore a linefeed immediately after an aamm
wrap, such as the Concept, should indicate xxnn.
If ccee is required to get rid of standout (instead of merely
writing normal text on top of it), xxss should be given.
Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over
to blanks, should indicate xxtt (destructive tabs). This
glitch is also taken to mean that it is not possible to
position the cursor on top of a "magic cookie", and that to
erase standout mode it is necessary to use delete and insert
line.
The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit
the ESC or ^C characters, has xxbb, indicating that the "f1"
key is used for ESC and "f2" for ^C. (Only certain Super-
bees have this problem, depending on the ROM.)
Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding
more capabilities of the form xx_x..
SSiimmiillaarr TTeerrmmiinnaallss
If there are two very similar terminals, one can be defined
as being just like the other with certain exceptions. The
Printed 7/27/90 June 18
TERMCAP(5) 1990 TERMCAP(5)
string capability ttcc can be given with the name of the simi-
lar terminal. This capability must be _l_a_s_t, and the com-
bined length of the entries must not exceed 1024. The capa-
bilities given before ttcc override those in the terminal type
invoked by ttcc. A capability can be canceled by placing xxxx@@
to the left of the ttcc invocation, where _x_x is the capabil-
ity. For example, the entry
hn|2621-nl:ks@:ke@:tc=2621:
defines a "2621-nl" that does not have the kkss or kkee capabil-
ities, 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.
AAUUTTHHOORR
William Joy
Mark Horton added underlining and keypad support
FFIILLEESS
/etc/termcap file containing terminal descriptions
SSEEEE AALLSSOO
ex(1), more(1), tset(1), ul(1), vi(1), curses(3X),
printf(3S), termcap(3X), term(7)
CCAAVVEEAATTSS AANNDD BBUUGGSS
NNoottee:: _t_e_r_m_c_a_p was replaced by _t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o in UNIX System V
Release 2.0. The transition will be relatively painless if
capabilities flagged as "obsolete" are avoided.
Lines and columns are now stored by the kernel as well as in
the termcap entry. Most programs now use the kernel infor-
mation primarily; the information in this file is used only
if the kernel does not have any information.
_V_i allows only 256 characters for string capabilities, and
the routines in _t_e_r_m_l_i_b(3) do not check for overflow of this
buffer. The total length of a single entry (excluding only
escaped newlines) may not exceed 1024.
Not all programs support all entries.
Printed 7/27/90 June 19