# curs_termcap 3x

## NAME

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

## SYNOPSIS

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

## DESCRIPTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

           The  tputs  routine  is described on the curs_terminfo(3x)
           manual page.  It can retrieve capabilities by either term-
           cap or terminfo name.

## RETURN VALUE

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

           Routines that return pointers return NULL on error.

## BUGS

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

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

## PORTABILITY

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

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

## SEE ALSO

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