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27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28 -- $Id: README,v 1.23 2006/04/22 22:19:37 tom Exp $
29 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30 README file for the ncurses package
32 See the file ANNOUNCE for a summary of ncurses features and ports.
33 See the file INSTALL for instructions on how to build and install ncurses.
34 See the file NEWS for a release history and bug-fix notes.
35 See the file TO-DO for things that still need doing, including known bugs.
37 Browse the file misc/ncurses-intro.html for narrative descriptions of how
38 to use ncurses and the panel, menu, and form libraries.
40 Browse the file doc/html/hackguide.html for a tour of the package internals.
42 ROADMAP AND PACKAGE OVERVIEW:
44 You should be reading this file in a directory called: ncurses-d.d, where d.d
45 is the current version number (see the dist.mk file in this directory for
46 that). There should be a number of subdirectories, including `c++', `form',
47 `man', `menu', `misc', `ncurses', `panel', `progs', `test', 'tack' and `Ada95'.
48 (The 'tack' program may be distributed separately).
50 A full build/install of this package typically installs several libraries, a
51 handful of utilities, and a database hierarchy. Here is an inventory of the
52 pieces:
54 The libraries are:
56 libncurses.a (normal)
57 libncurses.so (shared)
58 libncurses_g.a (debug and trace code enabled)
59 libncurses_p.a (profiling enabled)
61 libpanel.a (normal)
62 libpanel.so (shared)
63 libpanel_g.a (debug and trace code enabled)
65 libmenu.a (normal)
66 libmenu.so (shared)
67 libmenu_g.a (debug enabled)
69 libform.a (normal)
70 libform.so (shared)
71 libform_g.a (debug enabled)
73 If you configure using the --enable-widec option, a "w" is appended to the
74 library names (e.g., libncursesw.a), and the resulting libraries support
75 wide-characters, e.g., via a UTF-8 locale. The corresponding header files
76 are compatible with the non-wide-character configuration; wide-character
77 features are provided by ifdef's in the header files. The wide-character
78 library interfaces are not binary-compatible with the non-wide-character
79 version.
81 The ncurses libraries implement the curses API. The panel, menu and forms
82 libraries implement clones of the SVr4 panel, menu and forms APIs. The source
83 code for these lives in the `ncurses', `panel', `menu', and `form' directories
84 respectively.
86 In the `c++' directory, you'll find code that defines an interface to the
87 curses, forms, menus and panels library packaged as C++ classes, and a demo program in C++
88 to test it. These class definition modules are not installed by the 'make
89 install.libs' rule as libncurses++.
91 In the `Ada95' directory, you'll find code and documentation for an
92 Ada95 binding of the curses API, to be used with the GNAT compiler.
93 This binding is built by a normal top-level `make' if configure detects
94 an usable version of GNAT (3.11 or above). It is not installed automatically.
95 See the Ada95 directory for more build and installation instructions and
96 for documentation of the binding.
98 To do its job, the ncurses code needs your terminal type to be set in the
99 environment variable TERM (normally set by your OS; under UNIX, getty(1)
100 typically does this, but you can override it in your .profile); and, it needs a
101 database of terminal descriptions in which to look up your terminal type's
102 capabilities.
104 In older (V7/BSD) versions of curses, the database was a flat text file,
105 /etc/termcap; in newer (USG/USL) versions, the database is a hierarchy of
106 fast-loading binary description blocks under /usr/lib/terminfo. These binary
107 blocks are compiled from an improved editable text representation called
108 `terminfo' format (documented in man/terminfo.5). The ncurses library can use
109 either /etc/termcap or the compiled binary terminfo blocks, but prefers the
110 second form.
112 In the `misc' directory, there is a text file terminfo.src, in editable
113 terminfo format, which can be used to generate the terminfo binaries (that's
114 what make install.data does). If the package was built with the
115 --enable-termcap option enabled, and the ncurses library cannot find a terminfo
116 description for your terminal, it will fall back to the termcap file supplied
117 with your system (which the ncurses package installation leaves strictly
118 alone).
120 The utilities are as follows:
122 tic -- terminfo source to binary compiler
123 infocmp -- terminfo binary to source decompiler/comparator
124 clear -- emits clear-screen for current terminal
125 tput -- shell-script access to terminal capabilities.
126 toe -- table of entries utility
127 tset -- terminal-initialization utility
129 The first two (tic and infocmp) are used for manipulating terminfo
130 descriptions; the next two (clear and tput) are for use in shell scripts. The
131 last (tset) is provided for 4.4BSD compatibility. The source code for all of
132 these lives in the `progs' directory.
134 Detailed documentation for all libraries and utilities can be found in the
135 `man' and `doc' directories. An HTML introduction to ncurses, panels, and
136 menus programming lives in the `doc/html' directory. Manpages in HTML format
137 are under `doc/html/man'.
139 The `test' directory contains programs that can be used to verify or
140 demonstrate the functions of the ncurses libraries. See test/README for
141 descriptions of these programs. Notably, the `ncurses' utility is designed to
142 help you systematically exercise the library functions.
144 AUTHORS:
146 Pavel Curtis:
147 wrote the original ncurses
149 Zeyd M. Ben-Halim:
150 port of original to Linux and many enhancements.
152 Thomas Dickey (maintainer for 1.9.9g through 4.1, resuming with FSF's 5.0):
153 configuration scripts, porting, mods to adhere to XSI Curses in the
154 areas of background color, terminal modes. Also memory leak testing,
155 the wresize, default colors and key definition extensions and numerous
156 bug fixes (more than half of those enumerated in NEWS beginning with
157 the internal release 1.8.9).
159 Florian La Roche (official maintainer for FSF's ncurses 4.2)
160 Beginning with release 4.2, ncurses is distributed under an MIT-style
161 license.
163 Eric S. Raymond:
164 the man pages, infocmp(1), tput(1), clear(1), captoinfo(1), tset(1),
165 toe(1), most of tic(1), trace levels, the HTML intro, wgetnstr() and
166 many other entry points, the cursor-movement optimization, the
167 scroll-pack optimizer for vertical motions, the mouse interface and
168 xterm mouse support, and the ncurses test program.
170 Juergen Pfeifer
171 The menu and form libraries, C++ bindings for ncurses, menus, forms and
172 panels, as well as the Ada95 binding. Ongoing support for panel.
174 CONTRIBUTORS:
176 Alexander V. Lukyanov
177 for numerous fixes and improvements to the optimization logic.
179 David MacKenzie
180 for first-class bug-chasing and methodical testing.
182 Ross Ridge
183 for the code that hacks termcap parameterized strings into terminfo.
185 Warren Tucker and Gerhard Fuernkranz,
186 for writing and sending the panel library.
188 Hellmuth Michaelis,
189 for many patches and testing the optimization code.
191 Eric Newton, Ulrich Drepper, and Anatoly Ivasyuk:
192 the C++ code.
194 Jonathan Ross,
195 for lessons in using sed.
197 Keith Bostic (maintainer of 4.4BSD curses)
198 for help, criticism, comments, bug-finding, and being willing to
199 deep-six BSD curses for this one when it grew up.
201 Richard Stallman,
202 for his commitment to making ncurses free software.
204 Countless other people have contributed by reporting bugs, sending fixes,
205 suggesting improvements, and generally whining about ncurses :-)
207 BUGS:
208 See the INSTALL file for bug and developer-list addresses.
209 The Hacker's Guide in the doc directory includes some guidelines
210 on how to report bugs in ways that will get them fixed most quickly.