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[netbsd-mini2440.git] / lib / libform / forms.3

.\"     $NetBSD: forms.3,v 1.15 2004/11/24 11:57:09 blymn Exp $
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.\" Copyright (c) 2001
.\"     Brett Lymn - blymn@baea.com.au, brett_lymn@yahoo.com.au
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.Dd November 24, 2004
.Dt FORMS 3
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm form
.Nd form library
.Sh LIBRARY
.Lb libform
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.In form.h
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Nm
library provides a terminal independent form system using the
.Xr curses 3
library.
Before using the
.Nm
functions the terminal must be set up by
.Xr curses 3
using the
.Fn initscr
function or similar.
Programs using
.Nm
functions must be linked with the
.Xr curses 3
library
.Fl lcurses .
.Pp
The
.Nm
library provides facilities for defining form fields, placing a form on the
terminal screen, assign pre and post change operations and setting the
attributes of both the form and its fields.
.Ss Defining default attributes for forms and fields
The
.Nm
library allows any settable attribute or option of both the form and field
objects to be defined such that any new form or field automatically inherits
the value as default.
Setting the default value will not affect any field or
form that has already been created but will be applied to subsequent objects.
To set the default attribute or option the set routine is passed a
.Dv NULL
pointer in the field or form parameter when calling the set routine.
The current default value can be retrieved by calling the get routine with a
.Dv NULL
pointer for the field or form parameter.
.Pp
.Bl -column set_fieldtype_choiceXX
.It Sy "Form Routine Name" Ta Sy "Manual Page Name"
.It current_field Ta Xr form_page 3
.It data_ahead Ta Xr form_data 3
.It data_behind Ta Xr form_data 3
.It dup_field Ta Xr form_field_new 3
.It dynamic_field_info Ta Xr form_field_info 3
.It field_arg Ta Xr form_field_validation 3
.It field_back Ta Xr form_field_attributes 3
.It field_buffer Ta Xr form_field_buffer 3
.It field_count Ta Xr form_field 3
.It field_fore Ta Xr form_field_attributes 3
.It field_index Ta Xr form_page 3
.It field_info Ta Xr form_field_info 3
.It field_init Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It field_just Ta Xr form_field_just 3
.It field_opts Ta Xr form_field_opts 3
.It field_opts_off Ta Xr form_field_opts 3
.It field_opts_on Ta Xr form_field_opts 3
.It field_pad Ta Xr form_field_attributes 3
.It field_status Ta Xr form_field_buffer 3
.It field_term Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It field_type Ta Xr form_field_validation 3
.It field_userptr Ta Xr form_field_userptr 3
.It form_driver Ta Xr form_driver 3
.It form_fields Ta Xr form_field 3
.It form_init Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It form_max_page Ta Xr form_page 3
.It form_opts Ta Xr form_opts 3
.It form_opts_off Ta Xr form_opts 3
.It form_opts_on Ta Xr form_opts 3
.It form_page Ta Xr form_page 3
.It form_sub Ta Xr form_win 3
.It form_term Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It form_userptr Ta Xr form_userptr 3
.It form_win Ta Xr form_win 3
.It free_field Ta Xr form_field_new 3
.It free_fieldtype Ta Xr form_fieldtype 3
.It free_form Ta Xr form_new 3
.It link_field Ta Xr form_field_new 3
.It link_fieldtype Ta Xr form_fieldtype 3
.It move_field Ta Xr form_field 3
.It new_field Ta Xr form_field_new 3
.It new_fieldtype Ta Xr form_fieldtype 3
.It new_form Ta Xr form_new 3
.It new_page Ta Xr form_new_page 3
.It pos_form_cursor Ta Xr form_cursor 3
.It post_form Ta Xr form_post 3
.It scale_form Ta Xr form_win 3
.It set_current_field Ta Xr form_page 3
.It set_field_back Ta Xr form_field_attributes 3
.It set_field_buffer Ta Xr form_field_buffer 3
.It set_field_fore Ta Xr form_field_attributes 3
.It set_field_init Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It set_field_just Ta Xr form_field_just 3
.It set_field_opts Ta Xr form_field_opts 3
.It set_field_pad Ta Xr form_field_attributes 3
.It set_field_printf Ta Xr form_field_buffer 3
.It set_field_status Ta Xr form_field_buffer 3
.It set_field_term Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It set_field_type Ta Xr form_field_validation 3
.It set_field_userptr Ta Xr form_field_userptr 3
.It set_fieldtype_arg Ta Xr form_fieldtype 3
.It set_fieldtype_choice Ta Xr form_fieldtype 3
.It set_form_fields Ta Xr form_field 3
.It set_form_init Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It set_form_opts Ta Xr form_opts 3
.It set_form_page Ta Xr form_page 3
.It set_form_sub Ta Xr form_win 3
.It set_form_term Ta Xr form_hook 3
.It set_form_userptr Ta Xr form_userptr 3
.It set_form_win Ta Xr form_win 3
.It set_max_field Ta Xr form_field_buffer 3
.It set_new_page Ta Xr form_new_page 3
.It unpost_form Ta Xr form_post 3
.El
.Sh RETURN VALUES
Any function returning a string pointer will return
.Dv NULL
if an error occurs.
Functions returning an integer will return one of the following:
.Bl -column set_fieldtype_choiceXX
.It Dv E_OK Ta No The function was successful.
.It Dv E_SYSTEM_ERROR Ta No There was a system error during the call.
.It Dv E_BAD_ARGUMENT Ta No One or more of the arguments passed to \
the function was incorrect.
.It Dv E_POSTED Ta No The form is already posted.
.It Dv E_CONNECTED Ta No A field was already connected to a form.
.It Dv E_BAD_STATE Ta No The function was called from within an \
initialization or termination routine.
.It Dv E_NO_ROOM Ta No The form does not fit within the subwindow.
.It Dv E_NOT_POSTED Ta No The form is not posted.
.It Dv E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND Ta No The form driver does not recognize the \
request passed to it.
.It Dv E_NOT_SELECTABLE Ta No The field could not be selected.
.It Dv E_NOT_CONNECTED Ta No The field is not connected to a form.
.It Dv E_REQUEST_DENIED Ta No The form driver could not process the request.
.It Dv E_INVALID_FIELD Ta No The field is invalid.
.It Dv E_CURRENT Ta No The field is the active one on the form.
.El
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr curses 3 ,
.Xr menus 3
.Sh NOTES
This implementation of the forms library does depart in behavior
subtly from the original AT\*[Am]T implementation.
Some of the more notable departures are:
.Pp
.Bl -tag -width "The TAB character" -compact
.It field wrapping
For multi-line fields the data will be wrapped as it is entered, this
does not happen in the AT\*[Am]T implementation.
.It buffer 0
In this implementation, the contents of buffer 0 are always current
regardless of whether the field has been validated or not.
.It circular fields
In the AT\*[Am]T implementation fields are circular on a page, that is, a
next field from the last field will go to the first field on the
current page.
In this implementation a next field request on the last
field of a page will result in the forms library positioning the
cursor on the first field of the next page.
If the field is the last
field in the form then going to the next field will be denied, in the
AT\*[Am]T it would result in the cursor being placed on the first field of
the first page.
.It buffer returns
In this implementation only the data entered by the user in the form
field will be returned, unlike the AT\*[Am]T library which would return the
contents of the field padded to the size of the field with the pad
character.
.It The TAB character
The handling of the TAB character in fields varies between
implementations.
In ncurses attempting to set a field contents with a
string containing a TAB will result in an error and will not allow a
TAB to be entered into a field.
The AT\*[Am]T library statically
converts tabs to the equivalent number of spaces when the field buffer
is set but the form driver will not allow a TAB to be inserted into
the field buffer.
This implementation allows TAB when setting the
field buffer and also will allow TAB to be inserted into a field
buffer via the form driver and correctly calculates the cursor
position allowing for expansion of the TAB character.
.It set_field_printf
This function is a
.Nx
extension and must not be used in portable code.
.It Dv O_REFORMAT
This field option is a
.Nx
extension and must not be used in portable code.
.El