Table of Contents
tput - initialize a terminal or query terminfo database
tput
[-Ttype] capname [parms ... ]
tput [-Ttype] init
tput [-Ttype] reset
tput [-Ttype] longname
tput -S <<
The tput utility uses the terminfo database to make the values
of terminal-dependent capabilities and information available to the shell
(see sh(1)
), to initialize or reset the terminal, or return the long name
of the requested terminal type. tput outputs a string if the attribute
(capability name) is of type string, or an integer if the attribute is
of type integer. If the attribute is of type boolean, tput simply sets
the exit code (0 for TRUE if the terminal has the capability, 1 for FALSE
if it does not), and produces no output. Before using a value returned
on standard output, the user should test the exit code [$?, see sh(1)
]
to be sure it is 0. (See the EXIT CODES and DIAGNOSTICS sections.) For
a complete list of capabilities and the capname associated with each, see
terminfo().
- -Ttype
- indicates the type of terminal. Normally this option is
unnecessary, because the default is taken from the environment variable
TERM. If -T is specified, then the shell variables LINES and COLUMNS will
be ignored,and the operating system will not be queried for the actual
screen size.
- capname
- indicates the attribute from the terminfo database.
- parms
- If the attribute is a string that takes parameters, the arguments
parms will be instantiated into the string. An all numeric argument will
be passed to the attribute as a number.
- -S
- allows more than one capability
per invocation of tput. The capabilities must be passed to tput from the
standard input instead of from the command line (see example). Only one
capname is allowed per line. The -S option changes the meaning of the 0
and 1 boolean and string exit codes (see the EXIT CODES section).
- init
- If
the terminfo database is present and an entry for the user's terminal exists
(see -Ttype, above), the following will occur: (1) if present, the terminal's
initialization strings will be output (is1, is2, is3, if, iprog), (2) any
delays (e.g., newline) specified in the entry will be set in the tty driver,
(3) tabs expansion will be turned on or off according to the specification
in the entry, and (4)
if tabs are not expanded, standard tabs will be set
(every 8 spaces). If an entry does not contain the information needed for
any of the four above activities, that activity will silently be skipped.
- reset
- Instead of putting out initialization strings, the terminal's reset
strings will be output if present (rs1, rs2, rs3, rf). If the reset strings
are not present, but initialization strings are, the initialization strings
will be output. Otherwise, reset acts identically to init.
- longname
- If the
terminfo database is present and an entry for the user's terminal exists
(see -Ttype above), then the long name of the terminal will be put out.
The long name is the last name in the first line of the terminal's description
in the terminfo database [see term(5)
].
- tput init
- Initialize the
terminal according to the type of terminal in the environmental variable
TERM. This command should be included in everyone's .profile after the environmental
variable TERM has been exported, as illustrated on the profile(4)
manual
page.
- tput -T5620 reset
- Reset an AT&T 5620 terminal, overriding the type of
terminal in the environmental variable TERM.
- tput cup 0 0
- Send the sequence
to move the cursor to row 0, column 0 (the upper left corner of the screen,
usually known as the "home" cursor position).
- tput clear
- Echo the clear-screen
sequence for the current terminal.
- tput cols
- Print the number of columns
for the current terminal.
- tput -T450 cols
- Print the number of columns for
the 450 terminal.
- bold=`tput smso` offbold=`tput rmso`
- Set the shell variables
bold, to begin stand-out mode sequence, and offbold, to end standout mode
sequence, for the current terminal. This might be followed by a prompt:
echo "${bold}Please type in your name: ${offbold}\c"
- tput hc
- Set exit code
to indicate if the current terminal is a hard copy terminal.
- tput cup 23
4
- Send the sequence to move the cursor to row 23, column 4.
- tput longname
- Print the long name from the terminfo database for the type of terminal
specified in the environmental variable TERM.
- tput -S <<!
> clear
> cup 10 10
> bold
> !
- This example shows tput processing several capabilities in one
- invocation.
This example clears the screen, moves the cursor to position 10, 10 and
turns on bold (extra bright) mode. The list is terminated by an exclamation
mark (!) on a line by itself.
- compiled terminal description database
- /usr/include/curses.h
- curses(3X)
header file
- /usr/include/term.h
- terminfo
header file
- @DATADIR@/tabset/*
- tab settings for some terminals, in a format
appropriate to be output to the terminal (escape sequences that set margins
and tabs); for more information, see the "Tabs and Initialization" section
of terminfo(4)
clear(1)
, stty(1)
, tabs(). profile(), terminfo(4)
in the System Administrator's Reference Manual. Chapter 10 of the Programmer's
Guide.
If capname is of type boolean, a value of 0 is set for
TRUE and 1 for FALSE unless the -S option is used.
If capname is of type
string, a value of 0 is set if the capname is defined for this terminal
type (the value of capname is returned on standard output); a value of
1 is set if capname is not defined for this terminal type (a null value
is returned on standard output).
If capname is of type boolean or string
and the -S option is used, a value of 0 is returned to indicate that all
lines were successful. No indication of which line failed can be given
so exit code 1 will never appear. Exit codes 2, 3, and 4 retain their usual
interpretation.
If capname is of type integer, a value of 0 is always set,
whether or not capname is defined for this terminal type. To determine if
capname is defined for this terminal type, the user must test the value
of standard output. A value of -1 means that capname is not defined for
this terminal type.
Any other exit code indicates an error; see the DIAGNOSTICS
section.
tput prints the following error messages and sets the
corresponding exit codes.
exit code | error message |
0 | (capname is a numeric
variable that is not specified in the |
| terminfo() database for this terminal
type, e.g. |
| tput -T450 lines and tput -T2621 xmc) |
1 | no error message is printed,
see the EXIT CODES section. |
2 | usage error |
3 | unknown terminal type or no terminfo
database |
4 | unknown terminfo capability capname |
The longname and
-S options, and the parameter-substitution features used in the cup example,
are not supported in BSD curses or in AT&T/USL curses before SVr4.
Table of Contents