tput

NAME

tput - initialize a terminal or query terminfo database

SYNOPSIS

tput [-Ttype] capname [parms ... ]
tput [-Ttype] init
tput [-Ttype] reset
tput [-Ttype] longname
tput -S  <<

The tput(1) 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. The tput(1) utility outputs a string if the attribute capname (capability name) is of type string, or it outputs an integer if the attribute is of type integer. If the attribute is of type boolean, tput(1) 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 DIAGNOSTICS and DIAGNOSTICS sections.) For a complete list of capabilities and the capname associated with each, see terminfo(1). The tput(1) utility accepts the following options:

-Ttype

Specifies the type of terminal. Normally this option is unnecessary because the default is taken from the environment variable TERM. If -T is specified, tput(1) ignores the shell variables LINES and COLUMNS and does not query the operating system for the actual screen size.

-S

Allows more than one capability per invocation of tput(1). The capabilities must be passed to tput(1) 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 DIAGNOSTICS section).

capname

Names 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.

init

If the terminfo database is present and an entry for the user's terminal exists (see -T), the following will occur:

If present, the terminal's initialization strings will be output (is1 is2, is3, if, iprog).
Any delays (such as newline) specified in the entry will be set in the tty driver.
Tabs expansion will be turned on or off according to the specification in the entry.
If tabs are not expanded, standard tabs will be set (every eight 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 -T), 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(1)).

EXAMPLES

Initialize the terminal according to the type of terminal in the environment variable TERM. This command should be included in everyone's $HOME/.profile after the environment variable TERM has been exported.

tput init

Reset an AT&T 5620 terminal, overriding the type of terminal in the environment variable TERM.

tput -T5620 reset

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 cup 0 0

Echo the clear-screen sequence for the current terminal.

tput clear

Print the number of columns for the current terminal.

tput cols

Print the number of columns for the 450 terminal.

tput -T450 cols

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"

bold='tput smso' offbold='tput rmso'

Set exit code to indicate whether the current terminal is a hardcopy terminal.

tput hc

Send the sequence to move the cursor to row 23, column 4.

tput cup 23 4

Print the long name from the terminfo database for the type of terminal specified in the environmental variable TERM.

tput longname

This example shows tput(1) 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.

tput -S <<!
> clear
> cup 10 10
> bold
> !

FILES

The tput(1) utility makes use of the following files:

TERMINFO: Compiled terminal description database.
/usr/include/curses.h: The curses(3) header file
/usr/include/term.h: The terminfo(1) header file
/usr/lib/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(5)

DIAGNOSTICS

The exit code depends upon the type of the capability, here given as capname.

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 whether 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.

The tput(1) utility 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(5) database for this terminal type (such as 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.

PORTABILITY

The longname and -S options, and the parameter-substitution features used in the cup example, are not supported in Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) curses or in AT&T/USL curses before SVr4.