Linux From Scratch: Version 5.0-pre2
Prev | Appendix A. Package descriptions and dependencies | Next

# Ncurses

For installation instructions see the Section called Installing Ncurses-5.3 in Chapter 6.

## Official Download Location

Ncurses (5.3):
ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/ncurses/

## Contents of Ncurses

(Last checked against version 5.2.)

The Ncurses package provides character and terminal handling libraries, including panels and menus.

Ncurses installs the following:

### Program Files

captoinfo (link to tic), clear, infocmp, infotocap (link to tic), reset (link to tset), tack, tic, toe, tput and tset.

### Library Files

libcurses.[a,so] (link to libncurses.[a,so]), libform.[a,so], libform_g.a, libmenu.[a,so], libmenu_g.a, libncurses++.a, libncurses.[a,so], libncurses_g.a, libpanel.[a,so] and libpanel_g.a

##

## Descriptions

(Last checked against version 5.2.)

### Program file descriptions

captoinfo converts a termcap description into a terminfo description.

clear clears the screen, if this is possible.

infocmp compares or prints out terminfo descriptions.

infotocap converts a terminfo description into a termcap description.

reset reinitializes a terminal to its default values.

tack is the terminfo action checker. It is mainly used to test the correctness of an entry in the terminfo database.

tic is the terminfo entry-description compiler. It translates a terminfo file from source format into the binary format needed for the ncurses library routines. A terminfo file contains information on the capabilities of a certain terminal.

toe lists all available terminal types, for each giving its primary name and its description.

tput makes the values of terminal-dependent capabilities available to the shell. It can also be used to reset or initialize a terminal, or report its long name.

tset can be used to initialize terminals.

### Library file descriptions

libncurses* contain functions to display text in many complicated ways on a terminal screen. A good example of the use of these functions is the menu displayed during the kernel's make menuconfig.

libform* contain functions to implement forms.

libmenu* contain functions to implement menus.

libpanel* contain functions to implement panels.

##

## Ncurses Installation Dependencies

(Last checked against version 5.2.)

Bash: sh
Binutils: ar, as, ld, ranlib
Coreutils: basename, cat, chmod, cp, date, echo, expr, hostname, install,
ln, mkdir, mv, rm, sort, tr, uname, wc
Diffutils: cmp
Gawk: gawk
GCC: c++, cc1, cc1plus, collect2, cpp0, gcc
Glibc: ldconfig
Grep: egrep, fgrep, grep
Make: make
Sed: sed

Prev | Home | Next
Modutils | Up | Net-tools