NAME

       form - curses extension for programming forms

SYNOPSIS

       #include <form.h>

DESCRIPTION

       The  form  library  provides terminal-independent facilities for composing form screens on
       character-cell terminals.  The library includes: field routines, which create  and  modify
       form  fields;  and  form  routines,  which  group  fields into forms, display forms on the
       screen, and handle interaction with the user.

       The form library uses the curses libraries.  To  use  the  form  library,  link  with  the
       options -lform -lcurses.

       Your program should set up the locale, e.g.,

            setlocale(LC_ALL, "");

       so that input/output processing will work.

       A  curses  initialization routine such as initscr must be called before using any of these
       functions.

   Current Default Values for Field Attributes
       The form library maintains a default value for field attributes.  You can get or set  this
       default  by  calling  the appropriate set_ or retrieval routine with a NULL field pointer.
       Changing this default with a set_ function affects future field creations,  but  does  not
       change the rendering of fields already created.

   Routine Name Index
       The following table lists each form routine and the name of the manual page on which it is
       described.  Routines flagged with “*” are ncurses-specific, not present in SVr4.

       curses Routine Name     Manual Page Name
       ────────────────────────────────────────────────
       current_field           page(3FORM)
       data_ahead              data(3FORM)
       data_behind             data(3FORM)
       dup_field               field_new(3FORM)
       dynamic_field_info      field_info(3FORM)
       field_arg               field_validation(3FORM)
       field_back              field_attributes(3FORM)
       field_buffer            field_buffer(3FORM)
       field_count             field(3FORM)
       field_fore              field_attributes(3FORM)
       field_index             page(3FORM)
       field_info              field_info(3FORM)
       field_init              hook(3FORM)
       field_just              field_just(3FORM)
       field_opts              field_opts(3FORM)
       field_opts_off          field_opts(3FORM)
       field_opts_on           field_opts(3FORM)
       field_pad               field_attributes(3FORM)
       field_status            field_buffer(3FORM)
       field_term              hook(3FORM)
       field_type              field_validation(3FORM)
       field_userptr           field_userptr(3FORM)
       form_driver             driver(3FORM)
       form_driver_w           driver(3FORM)*
       form_fields             field(3FORM)

       form_init               hook(3FORM)
       form_opts               opts(3FORM)
       form_opts_off           opts(3FORM)
       form_opts_on            opts(3FORM)
       form_page               page(3FORM)
       form_request_by_name    requestname(3FORM)*
       form_request_name       requestname(3FORM)*
       form_sub                win(3FORM)
       form_term               hook(3FORM)
       form_userptr            userptr(3FORM)
       form_win                win(3FORM)
       free_field              field_new(3FORM)
       free_fieldtype          fieldtype(3FORM)
       free_form               new(3FORM)
       link_field              field_new(3FORM)
       link_fieldtype          fieldtype(3FORM)
       move_field              field(3FORM)
       new_field               field_new(3FORM)
       new_fieldtype           fieldtype(3FORM)
       new_form                new(3FORM)
       new_page                new_page(3FORM)
       pos_form_cursor         cursor(3FORM)
       post_form               post(3FORM)
       scale_form              win(3FORM)
       set_current_field       page(3FORM)
       set_field_back          field_attributes(3FORM)
       set_field_buffer        field_buffer(3FORM)
       set_field_fore          field_attributes(3FORM)
       set_field_init          hook(3FORM)
       set_field_just          field_just(3FORM)
       set_field_opts          field_opts(3FORM)
       set_field_pad           field_attributes(3FORM)
       set_field_status        field_buffer(3FORM)
       set_field_term          hook(3FORM)
       set_field_type          field_validation(3FORM)
       set_field_userptr       field_userptr(3FORM)
       set_fieldtype_arg       fieldtype(3FORM)
       set_fieldtype_choice    fieldtype(3FORM)
       set_form_fields         field(3FORM)
       set_form_init           hook(3FORM)
       set_form_opts           field_opts(3FORM)
       set_form_page           page(3FORM)
       set_form_sub            win(3FORM)
       set_form_term           hook(3FORM)
       set_form_userptr        userptr(3FORM)
       set_form_win            win(3FORM)
       set_max_field           field_buffer(3FORM)
       set_new_page            new_page(3FORM)
       unfocus_current_field   page(3FORM)*
       unpost_form             post(3FORM)

RETURN VALUE

       Routines that return pointers return NULL on error, and set  errno  to  the  corresponding
       error-code  returned  by  functions returning an integer.  Routines that return an integer
       return one of the following error codes:

       E_OK The routine succeeded.

       E_BAD_ARGUMENT
            Routine detected an incorrect or out-of-range argument.

       E_BAD_STATE
            Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.

       E_CONNECTED
            The field is already connected to a form.

       E_INVALID_FIELD
            Contents of a field are not valid.

       E_NOT_CONNECTED
            No fields are connected to the form.

       E_NOT_POSTED
            The form has not been posted.

       E_NO_ROOM
            Form is too large for its window.

       E_POSTED
            The form is already posted.

       E_REQUEST_DENIED
            The form driver could not process the request.

       E_SYSTEM_ERROR
            System error occurred (see errno(3)).

       E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
            The form driver code saw an unknown request code.

NOTES

       The header file form.h itself includes curses.h.

PORTABILITY

       These routines emulate the System V forms library.  They were not supported on  Version  7
       or BSD versions.

       A form facility was documented in SVr4.2's Character User Interface Programming document.

       It is not part of X/Open Curses.

       Aside from ncurses, there are few implementations:

       •   systems based on SVr4 source code, e.g., Solaris.

       •   NetBSD curses.

       A  few functions in this implementation are extensions added for ncurses, but not provided
       by other implementations, e.g., form_driver_w, unfocus_current_field.

AUTHORS

       Juergen Pfeifer.  Manual pages and adaptation for ncurses by Eric S. Raymond.

SEE ALSO

       ncurses(3NCURSES) and related pages whose names begin “form_” for detailed descriptions of
       the entry points.