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form(3X)                                                                                            form(3X)



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 charactercell
       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, and a curses initialization routine such as initscr  must
       be called before using any of these functions.  To use the form library, link with the options -lform
       -lcurses.


   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.


       curses Routine Name    Manual Page Name
       -------------------------------------------------current_field ------------------------------------------------current_field
       current_field          form_page(3X)
       data_ahead             form_data(3X)
       data_behind            form_data(3X)
       dup_field              form_field_new(3X)
       dynamic_fieldinfo      form_field_info(3X)
       field_arg              form_field_validation(3X)
       field_back             form_field_attributes(3X)
       field_buffer           form_field_buffer(3X)
       field_count            form_field(3X)
       field_fore             form_field_attributes(3X)
       field_index            form_page(3X)
       field_info             form_field_info(3X)
       field_init             form_hook(3X)
       field_just             form_field_just(3X)
       field_opts             form_field_opts(3X)
       field_opts_off         form_field_opts(3X)
       field_opts_on          form_field_opts(3X)
       field_pad              form_field_attributes(3X)
       field_status           form_field_buffer(3X)
       field_term             form_hook(3X)
       field_type             form_field_validation(3X)
       field_userptr          form_field_userptr(3X)
       form_driver            form_driver(3X)
       form_fields            form_field(3X)
       form_init              form_hook(3X)
       form_opts              form_opts(3X)
       form_opts_off          form_opts(3X)
       form_opts_on           form_opts(3X)
       form_page              form_page(3X)
       form_request_by_name   form_requestname(3X)
       form_request_name      form_requestname(3X)

       form_sub               form_win(3X)
       form_term              form_hook(3X)
       form_userptr           form_userptr(3X)
       form_win               form_win(3X)
       free_field             form_field_new(3X)
       free_form              form_new(3X)
       link_field             form_field_new(3X)
       link_fieldtype         form_fieldtype(3X)
       move_field             form_field(3X)
       new_field              form_field_new(3X)
       new_form               form_new(3X)
       new_page               form_new_page(3X)
       pos_form_cursor        form_cursor(3X)
       post_form              form_post(3X)
       scale_form             form_win(3X)
       set_current_field      form_page(3X)
       set_field_back         form_field_attributes(3X)
       set_field_buffer       form_field_buffer(3X)
       set_field_fore         form_field_attributes(3X)
       set_field_init         form_hook(3X)
       set_field_just         form_field_just(3X)
       set_field_opts         form_field_opts(3X)
       set_field_pad          form_field_attributes(3X)
       set_field_status       form_field_buffer(3X)
       set_field_term         form_hook(3X)
       set_field_type         form_field_validation(3X)
       set_field_userptr      form_field_userptr(3X)
       set_fieldtype_arg      form_fieldtype(3X)
       set_fieldtype_choice   form_fieldtype(3X)
       set_form_fields        form_field(3X)
       set_form_init          form_hook(3X)
       set_form_opts          form_field_opts(3X)
       set_form_page          form_page(3X)
       set_form_sub           form_win(3X)
       set_form_term          form_hook(3X)
       set_form_userptr       form_userptr(3X)
       set_form_win           form_win(3X)
       set_max_field          form_field_buffer(3X)
       set_new_page           form_new_page(3X)
       unpost_form            form_post(3X)

RETURN VALUE
       Routines that return pointers return NULL on error.  Routines that return an integer  return  one  of
       the following error codes:

       E_OK The routine succeeded.

       E_CONNECTED
            The field is already connected to a form.

       E_SYSTEM_ERROR
            System error occurred (see errno).

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

       E_POSTED
            The form is already posted.

       E_BAD_STATE
            Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.

       E_NO_ROOM
            Form is too large for its window.

       E_NOT_POSTED
            The form has not been posted.

       E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
            The form driver code saw an unknown request code.

       E_INVALID_FIELD
            Contents of a field are not valid.

       E_NOT_CONNECTED
            No fields are connected to the form.

       E_REQUEST_DENIED
            The form driver could not process the request.

SEE ALSO
       curses(3X) and related pages whose names begin "form_" for detailed descriptions of the entry points.

NOTES
       The header file <form.h> automatically includes the header files <curses.h> and <eti.h>.

       In your library list, libform.a should be before libncurses.a; that  is,  you  want  to  say  `-lform
       -lncurses',  not  the  other  way  around (which would give you a link error using GNU ld(1) and many
       other linkers).

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

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



                                                                                                    form(3X)

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