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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 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 inter-action interaction
       action 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  func-tions. functions.
       tions.  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 sup-ported supported
       ported on Version 7 or BSD versions.

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



                                                                      form(3X)