form

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 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.

       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)
       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)
       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 inte-
       ger.  Routines that return an integer return one of the following error
       codes:

       E_OK The routine succeeded.

       E_BAD_ARGUMENT
            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).

       E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
            The form driver code saw an unknown request code.

SEE ALSO
       ncurses(3NCURSES)  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 most linkers).

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

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

SEE ALSO
       This describes ncurses version 5.7 (patch 20090803).



                                                                   form(3FORM)