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$Id: form.3x,v 1.20 2006/11/04 18:50:09 tom Exp $
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 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 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_fieldtype form_fieldtype(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_fieldtype form_fieldtype(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, 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:

5 E_OK The routine succeeded.

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

5 E_BAD_STATE Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.

5 E_CONNECTED The field is already connected to a form.

5 E_INVALID_FIELD Contents of a field are not valid.

5 E_NOT_CONNECTED No fields are connected to the form.

5 E_NOT_POSTED The form has not been posted.

5 E_NO_ROOM Form is too large for its window.

5 E_POSTED The form is already posted.

5 E_REQUEST_DENIED The form driver could not process the request.

5 E_SYSTEM_ERROR System error occurred (see errno).

5 E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND The form driver code saw an unknown request code.

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 most linkers).

PORTABILITY
These routines emulate the System V forms library. They were not supported 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 @NCURSES_MAJOR@.@NCURSES_MINOR@ (patch @NCURSES_PATCH@). #
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