form(3X) form(3X)

NAME
       ffoorrmm - curses extension for programming forms

SYNOPSIS
       ##iinncclluuddee <>

DESCRIPTION
       The ffoorrmm 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 ffoorrmm library uses the ccuurrsseess libraries, and a curses initialization
       routine such as iinniittssccrr must be called before using any of these  func-
       tions.  To use the ffoorrmm library, link with the options -llffoorrmm -llccuurrsseess.


   CCuurrrreenntt DDeeffaauulltt VVaalluueess ffoorr FFiieelldd AAttttrriibbuutteess
       The ffoorrmm library maintains a default value for field  attributes.   You
       can  get  or  set  this  default  by  calling  the  appropriate sseett or
       retrieval routine with a NNUULLLL field  pointer.   Changing  this  default
       with  a  sseett  function  affects  future  field creations, but does not
       change the rendering of fields already created.


   RRoouuttiinnee NNaammee IInnddeexx
       The following table lists each ffoorrmm routine and the name of the  manual
       page on which it is described.


       ccuurrsseess Routine Name    Manual Page Name
       -------------------------
       currentfield          ffoorrmmppaaggee(3X)
       dataahead             ffoorrmmddaattaa(3X)
       databehind            ffoorrmmddaattaa(3X)
       dupfield              ffoorrmmffiieellddnneeww(3X)
       dynamicfieldinfo      ffoorrmmffiieellddiinnffoo(3X)
       fieldarg              ffoorrmmffiieellddvvaalliiddaattiioonn(3X)
       fieldback             ffoorrmmffiieellddaattttrriibbuutteess(3X)
       fieldbuffer           ffoorrmmffiieellddbbuuffffeerr(3X)
       fieldcount            ffoorrmmffiieelldd(3X)
       fieldfore             ffoorrmmffiieellddaattttrriibbuutteess(3X)
       fieldindex            ffoorrmmppaaggee(3X)
       fieldinfo             ffoorrmmffiieellddiinnffoo(3X)
       fieldinit             ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       fieldjust             ffoorrmmffiieellddjjuusstt(3X)
       fieldopts             ffoorrmmffiieellddooppttss(3X)
       fieldoptsoff         ffoorrmmffiieellddooppttss(3X)
       fieldoptson          ffoorrmmffiieellddooppttss(3X)
       fieldpad              ffoorrmmffiieellddaattttrriibbuutteess(3X)
       fieldstatus           ffoorrmmffiieellddbbuuffffeerr(3X)
       fieldterm             ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       fieldtype             ffoorrmmffiieellddvvaalliiddaattiioonn(3X)
       fielduserptr          ffoorrmmffiieelldduusseerrppttrr(3X)
       formdriver            ffoorrmmddrriivveerr(3X)
       formfields            ffoorrmmffiieelldd(3X)
       forminit              ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       formopts              ffoorrmmooppttss(3X)
       formoptsoff          ffoorrmmooppttss(3X)
       formoptson           ffoorrmmooppttss(3X)

       formpage              ffoorrmmppaaggee(3X)
       formrequestbyname   ffoorrmmrreeqquueessttnnaammee(3X)
       formrequestname      ffoorrmmrreeqquueessttnnaammee(3X)
       formsub               ffoorrmmwwiinn(3X)
       formterm              ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       formuserptr           ffoorrmmuusseerrppttrr(3X)
       formwin               ffoorrmmwwiinn(3X)
       freefield             ffoorrmmffiieellddnneeww(3X)
       freeform              ffoorrmmnneeww(3X)
       linkfield             ffoorrmmffiieellddnneeww(3X)
       linkfieldtype         ffoorrmmffiieellddttyyppee(3X)
       movefield             ffoorrmmffiieelldd(3X)
       newfield              ffoorrmmffiieellddnneeww(3X)
       newform               ffoorrmmnneeww(3X)
       newpage               ffoorrmmnneewwppaaggee(3X)
       posformcursor        ffoorrmmccuurrssoorr(3X)
       postform              ffoorrmmppoosstt(3X)
       scaleform             ffoorrmmwwiinn(3X)
       setcurrentfield      ffoorrmmppaaggee(3X)
       setfieldback         ffoorrmmffiieellddaattttrriibbuutteess(3X)
       setfieldbuffer       ffoorrmmffiieellddbbuuffffeerr(3X)
       setfieldfore         ffoorrmmffiieellddaattttrriibbuutteess(3X)
       setfieldinit         ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       setfieldjust         ffoorrmmffiieellddjjuusstt(3X)
       setfieldopts         ffoorrmmffiieellddooppttss(3X)
       setfieldpad          ffoorrmmffiieellddaattttrriibbuutteess(3X)
       setfieldstatus       ffoorrmmffiieellddbbuuffffeerr(3X)
       setfieldterm         ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       setfieldtype         ffoorrmmffiieellddvvaalliiddaattiioonn(3X)
       setfielduserptr      ffoorrmmffiieelldduusseerrppttrr(3X)
       setfieldtypearg      ffoorrmmffiieellddttyyppee(3X)
       setfieldtypechoice   ffoorrmmffiieellddttyyppee(3X)
       setformfields        ffoorrmmffiieelldd(3X)
       setforminit          ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       setformopts          ffoorrmmffiieellddooppttss(3X)
       setformpage          ffoorrmmppaaggee(3X)
       setformsub           ffoorrmmwwiinn(3X)
       setformterm          ffoorrmmhhooookk(3X)
       setformuserptr       ffoorrmmuusseerrppttrr(3X)
       setformwin           ffoorrmmwwiinn(3X)
       setmaxfield          ffoorrmmffiieellddbbuuffffeerr(3X)
       setnewpage           ffoorrmmnneewwppaaggee(3X)
       unpostform            ffoorrmmppoosstt(3X)

RREETTUURRNN VVAALLUUEE
       Routines  that  return  pointers  return  NNUULLLL on error.  Routines that
       return an integer return one of the following error codes:

       EEOOKK The routine succeeded.

       EECCOONNNNEECCTTEEDD
            The field is already connected to a form.

       EESSYYSSTTEEMMEERRRROORR
            System error occurred (see eerrrrnnoo).

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

       EEPPOOSSTTEEDD
            The form is already posted.

       EEBBAADDSSTTAATTEE
            Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.

       EENNOORROOOOMM
            Form is too large for its window.

       EENNOOTTPPOOSSTTEEDD
            The form has not been posted.

       EEUUNNKKNNOOWWNNCCOOMMMMAANNDD
            The form driver code saw an unknown request code.

       EEIINNVVAALLIIDDFFIIEELLDD
            Contents of a field are not valid.

       EENNOOTTCCOONNNNEECCTTEEDD
            No fields are connected to the form.

       EERREEQQUUEESSTTDDEENNIIEEDD
            The form driver could not process the request.

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

NNOOTTEESS
       The header  file  <>  automatically  includes  the  header  files
       <> and <>.

       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 lldd(1) and many other linkers).

PPOORRTTAABBIILLIITTYY
       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.



                                                                      form(3X)