FORMS(3) Library Functions Manual FORMS(3)
NAME
formform library
LIBRARY
Curses Form Library (libform, -lform)
SYNOPSIS
#include <form.h>
DESCRIPTION
The form library provides a terminal independent form system using the curses(3) library. Before using the form functions the terminal must be set up by curses(3) using the initscr() function or similar. Programs using form functions must be linked with the curses(3) library -lcurses.
 
The form library provides facilities for defining form fields, placing a form on the terminal screen, assign pre and post change operations and setting the attributes of both the form and its fields.
Defining default attributes for forms and fields
The form library allows any settable attribute or option of both the form and field objects to be defined such that any new form or field automatically inherits the value as default. Setting the default value will not affect any field or form that has already been created but will be applied to subsequent objects. To set the default attribute or option the set routine is passed a NULL pointer in the field or form parameter when calling the set routine. The current default value can be retrieved by calling the get routine with a NULL pointer for the field or form parameter.
 
Form Routine Name
Manual Page Name
current_field
data_ahead
data_behind
dynamic_field_info
field_buffer
field_count
field_index
field_info
field_init
field_just
field_opts
field_opts_off
field_opts_on
field_status
field_term
field_userptr
form_driver
form_fields
form_init
form_max_page
form_opts
form_opts_off
form_opts_on
form_page
form_sub
form_term
form_userptr
form_win
free_field
free_fieldtype
free_form
link_field
link_fieldtype
move_field
new_fieldtype
new_form
pos_form_cursor
post_form
scale_form
set_current_field
set_field_back
set_field_buffer
set_field_fore
set_field_init
set_field_just
set_field_opts
set_field_printf
set_field_status
set_field_term
set_field_type
set_field_userptr
set_fieldtype_arg
set_fieldtype_choice
set_form_fields
set_form_init
set_form_opts
set_form_page
set_form_sub
set_form_term
set_form_userptr
set_form_win
set_max_field
set_new_page
unpost_form
RETURN VALUES
Any function returning a string pointer will return NULL if an error occurs. Functions returning an integer will return one of the following:
E_OK
The function was successful.
E_SYSTEM_ERROR
There was a system error during the call.
E_BAD_ARGUMENT
One or more of the arguments passed to the function was incorrect.
E_POSTED
The form is already posted.
E_CONNECTED
A field was already connected to a form.
E_BAD_STATE
The function was called from within an initialization or termination routine.
E_NO_ROOM
The form does not fit within the subwindow.
E_NOT_POSTED
The form is not posted.
E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
The form driver does not recognize the request passed to it.
E_NOT_SELECTABLE
The field could not be selected.
E_NOT_CONNECTED
The field is not connected to a form.
E_REQUEST_DENIED
The form driver could not process the request.
E_INVALID_FIELD
The field is invalid.
E_CURRENT
The field is the active one on the form.
SEE ALSO
NOTES
This implementation of the forms library does depart in behavior subtly from the original AT&T implementation. Some of the more notable departures are:
 
field wrapping
For multi-line fields the data will be wrapped as it is entered, this does not happen in the AT&T implementation.
buffer 0
In this implementation, the contents of buffer 0 are always current regardless of whether the field has been validated or not.
circular fields
In the AT&T implementation fields are circular on a page, that is, a next field from the last field will go to the first field on the current page. In this implementation a next field request on the last field of a page will result in the forms library positioning the cursor on the first field of the next page. If the field is the last field in the form then going to the next field will be denied, in the AT&T it would result in the cursor being placed on the first field of the first page.
buffer returns
In this implementation only the data entered by the user in the form field will be returned, unlike the AT&T library which would return the contents of the field padded to the size of the field with the pad character.
The TAB character
The handling of the TAB character in fields varies between implementations. In ncurses attempting to set a field contents with a string containing a TAB will result in an error and will not allow a TAB to be entered into a field. The AT&T library statically converts tabs to the equivalent number of spaces when the field buffer is set but the form driver will not allow a TAB to be inserted into the field buffer. This implementation allows TAB when setting the field buffer and also will allow TAB to be inserted into a field buffer via the form driver and correctly calculates the cursor position allowing for expansion of the TAB character.
set_field_printf
This function is a NetBSD extension and must not be used in portable code.
O_REFORMAT
This field option is a NetBSD extension and must not be used in portable code.