FORMS(3)						   BSD Library Functions Manual 						  FORMS(3)

NAME

     form -- form 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	       form_page(3)
     data_ahead 	       form_data(3)
     data_behind	       form_data(3)
     dup_field		       form_field_new(3)
     dynamic_field_info        form_field_info(3)
     field_arg		       form_field_validation(3)
     field_back 	       form_field_attributes(3)
     field_buffer	       form_field_buffer(3)
     field_count	       form_field(3)
     field_fore 	       form_field_attributes(3)
     field_index	       form_page(3)
     field_info 	       form_field_info(3)
     field_init 	       form_hook(3)
     field_just 	       form_field_just(3)
     field_opts 	       form_field_opts(3)
     field_opts_off	       form_field_opts(3)
     field_opts_on	       form_field_opts(3)
     field_pad		       form_field_attributes(3)
     field_status	       form_field_buffer(3)
     field_term 	       form_hook(3)
     field_type 	       form_field_validation(3)
     field_userptr	       form_field_userptr(3)
     form_driver	       form_driver(3)
     form_fields	       form_field(3)
     form_init		       form_hook(3)
     form_max_page	       form_page(3)
     form_opts		       form_opts(3)
     form_opts_off	       form_opts(3)
     form_opts_on	       form_opts(3)
     form_page		       form_page(3)
     form_sub		       form_win(3)
     form_term		       form_hook(3)
     form_userptr	       form_userptr(3)
     form_win		       form_win(3)
     free_field 	       form_field_new(3)
     free_fieldtype	       form_fieldtype(3)
     free_form		       form_new(3)
     link_field 	       form_field_new(3)
     link_fieldtype	       form_fieldtype(3)
     move_field 	       form_field(3)
     new_field		       form_field_new(3)
     new_fieldtype	       form_fieldtype(3)
     new_form		       form_new(3)
     new_page		       form_new_page(3)
     pos_form_cursor	       form_cursor(3)
     post_form		       form_post(3)
     scale_form 	       form_win(3)
     set_current_field	       form_page(3)
     set_field_back	       form_field_attributes(3)
     set_field_buffer	       form_field_buffer(3)
     set_field_fore	       form_field_attributes(3)
     set_field_init	       form_hook(3)
     set_field_just	       form_field_just(3)
     set_field_opts	       form_field_opts(3)
     set_field_pad	       form_field_attributes(3)
     set_field_printf	       form_field_buffer(3)
     set_field_status	       form_field_buffer(3)
     set_field_term	       form_hook(3)
     set_field_type	       form_field_validation(3)
     set_field_userptr	       form_field_userptr(3)
     set_fieldtype_arg	       form_fieldtype(3)
     set_fieldtype_choice      form_fieldtype(3)
     set_form_fields	       form_field(3)
     set_form_init	       form_hook(3)
     set_form_opts	       form_opts(3)
     set_form_page	       form_page(3)
     set_form_sub	       form_win(3)
     set_form_term	       form_hook(3)
     set_form_userptr	       form_userptr(3)
     set_form_win	       form_win(3)
     set_max_field	       form_field_buffer(3)
     set_new_page	       form_new_page(3)
     unpost_form	       form_post(3)

RETURN VALUES

     Any function returning a string pointer will return NULL if an error occurs.  Functions returning an integer will return one of the follow-
     ing:

     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

     curses(3), menus(3)

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.

BSD
								 November 24, 2004							       BSD