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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!tekecs!orca!andrew
From: andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: undocumented TERMCAP fields
Message-ID: <51@orca.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Aug-83 01:49:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: orca.51
Posted: Wed Aug 17 01:49:44 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Aug-83 13:55:37 EDT
Lines: 32

The ul(1) program included with 4.1aBSD Unix uses some undocumented
TERMCAP fields to provide a variety of character attributes,
particularly including boldface.  Since ul is called by man(1) to
present a manual page with appropriate terminal-dependent characters,
this can result in boldface characters instead of reverse video for
program synopses, emphasized words, etc.  The resulting display can be
highly readable.

The complete list of ul's TERMCAP fields for character attributes is:

  so -- enter stand out mode (normally reverse video)
  se -- exit stand out mode
  us -- enter underline mode
  ue -- exit underline mode
  mh -- enter dim mode
  md -- enter bold mode
  mr -- enter reverse mode
  me -- turn off all attributes, normal mode
  uc -- underscore a single character

The following line will provide fullblown character attributes for a
terminal which uses the ANSI escape sequences:

	:md=\E[1m:me=\E[m:mr=\E[7m:se=\E[m:so=\E[7m:ue=\E[m:ul:us=\E[4m:

(ANSI doesn't define "dim mode".)

This works for the Ann Arbor Ambassador and the VT-102.  I suspect that
it might work with the new Teletypes.

  -- Andrew Klossner   (decvax!tektronix!tekecs!andrew)  [UUCP]
                       (andrew.tektronix@rand-relay)     [ARPA]