Format
tput [–T type] capname[parm1…parm9]
tput [–T type] –S
Description
tput lets
you change your terminal's characteristics. The
capname arguments
indicate how you want to change the characteristics. Possible capnames
are:
- clear
- Clears the screen
- init
- Initializes your terminal
- reset
- Resets your terminal
tput does its work
by outputting appropriate character sequences to the standard output.
These character sequences are terminal-specific.
Usually, tput looks
for an environment variable named TERM. If TERM exists, tput uses
its value as the terminal type. If it doesn't exist, tput assumes
a default terminal type.
Options
- –T type
- Identifies the type of your terminal. This overrides the TERM
environment variable.
The second format of this command provides extensions
for XPG/System V. This format of
tput accepts
an additional option,
–S.
- –S
- Takes input from standard input, one capability/capname per line.
A blank line terminates input.
An additional capname is supported for System
V:
- longname
- Returns the long descriptive name of the terminal.
An extension to provide System V capabilities
allows capname to be a capability from the
terminfo database. If the capability requires arguments, they appear
after the capname option.
Localization
tput uses
the following localization environment variables:
- LANG
- LC_ALL
- LC_CTYPE
- LC_MESSAGES
- NLSPATH
See Localization for more
information.
Environment variables
tput uses
the following environment variables:
- TERM
- Contains the
current terminal type.
- TERMINFO
- Can be used
to override the default database.
Exit values
- 0
- tput successfully wrote an appropriate
character sequence to change the terminal's characteristics, or a
Boolean terminfo variable is true.
- 1
- A Boolean terminfo variable is false.
- 2
- Failure that generated a usage message such as:
- capname was not a recognized keyword
- You specified an incorrect command-line option
- 3
- tput has no information about the terminal
type given by –T or TERM.
- 4
- The requested capname cannot be performed on your type of terminal.
- >4
- An error occurred.
Portability
POSIX.2 User Portability Extension, UNIX
systemsUNIX systems.
Related information
stty, tabs