# Ncurses and terminfo. How?



## michaelrmgreen (Dec 6, 2010)

I need a terminfo database, and a bit of Goggling indicated I should go to /usr/src/contrib/ncurses, run configure, then run make. So far so normal. I tried this but configure fell over. I sent off a PR and received this reply : 



```
Synopsis: Configuration fails compiling ncurses
State-Changed-From-To: open->closed
State-Changed-By: remko
State-Changed-When: Fri Dec 3 18:23:22 UTC 2010
State-Changed-Why: 
We have a custom framework that we use to build our applications. Please
use that instead of trying to build the thing
```


Before I get back to remko can anyone here enlighten me on what he is alluding to? I don't want to waste his time if I'm being stupid. Thanks.


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## SirDice (Dec 6, 2010)

Why do you need a terminfo database? What are you trying to do?


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## michaelrmgreen (Dec 6, 2010)

Well, I use FoxPro Unix, which requires it and tic (the terminfo compiler) to function. 

Actually, I've been using FoxPro Unix on FreeBSD for years. The configure utility stopped working in 7.2 as I recall, but I just borrowed the terminfo database and tic from a working 6.2 system. I can carry on doing things this way but it would be better to use the 'correct' versions.


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## dandelion (Dec 6, 2010)

devel/ncurses has terminfo(5) support


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## michaelrmgreen (Dec 6, 2010)

@dandelion - It does, BUT it creates one HUGE terminfo file, rather than the usual small files.


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## dandelion (Dec 6, 2010)

What small files are you talking about? I've just checked recent NetBSD installation and it only has terminfo (~1Mb) and terminfo.db (~2.8Mb). devel/ncurses uses WRKSRC/misc/terminfo.src (~1Mb) to build hashed database, not sure why plaintext version is not installed. Local .terminfo files go beside .db one under /usr/local/share/misc, don't forget to run tic(1) over them.


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## michaelrmgreen (Dec 7, 2010)

Compiling the 'old' ncurses (6.2 era and before) created many small files sorted by name into directories named 1, 2, 3 ....z. The file names were a representation of the target terminals, for instance wyse120-25.


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