Several different configurations are possible, depending on the
configure script options used when building ncurses. There are a
few main options whose effects are visible to the applications
developer using ncurses:
--disable-overwrite
The standard include for ncurses is as noted in SYNOPSIS:
#include <curses.h>
This option is used to avoid filename conflicts when ncurses
is not the main implementation of curses of the computer.
If ncurses is installed disabling overwrite, it puts its
headers in a subdirectory, e.g.,
#include <ncurses/curses.h>
It also omits a symbolic link which would allow you to use
-lcurses to build executables.
--enable-widec
The configure script renames the library and (if the
--disable-overwrite option is used) puts the header files in
a different subdirectory. All of the library names have a
'w' appended to them, i.e., instead of
-lncurses
you link with
-lncursesw
You must also enable the wide-character features in the
header file when compiling for the wide-character library to
use the extended (wide-character) functions. The symbol
which enables these features has changed since XSI Curses,
Issue 4:
• Originally, the wide-character feature required the
symbol _XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED but that was only valid
for XPG4 (1996).
• Later, that was deemed conflicting with _XOPEN_SOURCE
defined to 500.
• As of mid-2018, none of the features in this
implementation require a _XOPEN_SOURCE feature greater
than 600. However, X/Open Curses, Issue 7 (2009)
recommends defining it to 700.
• Alternatively, you can enable the feature by defining
NCURSES_WIDECHAR with the caveat that some other header
file than curses.h may require a specific value for
_XOPEN_SOURCE (or a system-specific symbol).
The curses.h file which is installed for the wide-character
library is designed to be compatible with the normal
library's header. Only the size of the WINDOW structure
differs, and very few applications require more than a
pointer to WINDOWs.
If the headers are installed allowing overwrite, the wide-
character library's headers should be installed last, to
allow applications to be built using either library from the
same set of headers.
--with-pthread
The configure script renames the library. All of the
library names have a 't' appended to them (before any 'w'
added by --enable-widec).
The global variables such as LINES are replaced by macros to
allow read-only access. At the same time, setter-functions
are provided to set these values. Some applications (very
few) may require changes to work with this convention.
--with-shared
--with-normal
--with-debug
--with-profile
The shared and normal (static) library names differ by their
suffixes, e.g., libncurses.so and libncurses.a. The debug
and profiling libraries add a '_g' and a '_p' to the root
names respectively, e.g., libncurses_g.a and libncurses_p.a.
--with-termlib
Low-level functions which do not depend upon whether the
library supports wide-characters, are provided in the tinfo
library.
By doing this, it is possible to share the tinfo library
between wide/normal configurations as well as reduce the
size of the library when only low-level functions are
needed.
Those functions are described in these pages:
• curs_extend(3X) - miscellaneous curses extensions
• curs_inopts(3X) - curses input options
• curs_kernel(3X) - low-level curses routines
• curs_termattrs(3X) - curses environment query routines
• curs_termcap(3X) - curses emulation of termcap
• curs_terminfo(3X) - curses interfaces to terminfo
database
• curs_util(3X) - miscellaneous curses utility routines
--with-trace
The trace function normally resides in the debug library,
but it is sometimes useful to configure this in the shared
library. Configure scripts should check for the function's
existence rather than assuming it is always in the debug
library.
