Debian bug report logs - #797
/etc/termcap console keydefs for function keys

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From mdd.comm.mot.com!mitchell Sun Apr 16 14:51:09 1995
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Date: Sun, 16 Apr 1995 14:50:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bill Mitchell <mitchell@mdd.comm.mot.com>
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Subject: /etc/termcap console keydefs for function keys
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PACKAGE:  whichever one installs /etc/termcap
VERSION: 0.93R5

I was working with a program which expects F10 key input
today, and having problems.  I'm not a termcap jock, and
may be off base here, but here's what I glean from examining
the console entry in /etc/termcap, looking at the terminfo(5)
man page, and using "od -c" to look at what is seen from some
function-key keypresses:

1.  The /etc/termcap console entry maps "k0" to what
    my F10 key produces.

2.  The terminfo(5) manpage says that F10 is "k;", not "k0".

3.  The program I'm working with maps F10 to "k;"

4.  The terminfo(5) man page mentions function keys, ranging
    from F0 thru F63.

5.  My keyboard contains F1 thru F12.  Most (all?) PC-AT
    keyboards I've seen contain at least F1 thru F10.

6.  I think I've seen mention in some docs about Shift-F1
    being F11, Shift-F2 F12, etc.  That seems to take us
    From F1 through F20 with most (all?) standard PC-AT
    keyboards.

7.  The program I was working with worked OK if I added a
    "k;" definition which duplicated the existing "k0"
    definition to the /etc/termcap console entry.

That suggest to me the following:

1.  The /etc/termcap console entry might need to have a
    "k;" definition added.  Some programs (at least the
    one I was working with) seem to expect it.

2.  The /etc/termcap console entry might need to have
    further key definitions added for F11 thru at least
    F20.  (The terminfo(5) man page seems to say that
    "k1" is the F1 key, "k;" is the F10 key, "F1" (not
    "F10: -- perhaps "F1" vs. "k1" here denotes a shifted
    F1 key?), and so forth.

mitchell@mdd.comm.mot.com (Bill Mitchell)