---
name: "captoinfo"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "ncurses-bin"
version: "6.5+20250216-2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/captoinfo"
---

# captoinfo(1)

convert a termcap description into a terminfo description

## NAME

**captoinfo** - convert a *termcap* description into a *terminfo* description

## SYNOPSIS

**captoinfo** \[*tic-option*\] \[*file* ...\]

**captoinfo -V**

## DESCRIPTION

**captoinfo** translates terminal descriptions. It looks in each given text *file* for *termcap* entries and, for each one found, writes an equivalent *terminfo* description to the standard output stream. *termcap* **tc** capabilities translate to *terminfo* “**use**” capabilities.

If no *file*s are specified, **captoinfo** interprets the content of the environment variable *TERMCAP* as a file name, and extracts only the entry for the terminal named in the environment variable *TERM* from it. If the environment variable *TERMCAP* is not set, **captoinfo** reads */etc/termcap*.

This utility is implemented as a link to [**tic**(1)](/tic/1.md), with the latter's **-I** option implied. You can use other **tic** options such as **-1**, **-f**, **-v**, **-w**, and **-x**. The **-V** option reports the version of *ncurses* associated with this program and exits with a successful status.

### Translations from Nonstandard Capabilities

**captoinfo** translates some obsolete, nonstandard capabilities into standard *terminfo* capabilities. It issues a diagnostic to the standard error stream for each, inviting the user to check that it has not mistakenly translated an unknown or mistyped capability name.

| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *****termcap*** Code** |
| **Obsolete** | **Standard** | **Origin** | *****terminfo*** capability** |
| **BO** | **mr** | AT&T | **enter\_reverse\_mode** |
| **CI** | **vi** | AT&T | **cursor\_invisible** |
| **CV** | **ve** | AT&T | **cursor\_normal** |
| **DS** | **mh** | AT&T | **enter\_dim\_mode** |
| **EE** | **me** | AT&T | **exit\_attribute\_mode** |
| **FE** | **LF** | AT&T | **label\_on** |
| **FL** | **LO** | AT&T | **label\_off** |
| **XS** | **mk** | AT&T | **enter\_secure\_mode** |
| **EN** | **@7** | XENIX | **key\_end** |
| **GE** | **ae** | XENIX | **exit\_alt\_charset\_mode** |
| **GS** | **as** | XENIX | **enter\_alt\_charset\_mode** |
| **HM** | **kh** | XENIX | **key\_home** |
| **LD** | **kL** | XENIX | **key\_dl** |
| **PD** | **kN** | XENIX | **key\_npage** |
| **PN** | **po** | XENIX | **prtr\_off** |
| **PS** | **pf** | XENIX | **prtr\_on** |
| **PU** | **kP** | XENIX | **key\_ppage** |
| **RT** | **@8** | XENIX | **kent** |
| **UP** | **ku** | XENIX | **kcuu1** |
| **KA** | **k;** | Tektronix | **key\_f10** |
| **KB** | **F1** | Tektronix | **key\_f11** |
| **KC** | **F2** | Tektronix | **key\_f12** |
| **KD** | **F3** | Tektronix | **key\_f13** |
| **KE** | **F4** | Tektronix | **key\_f14** |
| **KF** | **F5** | Tektronix | **key\_f15** |
| **BC** | **Sb** | Tektronix | **set\_background** |
| **FC** | **Sf** | Tektronix | **set\_foreground** |
| **HS** | **mh** | IRIX | **enter\_dim\_mode** |

XENIX *termcap* had a set of extension capabilities, corresponding to box drawing characters of CCSID (“code page”) 437, as follows.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| *****termcap*** Code** | **Graphic** |
| **G2** | upper left corner |
| **G3** | lower left corner |
| **G1** | upper right corner |
| **G4** | lower right corner |
| **GR** | tee pointing right |
| **GL** | tee pointing left |
| **GU** | tee pointing up |
| **GD** | tee pointing down |
| **GH** | horizontal line |
| **GV** | vertical line |
| **GC** | intersection |
| **G6** | double upper left corner |
| **G7** | double lower left corner |
| **G5** | double upper right corner |
| **G8** | double lower right corner |
| **Gr** | double tee pointing right |
| **Gr** | double tee pointing left |
| **Gu** | double tee pointing up |
| **Gd** | double tee pointing down |
| **Gh** | double horizontal line |
| **Gv** | double vertical line |
| **Gc** | double intersection |
| **GG** | ACS magic cookie count |

**captoinfo** composes single-line capabilities into an **acsc** string, and discards **GG** and double-line capabilities with a warning diagnostic.

IBM's AIX has a *terminfo* facility descended from SVr1 *terminfo*, but which is incompatible with the SVr4 format. **captoinfo** translates the following AIX extensions.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| **IBM** | **X/Open** |
| ksel | kslt |
| kbtab | kcbt |
| font0 | s0ds |
| font1 | s1ds |
| font2 | s2ds |
| font3 | s3ds |

Additionally, this program translates the AIX **box1** capability to an **acsc** string.

The HP-UX *terminfo* library supports two nonstandard *terminfo* capabilities, **meml** (memory lock) and **memu** (memory unlock). **captoinfo** discards these with a warning message.

## FILES

- */etc/termcap*

  default *termcap* terminal capability database

## PORTABILITY

X/Open Curses Issue 7 (2009) describes **tic** briefly, but omits this program.

SVr4 systems provide **captoinfo** as a separate application from **tic**. Its **-v** option does not accept a trace level argument *n*; repeat **-v** *n* times instead.

NetBSD does not provide this application.

## AUTHORS

Eric S. Raymond \<esr@snark.thyrsus.com\> and\
 Thomas E. Dickey \<dickey@invisible-island.net\>

## SEE ALSO

[**infocmp**(1)](/infocmp/1.md), [**tic**(1)](/tic/1.md), **ncurses**(3NCURSES), [**terminfo**(5)](/terminfo/5.md)