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

# toe(1)

list table of entries of terminfo terminal types

## NAME

**toe** - list table of entries of *terminfo* terminal types

## SYNOPSIS

**toe** \[**-ahs**\] \[**-v**  \[*n*\]\] \[*directory* ...\]

**toe** \[**-u**\|**-U**\] *file*

**toe -V**

## DESCRIPTION

**toe** reports to the standard output stream the (primary) names and descriptions of the terminal types available to the *terminfo* library. Each *directory* is scanned; if none are given, **toe** scans the default *terminfo* directory.

## OPTIONS

The **-h** option can be helpful to observe where **toe** is looking for terminal descriptions. Other options support maintainers of *terminfo* terminal descriptions.

- **-a**

  lists entries from all terminal database directories that *terminfo* would search, instead of only the first that it finds.

-

  If **-s** is also given, **toe** additionally reports, like *conflict*(1), which entries correspond to a given terminal database. An “\*” marks entries that differ, and “+” marks equivalent entries.

-

  Without the **-s** option, **toe** does not attempt to merge duplicates in its report.

- **-h**

  writes a heading naming each directory as it is accessed.

- **-s**

  sorts the output by the entry names.

- **-u** *file*

  lists terminal type dependencies in *file*, a *terminfo* entry source or *termcap* database file. The report summarizes the “**use**” (*terminfo*) and **tc** (*termcap*) relations: each line comprises the primary name of a terminal type employing **use**/**tc** capabilities, a colon, a space- and tab-separated list of primary names of terminal types thus named, and a newline.

- **-U** *file*

  lists terminal type reverse dependencies in *file*, a *terminfo* entry source or *termcap* database file. The report summarizes the “**use**” (*terminfo*) and **tc** (*termcap*) reverse relations: each line comprises the primary name of a terminal type occurring in **use**/**tc** capabilities, a colon, a space- and tab-separated list of primary names of terminal types naming them thus, and a newline.

- **-v** \[

  *n*\] reports verbose status information to the standard error stream, showing **toe**'s progress.

-

  The optional parameter *n* is an integer between 1 and 10 inclusive, interpreted as for [**tic**(1)](/tic/1.md). If *ncurses* is built without tracing support, *n* is ignored.

- **-V**

  reports the version of *ncurses* associated with this program and exits with a successful status.

## FILES

- */etc/terminfo*

  compiled terminal description database

## PORTABILITY

**toe** is not provided by other implementations. There is no applicable X/Open or POSIX standard for it.

## HISTORY

**toe** replaces a **-T** option that was briefly supported by the *ncurses* **infocmp** utility in 1995.

The **-a** and **-s** options were added in 2006 and 2011, respectively.

The program's name originates with a developer's pun:

- •

  **tic**,

- •

  **tac** (now **tack**),

- •

  **toe**.

## EXAMPLES

When not sorting with the **-s** option, the **-a** option reports all of the names found in all of the terminal database directories named in the *TERMINFO* and *TERMINFO\_DIRS* environment variables.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| xterm-color | generic color xterm |
| xterm-xfree86 | xterm terminal emulator (XFree86) |
| xterm-vt220 | xterm emulating vt220 |
| xterm-256color | xterm with 256 colors |
| xterm-r6 | xterm X11R6 version |
| xterm-r5 | xterm R5 version |
| xterm-mono | monochrome xterm |
| xterm | xterm terminal emulator (X Window System) |
| vt220 | dec vt220 |
| vt102 | dec vt102 |
| vt100 | dec vt100 (w/advanced video) |
| vt52 | dec vt52 |
| ... |

Use the **-a** and **-s** options together to show where each terminal description was found.

| |
| --- |
| --\> /etc/terminfo |
| ----\> /lib/terminfo |
| ------\> /usr/share/terminfo |

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| --\*---: | vt100 | dec vt100 (w/advanced video) |
| --\*---: | vt102 | dec vt102 |
| --\*---: | vt220 | dec vt220 |
| --\*---: | vt52 | dec vt52 |
| --\*---: | xterm | xterm terminal emulator (X Window System) |
| --\*---: | xterm-256color | xterm with 256 colors |
| --\*---: | xterm-color | generic color xterm |
| --\*---: | xterm-mono | monochrome xterm |
| --\*---: | xterm-r5 | xterm R5 version |
| --\*---: | xterm-r6 | xterm X11R6 version |
| --\*---: | xterm-vt220 | xterm emulating vt220 |
| --\*---: | xterm-xfree86 | xterm terminal emulator (XFree86) |
| ... |

## SEE ALSO

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