[comp.windows.x] xterm and TERMCAP

barmar@think.COM (Barry Margolin) (01/05/89)

Using X11R3 on SunOS 3.5, I start up an xterm.  If I give xterm no
arguments, the "li" and "co" fields in the TERMCAP environment
variable are set correctly for the window size.  However, if I use
"xterm -e commandline", the TERMCAP variable is set up for a 24x80
window, no matter what size I actually use.  Since the command I
frequently use is "rn" (we don't seem to have "xrn"), this screws up
the paging.

Barry Margolin
Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com
{uunet,harvard}!think!barmar

jim@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (Jim Fulton) (01/05/89)

>                                                If I give xterm no
> arguments, the "li" and "co" fields in the TERMCAP environment
> variable are set correctly for the window size.

The problem is that the process that eventually becomes the shell or -e command
has already been forked by the time your window manager gets around to
(re)sizing the window.  There are a couple of possible workarounds that may or
may be palatable:

     o  Initialize the geometry resource to contain the desired size (either
	through your resources or the -geometry command line switch) and use
	a window manager that will allow you to have that size.

     o  Teach rn to understand SIGWINCH on operating systems supports it.

     o  Yuck: add an option to xterm to have it wait until its main window is 
	mapped the first time before forking the application.  This shouldn't
	be the default since it will slow down the normal case and will cause
	strange behavior when used with window managers that don't map the 
	window right away (e.g. put it into a "holding bin", etc.).


Jim Fulton
MIT X Consortium

rgr@m10ux.UUCP (Duke Robillard) (01/24/89)

I recently put X11 r3 up on our Suns, and I seem to be
having an xterm/TERMCAP problem.  Some people here still
use vi (gasp!) and it seems that the 'o' in vi (which
means 'open a line' like ^o in emacs) isn't displaying
correctly.  As far as vi knows, the line is opened (i.e.
a new-line is inserted) but the stuff on the screen 
doesn't scroll down.  Are there any xterm or termcap
guru's out there who know what I've done wrong?

Thanks.

Bob Robillard
{anywhere!}att!m10ux!rgr
rgr@m10ux.att.com
-- 
|  Duke Robillard                                                        |
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