[comp.sys.apollo] window sizes for VT100 emulators?

krowitz@RICHTER.MIT.EDU (David Krowitz) (05/20/88)

I regularly log into our Alliant from either a Sun or Apollo workstation
running a VT100 emulator in a window on the workstation. Of course, I use
"set term=vt100" to tell termcap that I have a VT100 compatible connection
to the Alliant, but my window size is rarely ever 80 columns by 24 lines.
Is there any way that the Alliant could query my "terminal" about its
screen size and then adjust the termcap entry for my pty? I seem to remember
that VT100s (the actual terminals) have an escape sequence which does return
the screen size, so I assume that the emulator has (or could have) this
capability.


 -- David Krowitz

krowitz@richter.mit.edu   (18.83.0.109)
krowitz%richter@eddie.mit.edu
krowitz%richter@athena.mit.edu
krowitz%richter.mit.edu@mitvma.bitnet
(in order of decreasing preference)

gwyn@BRL.ARPA (Doug Gwyn, VLD/VMB) (05/21/88)

The terminal handler maintains window size information.  You can set it
via /bin/stty rows 24 cols 80 (or whatever dimensions are in effect).
Any reasonable screen-handling program in a 4.3BSD environment will
take these values as overriding the ones in /etc/termcap.

sorensen@ANL-MCS.ARPA (Danny Sorensen) (05/21/88)

Will you guys please learn to use CAP R to reply .... 

paul@DELRIO.CC.UMICH.EDU ('da Kingfish) (05/25/88)

I will send out a shar file to this list that has the right stuff for
auto and dynamic resizing for the vt100 emulator on apollos (and
suns).  You source a file in your .login file, depending on your term
type, it autosizes the display, and sets the rows and cols in your
termcap.  When you resize your window, source the file again.  It's
high tech.

Ironically, because of the way /dev/tty works on pre-sr10 nodes, this
can't be run *on* apollos.  A couple changes will fix that, though.
(It is because of what stdout is when a command is run inside of ` `).

The shar file is less than 6K, so the list should be able to take it.
And, it's handy.

--paul

paul@DELRIO.CC.UMICH.EDU ('da Kingfish) (06/01/88)

Doug says (in part)
	Any reasonable screen-handling program in a 4.3BSD environment will
	take these values as overriding the ones in /etc/termcap.

This is exactly right, but I would stress the "reasonable" and
"4.3BSD".  I use tip (from apollo and a sun) to get to a lame-frame,
and telnet to other flavors of hosts, and find the style of sizing that
involves writing an escape sequence to the emulator and getting a reply
back with the screen size to be pretty handy.

I sent a small shar package to the apollo list that does this.  It is
also available via anonymous ftp to mailrus.cc.umich.edu (35.1.1.26) as
pub/winsize.tar.

--paul