The command tic translates a terminfo file from the source format into the compiled format. The results are placed in the directory /usr/share/lib/terminfo. The compiled format is necessary for use with the library routines in curses(3CURSES).

If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, the compiled results are placed there instead of /usr/share/lib/terminfo.

Total compiled entries cannot exceed 4096 bytes. The name field cannot exceed 128 bytes. Terminal names exceeding 14 characters will be truncated to 14 characters and a warning message will be printed.

The following options are supported:

-c

Specifies to check only file for errors. Errors in use= links are not detected.

-v[n]

Specify that (verbose) output be written to standard error trace information showing tic's progress. The optional integer n is a number from 1 to 10, indicating the desired level of detail of information. If n is omitted, the default level is 1. If n is specified and greater than 1, the level of detail is increased.

file

Contains one or more terminfo terminal descriptions in source format [see terminfo(4)]. Each description in the file describes the capabilities of a particular terminal. When a use=entry-name field is discovered in a terminal entry currently being compiled, tic reads in the binary from /usr/share/lib/terminfo to complete the entry. (Entries created from file will be used first. If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, that directory is searched instead of /usr/share/lib/terminfo.) tic duplicates the capabilities in entry-name for the current entry, with the exception of those capabilities that are explicitly defined in the current entry.

/usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/*

Compiled terminal description database

See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

captoinfo(1M), infocmp(1M), curses(3CURSES), terminfo(4), attributes(5)

When an entry, for example, entry_name_1, contains a use=entry_name_2 field, any canceled capabilities in entry_name_2 must also appear in entry_name_1 before use= for these capabilities to be canceled in entry_name_1.