1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
|
perlmenu.pm
Perl Menus
Version 4.0
February 17, 1997
Steven L. Kunz
Networked Applications
Iowa State University Computation Center
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
PerlMenu - Perl library module for curses-based menus & data-entry templates
Copyright (C) 1992-97 Iowa State University Computation Center Ames, Iowa (USA)
--------------------------------
A bit of history (and a warning)
--------------------------------
The PerlMenu package was written originally for Perl 4.36 (with the
"curseperl" extensions). When Perl5 came out PerlMenu was modified to
include some "compatibility tweeks" so it worked with William Setzer's
"Curses" extension, but was still distributed "Perl4-ready". The
PerlMenu module was named "menu.pl" (in Perl4 fashion).
Later versions of PerlMenu have been distributed to run on Perl5+Curses
"out-of-the-box". Beginning with PerlMenu version 4.0, the package is
distributed as a Perl5-style "perlmenu.pm" module. However, even this
latest version can still be converted to run under Perl4 (by generating
a Perl4-style "menu.pl" module). While I like to think that I can
continue to bring new features to everybody, there will be a day coming
when "menu.pl" is "iced" and new features only appear under the Perl5
version.
See that "Wall" over there. No, not the one named "Larry" - the other
one made of stone. It has writing on it ... ;-)
-------------------------------
Installation for use with Perl5
-------------------------------
*** You must have at least Perl 5.001 ***
1) You need to have William Setzer's "Curses" extension built into Perl5.
This package is available from any "CPAN" ("Comprehensive Perl Archive
Network") site. Point your WWW browser to:
http://www.perl.com/perl/CPAN/CPAN.html
and look for "Curses" in the "User Interfaces" section.
2) You may have to modify the first line of the demo scripts ("demo",
"demo_getstr", "demo_template", "demo_top", "demo_util", "ezview",
"ezreg", and "ezpasswd") to point to where your "Perl5" is installed.
They are distributed assuming "/usr/local/bin/perl5".
3) Beginning with PerlMenu version 4.0 the PerlMenu package is
distributed as a "perlmenu.pm" file. The demos are written to
"use perlmenu;" in Perl5 fashion. However, you may have "legacy"
applications which require the old-style "menu.pl" module (which you
have a "require" for in your code). Run the program "create_menu.pl"
which will create "menu.pl" from "perlmenu.pm". Your old Perl5
applications should work fine using this module.
Perl5 users should convert to use "perlmenu.pm" as soon as it is
convenient. In general this conversion is simply finding your 'require
"menu.pl";' statements and replacing them with 'use perlmenu.pm;'
statements. You might also want to check out the new features in this
release and tweek your code to use them.
4) If the "demo" script runs fine, skip this step. If not you probably
have "terminfo" or "termcap" information retrieval problems.
There are various ways different systems use to retrieve the escape
sequences in use for the current terminal for generic functions (like
"move the cursor up"). The two most common methods are "termcap"
support (where there is a "termcap" file which you retrieve values from
with a "getcap" subroutine call) and "terminfo" support (where there is
a "terminfo" file which you retrieve values from with a "tput"
command). Some systems (such as Solaris) may use "tigetstr" functions.
This package is distributed with the assumption you have the older
"termcap" support (and therefore have "getcap" incorporated into your
Perl5+Curses support). If the demo script fails to run "out of the
box" with the following (or similar) message:
Curses function 'getcap' is not defined by your vendor ...
or "seg faults" (DEC/OSF systems do this) you may have to
comment/uncomment small portions of "perlmenu.pm" to reflect the
terminal support on your system.
A small Perl script called "install_hints.pl" is included to assist you
in figuring out what to do at this point. Check the first line of
"install_hints.pl" to make sure it is pointing to your "Perl5+Curses"
location, then run it. It will try various things and (hopefully)
suggest a method that will work on your system. It will indicate one
(or more) "methods" that may work. Pick one and change things as
indicated in one of the following sections:
- Method 1 (getcap)
You have "getcap" (or are told you can probably simulate it). Since
the demo didn't work you probably have a "getcap" with bugs in it
(there are some out there). Edit "perlmenu.pm" and scan for "# PERL5
ONLY (GETCAP PROBLEMS)". You will find a section of commented code
below here that will simulate a correct "getcap" call (for Perl 5.001
and later). Locate and uncomment these statements so it looks like
THIS and try again:
# PERL5 ONLY (GETCAP PROBLEMS)
# Uncomment these statements if you DON'T have "getcap()" OR
# if the demo doesn't appear to work (there's a bug in some getcap's).
#
if ($] >= 5.001) {
package Perl5::Menu_PL::Compat; # Don't pollute menu.pl namespace
require Term::Cap; # Get Tgetent package
$term = Tgetent Term::Cap { OSPEED => 9600 }; # Define entry
sub perlmenu::getcap { $term->{"_" . shift()} }; # Define local subr
}
DO NOT comment out the code in "# Method 1 (getcap)" - since you are
simulating getcap you need the "# Method 1 (getcap)" code, also. It
should work now. Try the demo again.
- Method 2 (tput)
Edit the "perlmenu.pm" module and COMMENT OUT the statements in
the "# Method 1 (getcap)" block. Locate the "# Method 3 (tput)"
block of statements and UNCOMMENT those. Try the demo again.
- Method 3 (tigetstr)
Edit the "perlmenu.pm" module and COMMENT OUT the statements in
the "# Method 1 (getcap)" block. Locate the "# Method 4 (tigetstr)"
block of statements and UNCOMMENT those. Try the demo again.
For any of these methods make sure ONLY ONE of the "Method 1", "Method
2", or "Method 3" sections is "live" (i.e not commented out). In
addition, if you simulated getcap (under the "Method 1" section above)
then "Method 1 (getcap)" must also NOT BE COMMENTED. As distributed,
the first section (assuming you have "getcap") is live.
A special note for HP-UX 9.05 users. If you are uncommenting the
"tput" code, pay attention to the comment about "HP-UX 9.05 users" in
the "Method 3 (tput)" area.
If you don't have "tput", "tigetstr" or "getcap", you will have to
hard-code the values needed (bad, because they are terminal specific)
or find out how your system retrieves termcap or terminfo capabilities
(and how you get that info via Perl). The general idea is to assign
the proper string values to $ku, $kd, $kr, $kl, $cr, and $nl to
indicate the "escape sequences" needed to perform the generic function.
If you come up with a technique you think will benefit others be sure
and send me email and I'll try to include it in a future release (email
to "skunz@iastate.edu").
Note that if you have created a "menu.pl" module (with the
"create_menu.pl" program in Step 3) you will have to make similar
changes in the "menu.pl" source, too.
5) Put "perlmenu.pm" (and "menu.pl" if required) with the rest of your Perl
packages (usually in something like "/usr/local/lib/perl5" or
"/usr/local/lib/perl"). The demo programs will work by just leaving a
copy of the modules in the same directory as the demo scripts.
6) Note that if you move the demo programs into a public area (and out of
the distribution library), you should change the "use" and "require"
statements as appropriate so they find the PerlMenu modules.
-------------------------------
Installation for use with Perl4
-------------------------------
1) If you don't have curseperl working and installed somewhere, go into
your Perl 4.36 distribution (in the "usub" directory) and construct it
following the instructions there.
Install your "curseperl" in the same location as your normal "perl"
binary.
2) Run the Perl program "create_menu.pl" (distributed with PerlMenus).
This will convert the Perl5-style module "perlmenu.pm" to the
Perl4-style module "menu.pl". You 'require "menu.pl";' under
Perl4/curseperl (instead of the 'use perlmenu;' that you do under
Perl5).
Save the "perlmenu.pm" module for whenever you convert to Perl5.
3) You will have to modify the first line of the demo scripts ("demo",
"demo_getstr", "demo_template", "demo_top", "demo_util", "ezview",
"ezreg", and "ezpasswd") to point to where your "curseperl" is
installed. They are distributed "Perl5-ready" (assuming your are using
"/usr/local/bin/perl5" and have the Curses extension installed).
You will also need to comment out the lines at the beginning of each
demo script which set the "$Curses::OldCurses = 1;" flag and "use" the
"Curses" and "perlmenu" packages (which you don't have on Perl4). You
should un-comment the "require" statements for "menu.pl" and
"menuutil.pl". Read the comments in the demos - they tell you what to
do.
4) If the "demo" script runs fine, skip this step. If not you probably
have "terminfo" or "termcap" information retrieval problems.
There are various ways different systems use to retrieve the escape
sequences in use for the current terminal for generic functions (like
"move the cursor up"). The two most common methods are "termcap"
support (where there is a "termcap" file which you retrieve values from
with a "getcap" subroutine call) and "terminfo" support (where there is
a "terminfo" file which you retrieve values from with a "tput"
command). Some systems (such as Solaris) may use "tigetstr" functions.
This package is distributed with the assumption you have the older
"termcap" support (and therefore have "getcap" incorporated into your
Perl4/curseperl support). If the demo script fails with the following
(or similar) message:
Undefined subroutine "main'getcap" called at <PerlMenu> line ...
or "seg faults" (DEC/OSF systems do this) you may have to
comment/uncomment small portions of "menu.pl" to reflect the terminal
support on your system. Proceed as follows.
- You may be able to simulate "getcap". Edit "menu.pl" and scan for
"# PERL4 ONLY (GETCAP PROBLEMS)". You will find a section of
commented code below here that will simulate a correct "getcap" call
(for Perl4). Locate and uncomment these statements so it looks like
THIS and try again:
# PERL4 ONLY (GETCAP PROBLEMS)
# Uncomment these statements if you DON'T have "getcap()" OR
# if the demo doesn't appear to work (there's a bug in some getcap's).
#
if (($] >= 4.0) && ($] < 5.0)) { # Perl4 ONLY!
package simgetcap; # Don't pollute menu.pl namespace
$ispeed = $ospeed = 13; # Set old-style "9600";
require "termcap.pl"; # Get Tgetent package
&Tgetent($ENV{'TERM'}); # Load $TC array
sub main'simgetcap { $TC{shift}; }; # Define local subroutine
}
DO NOT comment out the code in "# Method 1 (getcap)" - since you are
simulating getcap you need the "# Method 1 (getcap)" code, also.
However, you will need to change the code at "# Method 1 (getcap)"
to look like the following (since the simulated "getcap" is not called
"getcap" but "simgetcap"):
# Method 1 (getcap)
# Uncomment if you have "getcap"
$ku = &main'simgetcap('ku'); # Cursor-up
$kd = &main'simgetcap('kd'); # Cursor-down
$kr = &main'simgetcap('kr'); # Cursor-right
$kl = &main'simgetcap('kl'); # Cursor-left
$cr = &main'simgetcap('cr'); # Carriage-return
$nl = &main'simgetcap('nl'); # New-line
It should work now. Try the demo again.
- It simulating "getcap" doesn't work, try the following command at a
command prompt on your system:
tput kcuu1
If the command is valid, you have "terminfo" (instead of "termcap")
terminal control. If you don't have a "tput" command, your system
may use "tigetstr" instead.
The best way to proceed is to edit the "menu.pl" file, find the
"menu_init" subroutine, and look for three blocks of code, each
starting with the following comments:
# Method 1 (getcap)
# Uncomment if you have "getcap"
[...]
# Method 2 (tigetstr)
# Uncomment if you have tigetstr (Solaris) instead of "getcap"
[...]
# Method 3 (tput)
# Uncomment if you have terminfo (and tput) instead of "getcap"
[...]
Make sure ONLY ONE of these sections is "live" (i.e not commented
out) and try each, one at a time. As distributed, the first section
(assuming you have "getcap") is live. Hopefully one of the others
will work. Since you probably already tried the "getcap" and
"simulated getcap" methods, you need to commend out the code in the
"Method 1 (getcap)" area and try the other two (one at a time).
A special note for HP-UX 9.05 users. If you are uncommenting the
"tput" code, pay attention to the comment about "HP-UX 9.05 users" in
the "Method 3 (tput)" area.
- If you don't have "tput", "tigetstr" or "getcap", you will have to
hard-code the values needed (bad, because they are terminal specific)
or find out how your system retrieves termcap or terminfo
capabilities (and how you get that info via Perl). The general
idea is to assign the proper string values to $ku, $kd, $kr, $kl,
$cr, and $nl to indicate the "escape sequences" needed to perform
the generic function. If you come up with a technique you think
will benefit others be sure and send me email and I'll try to include
it in a future release (email to "skunz@iastate.edu").
5) Put "menu.pl" with the rest of your Perl packages (usually in something
like "/usr/local/lib/perl"). The demo programs will work by just
leaving a copy of the modules in the same directory as the demo
scripts.
6) Note that if you move the demo programs into a public area (and out of
the distribution library), you should change the "require" statements
as appropriate so they find the PerlMenu modules.
---
Steven L. Kunz
Networked Applications
Iowa State University Computation Center, Iowa State University, Ames IA
INET: skunz@iastate.edu
|
