Environment Variables

• TERMINFO

• COLUMNS

• LINES

TERMINFO Environment Variable

If you have an alternate Terminfo database containing terminal types that are not available in the system default database /usr/lib/terminfo, you can specify the TERMINFO environment variable to point to this alternate database. For example:

   export TERMINFO=/usr/lib/specialinfo

This path specifies the location of the alternate compiled TERMINFO database, whose structure consists of directory names 0 to 9 and a to z, each containing compiled terminal definition files for names beginning with the directory letter or number.

The alternate database specified by TERMINFO is examined before the system default database. If the terminal type specified by TERM cannot be found in either database, the default terminal type hp2392a is assumed.

COLUMNS Environment Variable

The COLUMNS environment variable is used to set the window width.

For example, to specify a window width smaller than your screen width in situations where your communications line is slow, set the COLUMNS environment variable to the number of vertical columns that you want between the left and right margins.

   export COLUMNS=number

The number of columns may be set to a number smaller than the screen size; however, if set larger than the screen or window width, the results are undefined. Currently, the largest screen width possible is 132 columns.

The value set using the COLUMNS environment variable takes precedence over the value normally used for the terminal.

LINES Environment Variable

The LINES environment variable is used to set the window height.

For example, to specify a window height smaller than your current screen height in situations where your communications line is slow, override the LINES environment variable by setting it to a smaller number of horizontal lines.

   export LINES=number

The number of lines may be set to a number smaller than the screen height; however, if set larger than the screen or window height, the results are undefined. Currently, the largest screen height possible is 128 lines.

The value set using the LINES environment variable takes precedence over the value normally used for the terminal.