Using C with Curses, Lex and YACC

This book presents the development of programs that make extensive use of curses and provides solutions to the typical problems encountered when implementing full-screen applications with curses.

The book illustrates how to work in the Unix C environment:

• how to build command language with the compiler generators lex and yacc
• how to make portable full-screen dialogs with the curses library
• how to build symbol tables and manage variable-length argument lists using C library functions
• how to manage program development with the make program
• how to manage multiple process from a program and how to communicate with them

Throughout the book the full source code of a major example is shown.

1. The Window Shell: wish
1. Overview
2. Desk Calculator
3. Interactive curses
4. View Management
5. Viewing Text
6. Editor
7. Dialog with a Command
2. A Desk Calculator: scan, scanl and calc
1. Design
2. Lexical Analysis: scan.l
3. Syntax Analysis: calc.y
4. Variables: sym.c
5. Environment Variables: export
6. Macros
7. Functions
8. Conclusion
3. Introduction to curses: cdc
1. Getting Acquainted
2. Output
3. Input
4. Windows
5. Boxes and Subwindows
6. Scrolling
7. A curses Desk Calculator: cdc
4. A View Manager: vm.c
1. Design
2. A View Calculator
3. A View Manager: vm.c
4. Excursion to the Shell
5. Changing Windows
6. A Variable Parameters List
7. Key Mapping: mvwgetkey(), loadmap(), and keymap()
8. Conclusion
5. A Viewer: file.c
1. Architecture
2. Viewing Files
3. Viewing Another Process
4. Help
5. Information Functions
6. Conclusion
6. An Editor: edit.c
1. Windows and Pads
2. Editing with a Pad
3. Loading a File
4. Saving a Window
5. Conclusion
7. Dialog with a Command: talk.c
1. Connection Architecture
2. Impatient Input: winput()
3. Talking to Another Process
4. Killing a Zombie

• Appendix
1. Commands
2. Functions
3. Capsules

This is an excellent work of art. Nearly nobody uses the techniques of curses nowadays, but the general ideas are still valid.