terminal emulator types

BW-userx · 09-20-2017, 10:06 AM

when setting the terminal emulator inside of a terminal emulator. What I have found is that everyone(?) is getting set to xterm. What are the other ones? Is their other terminal emulator types one can set the terminal emulator to?

I ask because of a (switch) case statement within .bashrc that one can use to change prompts depending on the terminal emulator type.

Code:

	case $TERM in
	
	terminology)
		export PS1="\[\e[34m\]\u\[\e[m\]@\[\e[32m\]\H\[\e[m\]\[\e[35m\]\w\[\e[m\]\\$ "
		;;
	tinyterm)
	    export PS1="\[\e[34m\]\u\[\e[m\]@\V\\$ "
	    ;;	      
	xterm)
	    export PS1="\u@\h\w > "
	      ;;
       	*)
		export PS1="\[\e[34m\]\u\[\e[m\]@\V\\$ "
		;;
	esac

which doesn't do any good if the terminal emulator type is set to xterm. If I comment out the xterm case it will just go to default for whatever terminal I setup within this case statement.

What would be the way to remedy this?

pan64 · 09-20-2017, 10:16 AM

terminals have different capabilities (https://www.emtec.com/zoc/terminal-emulator.html). You ought to google first:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...inal_emulators
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...inal_emulators
https://kb.iu.edu/d/acpy
https://unix.stackexchange.com/quest...ype-am-i-using

DavidMcCann · 09-20-2017, 11:31 AM

The expression "terminal emulator" is actually ambiguous. We generally use it to mean a program to give you a CLI from within a GUI (xterm being the X-window default), but it can also mean a program to emulate a mainframe terminal (like the Dec VT series, the nearest modern equivalent being a thin client). Linux programs are multifunctional, which is why SSH works from the terminal emulator.

BW-userx · 09-20-2017, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan64

terminals have different capabilities (https://www.emtec.com/zoc/terminal-emulator.html). You ought to google first:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...inal_emulators
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...inal_emulators
https://kb.iu.edu/d/acpy
https://unix.stackexchange.com/quest...ype-am-i-using

I did I tried terminal eliminators linux and got the top listings for same. so I came here.

BW-userx · 09-20-2017, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMcCann

The expression "terminal emulator" is actually ambiguous. We generally use it to mean a program to give you a CLI from within a GUI (xterm being the X-window default), but it can also mean a program to emulate a mainframe terminal (like the Dec VT series, the nearest modern equivalent being a thin client). Linux programs are multifunctional, which is why SSH works from the terminal emulator.

yeah I could not think of any key words, I do suppose I could have just posted what are good key words .. instead. thanks

ondoho · 09-20-2017, 12:51 PM

it starts with the terminal emulator\s documentation. read it.
you can test 'echo $TERM' see what you get. maybe it can be influenced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by man urxvt

-tn termname
This option specifies the name of the terminal type to be set in the TERM environment
variable. This terminal type must exist in the termcap(5) database and should have li#
and co# entries; resource termName.

jefro · 09-20-2017, 02:41 PM

never mind.

BW-userx · 09-20-2017, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

it starts with the terminal emulator\s documentation. read it.
you can test 'echo $TERM' see what you get. maybe it can be influenced.

I did that 'echo $TERM' with the ones I use I get xterm , but i remember getting that case (switch) to work many many days months well a very long time ago with it written like it is, just checking for the terminal 'name', but memory fails me as to why it worked then.

!!! · 09-21-2017, 02:38 AM

Might something (like /etc or ~/.bashrc, .profile, ...) be setting your $TERM to xterm?
(hunt=grep in them for xterm) p.s. interesting list, fwiw

Just to confirm/clarify:
When you 'manually' run various terminal apps, does echo $TERM always report xterm?

pan64 · 09-21-2017, 03:59 AM

Quote:

when setting the terminal emulator inside of a terminal emulator.

In general you need not set TERM by hand, but when you start a terminal emulator program it will set it automatically (for you).

BW-userx · 09-21-2017, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !!!

Might something (like /etc or ~/.bashrc, .profile, ...) be setting your $TERM to xterm?
(hunt=grep in them for xterm) p.s. interesting list, fwiw

Just to confirm/clarify:
When you 'manually' run various terminal apps, does echo $TERM always report xterm?

terminal apps or terminal elums? my terminal elums all came back with xterm, but for some strange reason I distinctly remember being able to do this little change prompt for each term using a switch like I posted. Because the terminals do have a (something type, I forget the term) "class" (?) name attached to them also.

except this one terminal I just installed (the other day prior to posting this) called vinterm when I 'echo $TERM' it returns its name, vinterm. so maybe someone got that right?

Because it is the only one working with this switch to change the prompt using the terminal name to identify it.
in its own code,

Code:

./terminal/pty.h:15:    PTY(Options const& options, const string terminal="vinterm");

that maybe why it is using its own name. that is the only place I can see in all of its code that it is actually identifying itself. grep -rwn 'path' -e 'string'
though I do beleive the the use of TERM has its reasons -- xterm being like the pace setter for terminals.