NAME

bsddialog — TUI dialogs

SYNOPSIS

bsddialog --help

bsddialog --version

bsddialog [--option] --dialog text rows cols [dialog-argument]

bsddialog --dialog1 ... [--and-dialog --dialog2 ...] ...

DESCRIPTION

The bsddialog utility builds Text User Interface dialogs and widgets: to display messages, to get input and to inform about a computation status.

The options --help and --version print the list of options and the version, respectively, then exit. --and-dialog builds another dialog unless the previous one returns Error, ESC or Cancel.

text is a message printed inside the dialog. rows and cols are the height and width, 0 for autosize and -1 for fullscreen.

The possible input got from the user interface is printed to standard error.

Options

The following options can change the default behavior of the utility and are common to some dialog.

--alternate-screen

If available set alternate screen mode, see terminfo(5).

--ascii-lines

Ascii characters to draw lines.

--backtitle backtitle

Title on the top side of the screen.

--begin-x x

Dialog horizontal position, 0 is the left screen side, -1 center.

--begin-y y

Dialog vertical position, 0 is the top screen side, -1 center.

--bikeshed

Random settings. Colors. Delimiter and margins around the title. Buttons always active or TAB to switch focus with input components, see --switch-buttons. Zero padding with time or date output.

--cancel-label label

Label for the “Cancel” button.

--clear-dialog

Hide the dialog at exit.

--clear-screen

Clear the screen, after the dialog exit if a dialog is built.

--colors

Enable highlights for text, the following sequences are considered escapes:

“\Z0” black.

“\Z1” red.

“\Z2” green.

“\Z3” yellow.

“\Z4” blue.

“\Z5” magenta.

“\Z6” cyan.

“\Z7” white.

“\Zr” reverse foreground and background.

“\ZR” disable reverse.

“\Zb” bold.

“\ZB” disable bold.

“\Zu” underline.

“\ZU” disable underline.

“\Zn” restore normal text.

--columns-per-row columns

Try to set the number of columns for a row of text with autosizing; default 10.

--cr-wrap

Keep new line in text also if it constains a “\n”, see --text-unchanged.

--date-format format

String accepted by strftime(3) to customize the output of --datebox and --calendar

--default-button label

Focus on the button with label on startup.

--default-item name

Focus on the item with name, for Checklist, Menu, Radiolist and Treeview.

--default-no

Focus on “Cancel” or “No” button on startup.

--disable-esc

Disable ESC key to quit.

--esc-return-cancel

ESC key returns “Cancel” button value.

--extra-button

Add a button with “Extra” label.

--extra-label label

Set label for the “Extra” button.

--generic-button1 label

Add a button with label.

--generic-button2 label

Add a button with label.

--help-button

Add a button with “Help” label.

--help-label label

Set label for “Help” button.

--help-print-name

Print the name of the focused item if the Help button is pressed also with --item-bottom-desc.

--help-status

Print also the selected items if the “Help” button is pressed.

--hfile filename

Open filename in a Textbox if F1 key is pressed,

--hline string

Dialog subtitle.

--hmsg string

Open a Msgbox with string if the F1 key is pressed.

--ignore

Do not exit with unknown options.

--insecure

Print ‘*’ to hide passwords while typing; whitespace otherwise.

--item-bottom-desc

Set a help string for each item of a Checklist, Form, Menu, Mixedform, Passwordform, Radiolist and Treeview to display at the bottom screen side.

--item-depth

Specify a margin for items, available for Checklist, Menu and Radiolist.

--item-prefix

Set a string to prefix each item of a Checklist, Menu, Radiolist or Treeview.

--load-theme file

Load theme from file.

--max-input size

Maximum length of the input for --inputbox ans --passwordbox, default 2048.

--no-cancel

Do not show “Cancel” button.

--no-descriptions

Do not display items desciption, for Checklist, Menu, Radiolist or Treeview.

--no-lines

Do not draw borders and lines.

--no-names

Do not display items name, for Checklist, Menu and Radiolist.

--no-ok

Do not draw “OK” button.

--no-shadow

No not draw the shadow of the dialog.

--ok-label label

Set label for “OK” button.

--normal-screen

If available set normal screen mode, see terminfo(5).

--output-fd fd

Print input from user interface to the specified file descriptor.

--output-separator sep

Set a sepator for the items in output, default whitespace.

--print-maxsize

Screen size. This option can be used without a dialog.

--print-size

Print Dialog height and widget at exit.

--print-version

Print version. This option can be used without a dialog.

--quoted

Quote items in output, default only when necessary.

--save-theme file

Save the current theme. This option can be used without a dialog.

--separate-output

Separate selected items with a new line and avoid to quote.

--shadow

Show a pseudo shadow for the dialog, enabled by default.

--single-quoted

Use single quote for items in output.

--sleep secs

Wait secs seconds to close the dialog.

--stderr

Print input from user interface to standand error, default.

--stdout

Print input from user interface to standard output.

--switch-buttons

enables focus switching between buttons and input components pressing TAB, otherwise buttons are always active and ENTER key closes the dialog. Suitable for: --form, --inputbox, --mixedform, --passwordbox, --passwordform, --timebox, --calendar and --datebox.

--tab-escape

Replace “\t” with a tab in text.

--tab-len spaces

Number of spaces to print a TAB in text.

--text-unchanged

By default the text is changed before to be printed. If it contains at least a “\n” each new line and TAB is converted to a space, subsequent spaces are merged. Otherwise new line characters are preserved and a TAB becomes a space. This option disable the text modification.

--theme theme

Set a graphical style: blackwhite, bsddialog, flat or dialog.

--time-format format

String accepted by strftime(3) to customize the output of --timebox.

--title title

Dialog title.

Dialogs

The following dialogs are available:

--calendar text rows cols [day month year]: Dialog to select a date.
--checklist text rows cols menurows [name desc status] ...: Checklist to select some item from a list via the SPACE key. An item has a name, desc and a default status specified by “on” or “off”. The names of the selected items are printed to standard error. menurows is the graphical height of the list, 0 for autosize.
--datebox text rows cols [day month year]: Dialog to select a date.
--form text rows cols formrows [label ylabel xlabel init yfield xfield fieldlen maxletters] ...: Dialog to get a list of strings via forms. A form has a label at the position ylabel and xlabel, a field to get the input at the position yfield and xfield with graphical length fieldlen, maxletters is the maximum input length. The field can be customized, if fieldlen is negative the field is read only and its absolute value is the field length. If maxletters is 0 it is the absolute value of fieldlen. init is a default value. formrows is the graphical height of the list, 0 for autosize.
--gauge text rows cols [percentage]: Dialog with a bar to shows percentage, then it waits to read “XXX” from the standard input, then the first string replaces percentage and the following strings replace text until the next “XXX”, the loop ends reading EOF.
--infobox text rows cols: Dialog without buttons to display a message and to exit immediately.
--inputbox text rows cols [init]: Dialog to get a string in input, init is the default value.
--menu text rows cols menurows [name desc] ...: Builds a menu to select an item from a list, Space key is equivalent to Enter. An item has a name and a desc. The name of the selected item is printed to standard error. menurows is the graphical height of the list, 0 for autosize.
--mixedform text rows cols formrows [label ylabel xlabel init yfield xfield fieldlen maxletters flag] ...: Dialog to get a list of strings via forms. A form has a label at the position ylabel and xlabel, a field to get the input with graphical length fieldlen at the position yfield and xfield, maxletters is the maximum input length, init is a default value, flag can be 0 for normal field, 1 to hide the typed characters and 2 to set the field read only. formrows is the graphical height of the list, 0 for autosize.
--mixedgauge text rows cols mainperc [minilabel miniperc] ...: Dialog to show a main bar to represent mainperc from 0 to 100 and some mini bar with a minilabel string and a miniperc with value from 0 and 100 or negative to print a descriptive string: -1 “Succeeded”, -2 “Failed”, -3 “Passed”, -4 “Completed”, -5 “Checked”, -6 “Done”, -7 “Skipped”, -8 “In Progress”, -9 a blank line, -10 “N/A”, -11 “Pending”.
--msgbox text rows cols: Dialog to diplay a message without the “Cancel” button. UP, DOWN, HOME, END, PAGEUP and PAGEDOWN keys are availble to navigate the text.
--passwordbox text rows cols [init]: Dialog to get a password, init is the default value.
--passwordform text rows cols formrows [label ylabel xlabel init yfield xfield fieldlen maxletters] ...: Dialog to get a list of passwords, equivalent to --form except typed characters are hidden.
--pause text rows cols seconds: Dialog runs until the timeout in seconds expires or a button is pressed.
--radiolist text rows cols menurows [name desc status] ...: Radiolist to select at most an item from a list via the SPACE key. An item has a name, desc and a default status specified by “on” or “off”. The name of the selected item is printed to standard error. menurows is the graphical height of the list, 0 for autosize.
--rangebox text rows cols min max [init]: Dialog to select a value between min and max, init is the default value, the keys UP, DOWN, HOME, END, PAGEUP and PAGEDOWN can change it.
--textbox file rows cols: Opens and prints file the UP, DOWN, HOME, END, PAGEUP and PAGEDOWN keys are availble to navigate; “OK” button is renamed “EXIT”.
--timebox text rows cols [hour min sec]: Dialog to select a time.
--treeview text rows cols menurows [depth name desc status] ...: Equivalent to Radiolist with --item-depth and --no-name.
--yesno text rows cols: “Yes-No Question”, “OK” and “Cancel” buttons are renamed “Yes” and “No”. UP, DOWN, HOME, END, PAGEUP and PAGEDOWN keys are availble to navigate the text.

EXIT STATUS

The bsddialog utility exits 255 on unsuccessful, otherwise depending on the button or key pressed the following values can be returned:

0 “OK”, “Yes” or “Exit” button.

1 “Cancel” or “No” button.

2 “Help” button.

3 “Extra” button.

4 Timeout.

5 ESC key.

6 Generic 1 button.

7 Generic 2 button.

EXAMPLES

Backtitle, title and message:

bsddialog --backtitle MESSAGE --title
  Msgbox --msgbox Message 0 0

Yes-No Question and theme:

bsddialog --theme blackwhite --yesno
  Question 10 30

Save a custom theme:

bsddialog --save-theme mytheme.txt
  --infobox "Saving theme..." 0 0

Load a custom theme:

bsddialog --load-theme mytheme.txt
  --infobox "Custom theme" 0 0

Checklist:

bsddialog --checklist Checklist 0 0 3
  N1 D1 off N2 D2 on N3 D3 off

Form:

bsddialog --form Form 0 0 0 L1: 0 0 X
  0 4 20 25 L2: 1 0 Y 1 4 20 25

Multi-dialog:

bsddialog --normal-screen --begin-y 1
  --yesno Continue? 0 0 \ --and-dialog --begin-y 10 --infobox Yes 0
  0

Bikeshed:

bsddialog --bikeshed --inputbox
  Example 0 0

Mixedgauge:

bsddialog --sleep 3 --mixedgauge
  Example 10 30 60 L1 " -1" L2 30

Mixedgauge script:

perc=0
while [ $perc -le 100 ]
do
	bsddialog --sleep 1 --title Mixedgauge          \
		--mixedgauge "\nExample...\n" 0 0 $perc \
		"Hidden"   " -9"                        \
		"Label 1"  " -4"                        \
		"Label 2"  " -4"                        \
		"Label 3"  $perc

	perc=`expr $perc + 20`
done

Gauge script:

i=1
for c in A B C D E F G H
do
	sleep 1
	echo XXX
	echo "$(expr $(expr $i "*" 100) "/" 8)"
	echo "[$i/8] Char: $c"
	echo XXX
	if [ $i -eq 8 ]
	then
		sleep 1
		echo EOF
	fi
	i=`expr $i + 1`
done | bsddialog --title Gauge --gauge "Starting..." 10 70

COMPATIBILITY

Outdated options are retained for compatibility, properly equivalent options are used:

Obsolete                     Equivalent
--and-widget                 --and-dialog
--calendar <text> 2 <cols>   --calendar <text> 0 <cols>
--clear                      --clear-screen
--defaultno                  --default-no
--exit-label                 --ok-label
--help-tags                  --help-print-name
--item-help                  --item-bottom-desc
--keep-tite                  --alternate-screen
--no-items                   --no-descriptions
--no-label                   --cancel-label
--no-tags                    --no-names
--nocancel                   --no-cancel
--nook                       --no-ok
--separator                  --output-separator
--yes-label                  --ok-label

HISTORY

The bsddialog utility first appeared in FreeBSD 14.0.

AUTHORS

bsddialog was written by Alfonso Sabato Siciliano <asiciliano@FreeBSD.org>.

bsddialog provides a subset of the functionality described in the dialog manual. The following features were reimplemented:

Options: --and-widget, --ascii-lines, --backtitle, --cancel-label, --clear, --colors, --cr-wrap, --date-format, --defaultno, --default-button, --default-no, --default-item, --exit-label, --extra-button, --extra-label, --help, --help-button, --help-label, --help-status, --help-tags, --hfile, --hline, --ignore, --insecure, --item-help, --keep-tite, --max-input, --no-cancel, --nocancel, --no-items, --no-label, --no-lines, --no-ok, --nook, --no-shadow, --no-tags, --ok-label, --output-fd, --output-separator, --print-maxsize, --print-size, --print-version, --quoted, --separate-output, --separator, --shadow, --single-quoted, --sleep, --stderr, --stdout, --tab-len, --time-format, --title, --version, --yes-label.

Dialogs: --calendar, --checklist, --form, --gauge, --infobox, --inputbox, --menu, --mixedform, --mixedgauge, --msgbox, --passwordbox, --passwordform, --pause, --radiolist, --rangebox, --textbox, --timebox, --treeview, --yesno.

Some feature differs in input, output, or behavior. Compatibility is not a priority for future development.

THANKS TO

Baptiste Daroussin <bapt@FreeBSD.org>,
Ed Maste <emaste@FreeBSD.org> and
Juraj Lutter <otis@FreeBSD.org> for suggestions, help, and testing.