Re: 132 column display

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009, Brian Hill wrote:

Jim Donoghue wrote:

I'm using x5250 on my Linux PC. How do I set it up to use 132 column mode?
Is there a command line switch for this, or do I have to edit a
configuration file?

Hi Jim,

I use xt5250 instead of x5250 but they might use the same switches.
I have to add the following to get a 132-character display:

env.TERM = IBM-3477-FC

x5250 and xt5250 use exactly the same configuration files since they are just different front ends to the same thing. The configuration file is called .tn5250rc and should be placed in your home directory. The env.TERM setting Brian mentions above tells the host system what kind of display is it talking to and therefor whether or not to use 132 column mode with it. So using that setting will do exactly what you want.

You might be interested to know that there are two settings that inform the host system of the capabilities of the terminal you are using. env.TERM is one of those. Another is the "enhanced" setting. This is used to inform the host system that this terminal can handle additional 5250 features like windows, menus, cursor progression, word wrap, and scroll bars. I find using the "enhanced" setting is very useful as many of our applications use cursor progression. To use this setting simply add the +enhanced keyword. With these two settings you might put the following in your $HOME/.tn5250rc file:

myhost {
host = iseries.mydomain.com
env.TERM = IBM-3477-FC
+enhanced
}

Of course replace "myhost" with the name you want for your session and "iseries.mydomain.com" with the hostname of your system i.

James Rich

if you want to understand why that is, there are many good books on
the design of operating systems. please pass them along to redmond
when you're done reading them :)
- Paul Davis on ardour-dev