ncurses5-config

ncurses5-config [OPTIONS]

--version
    Print the version of the ncurses library.

--libs
    Print the linker flags required to link against the ncurses library. This typically includes -L (library path) and -l (library name) options.

--cflags
    Print the preprocessor and compiler flags required to compile programs using ncurses headers. This often includes -I (include path) options.

--prefix
    Print the installation prefix of the ncurses library (e.g., /usr/local).

--exec-prefix
    Print the installation exec_prefix of the ncurses library, which is usually the same as prefix.

--variable=NAME
    Print the value of a specific internal configuration variable, such as TERMINFO_PATH or NCURSES_VERSION.

--terminfo-libs
    Print linker flags for the terminfo library, which is sometimes separated from the main ncurses library.

--tic-path
    Print the path to the tic utility, used for compiling terminfo source files.

--tdb-path
    Print the path to the terminfo database if ncurses was built with a bundled one.

--help
    Display a help message with available options.

--info
    Display more detailed configuration information (less common, but sometimes available).

The ncurses5-config command is a utility script designed to help developers compile and link programs against the ncurses library, specifically for the 5.x series of ncurses. It retrieves various build flags such as compiler options (CFLAGS), linker options (LDFLAGS), and libraries (LIBS) required for successful compilation.

Historically, before the widespread adoption of tools like pkg-config, these -config scripts were common ways for libraries to provide their necessary build information. ncurses5-config automates the process of finding the correct header paths, library directories, and specific library names, ensuring that applications linking against ncurses can be built correctly across different system configurations. This simplifies Makefile creation and integration into build systems like GNU Autotools, preventing developers from having to hardcode system-specific paths or flags.

This utility is specific to the ncurses 5.x library series. For newer versions of ncurses (e.g., 6.x), a different ncursesw6-config or similar script might be available, or more commonly, the library might fully rely on pkg-config(1) for providing build flags. Its availability depends on whether the ncurses-devel or libncurses-dev package is installed on the system.

To compile a C program (e.g., myprogram.c) that uses ncurses, you would typically integrate the output of ncurses5-config into your compiler command. For instance, to get the necessary preprocessor and compiler flags, you would use ncurses5-config --cflags, and for linker flags, ncurses5-config --libs. This ensures the compiler finds the ncurses headers and the linker finds the ncurses libraries, automating the build process.

In build systems like Makefiles, the output of ncurses5-config can be captured into variables using shell command substitution (e.g., $(shell ncurses5-config --cflags)). This makes the build process robust and portable, as it dynamically determines the correct paths and flags based on the installed ncurses library, rather than relying on hardcoded values.

The concept of -config scripts emerged in the Unix/Linux ecosystem as a straightforward way for libraries to expose their build requirements. ncurses5-config specifically represents the configuration script provided with the 5.x major release series of the ncurses library. Ncurses itself is a free software emulation of the System V Release 4.0 curses library, developed and maintained by the GNU Ncurses project, with its development spanning decades. These -config scripts paved the way for more sophisticated tools like pkg-config(1), which generalized the approach to serve many libraries.

ncurses(3), pkg-config(1), gcc(1), make(1)