6.3. Ncurses-6.2

#### Linux From Scratch - Version 10.1-systemd

### Chapter 6. Cross Compiling Temporary Tools

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# 6.3. Ncurses-6.2

The Ncurses package contains libraries for terminal-independent handling of character screens.

Approximate build time: 0.7 SBU
Required disk space: 48 MB

## 6.3.1. Installation of Ncurses

First, ensure that gawk is found first during configuration:

    sed -i s/mawk// configure

Then, run the following commands to build the “tic” program on the build host:

    mkdir build
    pushd build
      ../configure
      make -C include
      make -C progs tic
    popd

Prepare Ncurses for compilation:

    ./configure --prefix=/usr                \
                --host=$LFS_TGT              \
                --build=$(./config.guess)    \
                --mandir=/usr/share/man      \
                --with-manpage-format=normal \
                --with-shared                \
                --without-debug              \
                --without-ada                \
                --without-normal             \
                --enable-widec

The meaning of the new configure options:

`--with-manpage-format=normal`

  This prevents Ncurses installing compressed manual pages, which may happen if the host distribution itself has compressed manual pages.

`--without-ada`

  This ensures that Ncurses does not build support for the Ada compiler which may be present on the host but will not be available once we enter the chroot environment.

`--enable-widec`

  This switch causes wide-character libraries (e.g., `libncursesw.so.6.2`) to be built instead of normal ones (e.g., `libncurses.so.6.2`). These wide-character libraries are usable in both multibyte and traditional 8-bit locales, while normal libraries work properly only in 8-bit locales. Wide-character and normal libraries are source-compatible, but not binary-compatible.

`--without-normal`

  This switch disables building and installing most static libraries.

Compile the package:

    make

Install the package:

    make DESTDIR=$LFS TIC_PATH=$(pwd)/build/progs/tic install
    echo "INPUT(-lncursesw)" > $LFS/usr/lib/libncurses.so

The meaning of the install options:

`TIC_PATH=$(pwd)/build/progs/tic`

  We need to pass the path of the just built tic able to run on the building machine, so that the terminal database can be created without errors.

echo "INPUT(-lncursesw)" > $LFS/usr/lib/libncurses.so

  The `libncurses.so` library is needed by a few packages we will build soon. We create this small linker script, as this is what is done in Chapter 8.

Move the shared libraries to the `/lib` directory, where they are expected to reside:

    mv -v $LFS/usr/lib/libncursesw.so.6* $LFS/lib

Because the libraries have been moved, one symlink points to a non-existent file. Recreate it:

    ln -sfv ../../lib/$(readlink $LFS/usr/lib/libncursesw.so) $LFS/usr/lib/libncursesw.so

Details on this package are located in Section 8.28.2, “Contents of Ncurses.”

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