SYNOPSIS

stty [-a] [-] [mode...]

DESCRIPTION

stty sets or reports console mode settings on Windows systems. To set specific modes to off, add a - (dash) before each mode. Specifying a mode without a leading dash sets the mode to on.

Options

-a 

displays all current console modes. Each mode is displayed with a leading - (dash) if the mode is currently set to off; otherwise, only the mode name appears.

The -a option does not display current settings for the hide or sane modes. A description of these special modes appears later in this reference page.

Control Modes

columns 

Defines the column width of your console window. This mode is system dependant, and returns an error if you specify a column width that is not supported by your operating system.

Optionally, you can specify a second argument (separated by a comma) that specifies the buffer size for the window. If you specify a column width with a comma but no buffer size, the current buffer size is used. If you specify a comma and a buffer size, but no column width, the current width is used. The following examples show how this can be used:

stty columns 80      sets window and buffer to 80 columns.
stty columns 80,     sets window to 80 columns without changing buffer.
stty columns 80,1000 sets window to 80 columns and buffer to 1000.
stty columns ,1000   sets buffer to 1000 column without changing window.
stty columns ,       does nothing, silently.

If you set your window size too large to fit on your screen, it is truncated to a size that fits. If you set the buffer size smaller than the window size, the buffer size is reset to the window size.

cp 

Sets both the input and output code pages for the console window. This is equivalent to specifying both icp and ocp. The stty -a command displays cp when both icp and ocp are set to the same code page. It displays both icp and ocp when they differ.

cp is only valid on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003.

display 

Changes how the console window is displayed. There are four possible settings.

hide     hides the console window
max      maximizes the console window
min      minimizes the console window
restore  restores the console window

One use of this mode is in a KornShell script that performs graphical actions (for example a script with dlg commands), and you do not want the console visible while it is running. For example, you could start the shell script with

wstart -m sh.exe script.ksh

to minimize the window upon startup, and then have a stty display hide command near the beginning of the script to hide the minimized window, effectively allowing the shell script to run without any visible indication that a console has been created.

echo 

Corresponds to the Win32 ENABLE_ECHO_INPUT mode. If echo is set, characters are echoed as they are read. This mode is only valid when line mode is also on. If line mode is turned off, echo mode is automatically turned off by the stty command.

erase 

Set the erase character. You can set this character to either the backspace or delete character, by specifying ^H or ^?, respectively.

If you do not specify a character to use as the erase character, the current erase character is displayed.

hide 

Does not correspond to any standard Win32 console mode, but allows hiding and restoring of the console window under Windows Me. stty hide hides the console window, and stty -hide brings it back.

This mode is deprecated and should no longer be used. Use stty display hide instead.

icp 

Sets the input code page for the console window. The stty -a command displays cp when both icp and ocp are set to the same code page. It displays both icp and ocp when they differ.

pos 

Moves the top left corner of the console window to the screen co-ordinates specified. For example

stty pos 100,300

moves the top left corner to a position 100 pixels in from the left side of your screen and 300 pixels down from the top.

The screen co-ordinates can be negative. That is, you can move the console window past the left side or above the top of the screen. You can also move it as far down or to the right as you like, but be careful, as it is possible to move the console window beyond the visible screen.

iproc 

Corresponds to the Win32 ENABLE_PROCESSED_INPUT mode. This mode enables process input, meaning that any ^C is processed by the system as an interrupt and not passed to the program as input. Also, if line mode is set, iproc mode tells the system to process backspace, carriage return, and linefeed characters.

line 

Corresponds to the Win32 ENABLE_LINE_INPUT mode. If line mode is set, programs reading from the console only receive input (one line at a time) once the ENTER key is pressed. If this mode is not set, programs reading the console receive the input as each key is pressed.

minput 

Corresponds to the Win32 ENABLE_MOUSE_INPUT mode. Allows a console program to receive mouse related events.

ocp 

Sets the output code page for the console window. The stty -a command displays cp when both icp and ocp are set to the same code page. It displays both icp and ocp when they differ.

oproc 

Corresponds to the Win32 ENABLE_PROCESSED_OUTPUT mode. Allows ASCII control sequences and backspace, tab, bell, carriage return, and linefeed to be processed by the system. If this mode is not set, then these special ASCII characters simply appear on the screen as special characters, rather than the appropriate motion (or sound, in the case of the bell character).

owrap 

Corresponds to the Win32 ENABLE_WRAP_AT_EOL_OUTPUT mode. Allows output to wrap when it passes the rightmost column of the console. If this mode is not set, each line is truncated at the rightmost column of the console.

rows 

Define the row height of your console window. This mode is system dependant, and returns an error if you specify a row height that is not supported by your operating system.

Optionally, you can specify a second argument (separated by a comma) that specifies the buffer size for the window. If you specify a row height with a comma but no buffer size, the current buffer size is used. If you specify a comma and a buffer size, but no row height, the current height is used. The following examples show how this can be used:

stty rows 25       sets both window and buffer to 25 rows.
stty rows 25,      sets window to 25 rows without changing buffer.
stty rows 25,1000  sets window to 25 rows and buffer to 1000 rows.
stty rows ,1000    sets buffer to 1000 rows without changing window.
stty rows ,        does nothing, silently.

If you set your window size too large to fit on your screen, it is truncated to a size that fits. If you set the buffer size smaller than the window size, the buffer size is reset to the window size.

sane 

Turns on all of the above input and output modes, which is the default (and typical) console mode. Using the stty -sane command is not recommended, since it turns off all console modes.

winput 

Corresponds to the Win32 ENABLE_WINDOW_INPUT mode. Allows a program to read events related to the resizing of a console window.

Notes

Turning off console mode bits can be dangerous. For example, if you do a stty -iproc, processed input is turned off and carriage return, linefeed, backspace, and ^C no longer have any special meaning to the console, and programs may not receive their expected input.

Certain mode bits are automatically forced to on by command.com, cmd.exe, and the MKS KornShell (in vi or emacs editing mode). Most console applications, however, do not affect mode bits unless editing modes are active, and stty actions have full effect.

PORTABILITY

Windows Me. Windows NT 4.0. Windows 2000. Windows XP. Windows Server 2003.

The functionality of this command is a subset of the UNIX functionality.

AVAILABILITY

MKS Toolkit for Power Users
MKS Toolkit for System Administrators
MKS Toolkit for Developers
MKS Toolkit for Interoperability
MKS Toolkit for Professional Developers
MKS Toolkit for Enterprise Developers
MKS AlertCentre