[Linux] Bash tput Uso: Control terminal display settings

Overview

The tput command is used in Bash to initialize and manipulate terminal settings. It allows users to control various aspects of terminal behavior, such as text formatting, cursor movement, and color output. This command is particularly useful for creating visually appealing scripts and enhancing user interfaces in the terminal.

Usage

The basic syntax of the tput command is as follows:

tput [options] [arguments]

Common Options

• setaf [n]: Set the foreground color to the color represented by the number n.
• setab [n]: Set the background color to the color represented by the number n.
• clear: Clear the terminal screen.
• cup [y] [x]: Move the cursor to the specified position, where y is the row and x is the column.
• bold: Set the text to bold.
• rev: Reverse the foreground and background colors.

Common Examples

Here are some practical examples of using the tput command:

Change Text Color

To change the text color to red:

tput setaf 1
echo "This text is red"
tput sgr0  # Reset to default

Clear the Screen

To clear the terminal screen:

tput clear

Move the Cursor

To move the cursor to the 5th row and 10th column:

tput cup 5 10
echo "Cursor moved here"

Set Bold Text

To print bold text:

tput bold
echo "This text is bold"
tput sgr0  # Reset to default

Change Background Color

To change the background color to blue and print text:

tput setab 4
echo "This text has a blue background"
tput sgr0  # Reset to default

Tips

• Always use tput sgr0 to reset terminal settings after making changes to avoid affecting subsequent output.
• Experiment with different color codes (0-7 for basic colors) to customize your terminal output.
• Combine multiple tput commands in a single script to create a more dynamic and visually appealing user interface.