The “tput” command is a utility in Unix-like operating systems that is used to query and set terminal capabilities. It is commonly used in shell scripts to interact with the terminal and perform various terminal-related operations.
The error message “tput: no value for $term and no -t specified” occurs when the “tput” command is unable to determine the terminal type because the $TERM environment variable is not set, and the “-t” option is also not specified.
Terminal capabilities include settings like the terminal type, cursor position, screen size, text colors, and more. These capabilities are defined in the terminal database, usually located in the /usr/share/terminfo directory.
To resolve the error and provide a value for $TERM, you can either set the $TERM environment variable manually or use the “-t” option with the desired terminal type as an argument.
Here are a few examples of how to fix the error:
-
Manually set the $TERM environment variable:
$ export TERM=xterm -
Use the “-t” option with a specific terminal type:
$ tput -t xterm command_name
By setting the $TERM environment variable or specifying a terminal type with the “-t” option, you provide the necessary information to the “tput” command, allowing it to access the corresponding terminal capabilities from the terminal database.