Background-colour erase can be turned on and off by control sequences sent by the server. This configuration option controls the default state, which will be restored when you reset the terminal (see
section 3.1.3.6
). However, if you modify this option in mid-
session using ‘Change Settings’, it will take effect immediately.
4.3.6 ‘Enable blinking text’
The server can ask PuTTY to display text that blinks on and off. This is very distracting, so PuTTY allows you to turn blinking text off completely.
When blinking text is disabled and the server attempts to make some text blink, PuTTY will instead display the text with a bolded background colour.
Blinking text can be turned on and off by control sequences sent by the server. This configuration option controls the default state, which will be restored when you reset the terminal (see
section 3.1.3.6
). However, if you modify this option in mid-session using
‘Change Settings’, it will take effect immediately.
4.3.7 ‘Answerback to ^E’
This option controls what PuTTY will send back to the server if the server sends it the ^E enquiry character. Normally it just sends the string ‘PuTTY’.
If you accidentally write the contents of a binary file to your terminal, you will probably find that it contains more than one ^E character, and as a result your next command line will probably read ‘PuTTYPuTTYPuTTY...’ as if you had typed the answerback string multiple times at the keyboard. If you set the answerback string to be empty, this problem should go away, but doing so might cause other problems.
Note that this is not the feature of PuTTY which the server will typically use to determine your terminal type. That feature is the ‘Terminal-type string’ in the Connection panel; see
section 4.14.3
for details.
You can include control characters in the answerback string using ^C notation. (Use ^~ to get a literal ^.)
4.3.8 ‘Local echo’
With local echo disabled, characters you type into the PuTTY window are not echoed in the window by PuTTY. They are simply sent to the server. (The server might choose to echo them back to you; this can't be controlled from the PuTTY control panel.)
Some types of session need local echo, and many do not. In its default mode, PuTTY will automatically attempt to deduce whether or not local echo is appropriate for the session you are working in. If you find it has made the wrong decision, you can use this configuration option to override its choice: you can force local echo to be turned on, or force it to be turned off, instead of relying on the automatic detection.
4.3.9 ‘Local line editing’
Normally, every character you type into the PuTTY window is sent immediately to the server the moment you type it.
If you enable local line editing, this changes. PuTTY will let you edit a whole line at a time locally, and the line will only be sent to the server when you press Return. If you make a mistake, you can use the Backspace key to correct it before you press Return, and the server will never see the mistake.
Since it is hard to edit a line locally without being able to see it, local line editing is mostly used in conjunction with local echo (
section 4.3.8
). This makes it ideal for use in raw mode or when connecting to
MUDs or talkers. (Although some more advanced MUDs do occasionally turn local line editing on and turn local echo off, in order to accept a password from the user.)
Some types of session need local line editing, and many do not. In its default mode, PuTTY will automatically attempt to deduce whether or not local line editing is appropriate for the session you are working in. If you find it has made the wrong decision, you can use this configuration option to override its choice: you can force local line editing to be turned on, or force it to be turned off, instead of relying on the automatic detection.
4.3.10 Remote-controlled printing