"Window manager" for dumb terminals.

[Paul Moore]

The is a book called "programming in C with Curses, Lex and Yacc ( a windows
shell)" (not mine no axe ... etc). This book describes using those tools
to produce what you are after , I think. Plus you can order the software
that goes with it (to save all the typing etc) for about $30 via an order
card that comes with the book .
(I just found it in a catalogue - Prentice Hall , auth:Schreiner).