VMH(1) [nmh-1.0.4] (MH.6.8) VMH(1)
NAME
vmh - visual front-end to nmh
SYNOPSIS
vmh [-prompt string] [-vmhproc program] [-novmhproc]
[switches for vmhproc] [-version] [-help]
DESCRIPTION
vmh is a program which implements the server side of the nmh
window management protocol and uses curses (3) routines to
maintain a split-screen interface to any program which
implements the client side of the protocol. This latter
program, called the vmhproc, is specified using the
`-vmhproc program' switch.
The upshot of all this is that one can run msh on a display
terminal and get a nice visual interface. To do this, for
example, just add the line
mshproc: vmh
to your .mh_profile. (This takes advantage of the fact that
msh is the default vmhproc for vmh.)
In order to facilitate things, if the `-novmhproc' switch is
given, and vmh can't run on the user's terminal, the vmhproc
is run directly without the window management protocol.
After initializing the protocol, vmh prompts the user for a
command to be given to the client. Usually, this results in
output being sent to one or more windows. If a output to a
window would cause it to scroll, vmh prompts the user for
instructions, roughly permitting the capabilities of less or
more (e.g., the ability to scroll backwards and forwards):
SPACE advance to the next windowful
RETURN * advance to the next line
y * retreat to the previous line
d * advance to the next ten lines
u * retreat to the previous ten lines
g * go to an arbitrary line
(preceed g with the line number)
G * go to the end of the window
(if a line number is given, this acts like `g')
CTRL-L refresh the entire screen
h print a help message
q abort the window
(A `*' indicates that a numeric prefix is meaningful for
this command.)
Note that if a command resulted in more than one window's
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VMH(1) [nmh-1.0.4] (MH.6.8) VMH(1)
worth of information being displayed, and you allow the
command which is generating information for the window to
gracefully finish (i.e., you don't use the `q' command to
abort information being sent to the window), then vmh will
give you one last change to peruse the window. This is
useful for scrolling back and forth. Just type `q' when
you're done.
To abnormally terminate vmh (without core dump), use <QUIT>
(usually CTRL-\). For instance, this does the right thing
with bbc and msh.
FILES
$HOME/.mh_profile The user profile
PROFILE COMPONENTS
Path: To determine the user's nmh directory
SEE ALSO
msh(1)
DEFAULTS
`-prompt (vmh) '
`-vmhproc msh'
CONTEXT
None
BUGS
The argument to the `-prompt' switch must be interpreted as
a single token by the shell that invokes vmh. Therefore,
one must usually place the argument to this switch inside
double-quotes.
At present, there is no way to pass signals (e.g.,
interrupt, quit) to the client. However, generating QUIT
when vmh is reading a command from the terminal is
sufficient to tell the client to go away quickly.
Acts strangely (loses peer or botches window management
protocol with peer) on random occasions.
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