atari email archive

a collection of messages sent at Atari from 1983 to 1992.

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There is a new utility available on the system.  It is a text browser which 
allows you to examine random points in a source file (i.e., somewhere between
"TYPE" and "EDIT/READ_ONLY").  So why use it rather than "EDIT/READ_ONLY"?
For now, only a couple of reasons.  First, it's a wee bit faster than the 
editor, and uses fewer sytem resources (big deal, you say).  Second, it 
supports the concept of bookmarks.  You can quickly access any of 5 places in 
the text with a single keystroke.  This is NICE when you want to switch 
quickly among several places in the text, and want a full screen of
information in each place.

The program is called "VU".  You need to define the following symbol 
(probably in your LOGIN.COM) to use it:

	$ vu :== @utl$com:vu

Then you can call it by:

	$ vu textfile

where "textfile" is any non_ambiguous_file_spec.  No switches are supported at
this time. 

The command structure is very similar to EDT keypad mode cursor functions, with 
the editing and character oriented stuff removed.  Additionally:

	RETURN		forward 22 lines
	LINE FEED	backward 22 lines
	SPACE BAR	forward a line
	BACK SPACE	backward a line
	GOLD a thru	Set the associated bookmark at the
	  GOLD e	  current cursor postion
	a thru e	Go to bookmark A thru E
	Control-Z	exit

You need a CIT-101 or equivalent to run it properly.  It does nasty things 
with files that aren't variable CRLF or stream-LF.  If you need to look at 
runoff documents, you will want to use "RVU" instead:

	$ rvu :== @utl$com:rvu

Please send questions, comments, bug reports and suggestions (which are likely
to be ignored) to KIM::RAINS.

	Lo
	 V>
	/ \ Rains
Message 1 of 1

Apr 16, 1986