VMH(1)                                                     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)  rou-
       tines  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  dis-
       play  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 pro-
       tocol.

       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 capabil-
       ities  of  less or more (e.g., the ability to scroll back-
       wards 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
       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.

       ^$HOME/.mh_profile~^The user profile ^Path:~^To  determine
       the   user's   nmh   directory   msh(1)   `-prompt (vmh) '
       `-vmhproc msh' None 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  argu-
       ment to this switch inside double-quotes.

       At  present, there is no way to pass signals (e.g., inter-
       rupt, 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.

[nmh-0.27]                    MH.6.8                            1