For this cdrom, I tested/updated using accounts provided by Jerry Leslie (VAX with OpenVMS 7.1), as well as the HP test-drive (Alpha with OpenVMS 7.3, IA64 with OpenVMS 8.2). This package includes executables for vile and xvile (X Window version of vile) built for each platform. The freeware_demo.com script assumes you are running it from a terminal window. It runs vile from the package, opening three windows: a) output from the "show logical/process" command b) list of all buffers c) the help-file Pressing the tab key switches from one window (buffer) to the next. The list of buffers updates to show the current buffer as "%", and the alternate as "#". For other system configurations, to build vile, you'll need a C compiler (we've tested with VAX-C and DEC-C). It's nice but not essential to have MMS (or its clone, MMK). Building without MMS: -------------------- If you simply want to build vile, run the script: $ @VMSBUILD The build-scripts attempt to determine your compiler configuration: VMS with VAX-C VMS with DEC-C on VAX VMS with DEC-C on Alpha VMS with DEC-C on IA64 The result of the build is an executable, VILE.EXE Building with MMS: ----------------- The source distribution includes DESCRIP.MMS, which is the MMS script. Run MMS in the source directory; it'll find this file and compile/link VILE.EXE, e.g., $ MMS I've only used MMK installed as a foreign command; it doesn't work well with the recursive macros set in DESCRIP.MMS, in the "all" target. The standard targets in the MMS script are: "all", "clean", clobber". X Windows: --------- You may have a VMS system configuration that supports X Windows. (We don't currently). Build with the DCL script: @VMSBUILD XVILE The result of the build is an executable, XVILE.EXE Running the program: ------------------- You don't have to install the program to run it. Vile can run from the build directory. You must define a foreign command to run vile (otherwise it won't get command-line arguments). The build scripts can generate a script VILE.COM (or XVILE.COM) which you can execute, defining a foreign command that lets you run vile, e.g., $ @VMSBUILD VILE_COM $ @VILE README.* or $ MMS VILE.COM $ @VILE README.* Most of vile's documentation is in the online help file VILE.HLP; it assumes that you already know something about the vi editor and concentrates on the additional functions and features that vile provides. Installing: ---------- You can install the executable for vile in the directory where you normally install user programs or tools. Define (e.g., in your LOGIN.COM) the foreign command to point to it, e.g., $ VILE :== "$ SYS$LOGIN:VILE.EXE" if you put it in your home directory. Vile looks for its help-file in a series of locations, i.e., the current directory, SYS$LOGIN SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMSTOOLS] SYS$LIBRARY (See the discussion of VILE_STARTUP_PATH in VILE.HLP). The [.DEMO] subdirectory contains a copy of VILE.HLP and the initialization files (*.RC) which vile may use. You can create an initialization file which points to the principal one (VILEINIT.RC) by running vile, e.g., vile -"I" where the quotes are needed to pass an uppercase "I". -- Thomas Dickey