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From: skr@uncle.UUCP (Steve K. Roggenkamp)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs,gnu.emacs
Subject: Re: Emacs and hypertext
Message-ID: <603@uncle.UUCP>
Date: 18 Nov 89 23:14:47 GMT
References: <80683@linus.UUCP>
Reply-To: skr@uncle.UUCP (Steve K. Roggenkamp)
Distribution: na
Organization: U.N.C.L.E.
Lines: 22

In a previous job, we implemented a poor man's hypertext system using GNU Emacs
and its etags program.  A location in the text was indicated by placing it
between a `|' and a `!':  |this is a node!.  These two characters were chosen
because they are relatively innocuous and they do not occur frequently in
ordinary text.  The node text could be of any length as long as it is contained
on one line.

Next the etags program was modified so these would generate an entry in the
TAGS file.  We also modified the find-tags function so when the cursor was
in a sexp of the form `(See xxx)' it would default to `xxx'.  Once these things
had been done, a user could easily move from one location in a document to 
another location in some other document.

Finally, we made some filters to remove the bar and bang from the nodes
before formatting for printing.

While this is not a very sophisticated system, it provided quite a bit of
functionality for a modest (less than a day) bit of work.

-- 
Steven K. Roggenkamp, skr@uncle.UUCP, n8emr!uncle!skr@osu-cis.cis.ohio-state.edu
(614) h:792-8236, w:764-4208;