Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!METROPOLIS.MIT.EDU!ananth
From: ananth@METROPOLIS.MIT.EDU (Ananth Annapragada)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: Fonts on vi editor, rn, vnews
Message-ID: <9004081708.AA03206@metropolis.mit.edu>
Date: 8 Apr 90 17:08:42 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 25

Steve Talent writes:

I discovered some time ago that it was possible to change the fonts used
by vt100 by creating links in my home directory pointing to alternate fonts.
This only seems to work when I create the first vt100 window during a
login from my home directory.  If the links don't exist in the current
directory when I first exectte vt100, I get the default font.  If I
change a link, I have to logout and then login again to see the change.

I'm not sure why it works but it does work.

*************************

The answer to this is very simple. Read the help file for fl, the dm font_load
command. fl loads a font for use in all subsequently opened pads. fl also
searches the current directory for the named font, and if it is not found,
searches /sys/dm/fonts. The font loaded by fl remains in effect until the
next fl command. I suspect the code you are running (rn, vi, etc.) are using
a gpr call which works the same way, or maybe even a system(xdmc fl font_name)
type call.

As far as changing a link goes, do you change the link before you execute the
vt100 command or after? 

Ananth.