Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!umd5!umbc3!rostamia
From: rostamia@umbc3.UMD.EDU (Dr. Rouben Rostamian )
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Continuously running clock
Message-ID: <840@umbc3.UMD.EDU>
Date: 5 Mar 88 23:40:19 GMT
Reply-To: rostamia@umbc3.UMD.EDU (Dr. Rouben Rostamian (MATH))
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Lines: 16

This may be a very superfluous thing to do, but I would like to be able
to do it, anyway:  How can I have a continuously running clock displayed
on my screen?  Something that prints, for instance 11:34:48, at the
first row, 60th column of the screen, and updates itself every second,
thus simulates a "status line."
I have tried this in various ways: in a DCL command procedure, a PASCAL
routine using smg$, and system services.  In each case I have created a
subprocess which gets the time from the machine and displays it in the
desired location of the screen (via an smg$ virtual display, for
example.)  The trouble is, although the clock runs, the cursor jumps say
every second, to the top row of the screen to update the clock display.
So if I am in the middle of typing a DCL command in the bottom of
screen, part of my command appears on top of the screen near the
clock display.  

Is there a way to print to the screen without having to move the cursor
around? (Isn't this a silly question!)