COLCRT

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: May 7, 1986
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NAME

colcrt - filter nroff output for CRT previewing

SYNOPSIS

colcrt [ - ] [ -2 ] [ file ... ]

DESCRIPTION

Colcrt provides virtual half-line and reverse line feed sequences for terminals without such capability, and on which overstriking is destructive. Half-line characters and underlining (changed to dashing `-') are placed on new lines in between the normal output lines.

The optional - suppresses all underlining. It is especially useful for previewing allboxed tables from tbl(1).

The option -2 causes all half-lines to be printed, effectively double spacing the output. Normally, a minimal space output format is used which will suppress empty lines. The program never suppresses two consecutive empty lines, however. The -2 option is useful for sending output to the line printer when the output contains superscripts and subscripts which would otherwise be invisible.

A typical use of colcrt would be

tbl exum2.n | nroff -ms | colcrt - | more

BUGS

Should fold underlines onto blanks even with the `-' option so that a true underline character would show; if we did this, however, colcrt wouldn't get rid of cu'd underlining completely.

Can't back up more than 102 lines.

General overstriking is lost; as a special case `|' overstruck with `-' or underline becomes `+'.

Lines are trimmed to 132 characters.

Some provision should be made for processing superscripts and subscripts in documents which are already double-spaced.