---
name: "vprerex"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "vprerex"
version: "1:6.5.1-1+b3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/vprerex"
---

# vprerex(1)

graphical front-end and viewer for the prerex(1) prerequisite-chart editor

## NAME

**vprerex** - graphical front-end and viewer for the  [**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md) prerequisite-chart editor

## SYNOPSIS

**vprerex** *basefile*\[*.tex*\] \[  *chartfile*\[*.tex*\] \]

**vprerex** *file.pdf*

**vprerex**

## DESCRIPTION

**vprerex** (visual prerex) is a GUI front-end and viewer for the [**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md) interactive editor of prerequisite-chart descriptions in the [**prerex**(5)](/prerex/5.md) format. The viewer may be used just as a minimalistic viewer of arbitrary PDF files  but supports editing of charts  generated using [**prerex.sty**(7)](/prerex.sty/7.md) by allowing coordinates of course boxes, arrows, and background points to be conveyed back to the  [**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md) command-line using the clipboard.

## USAGE

If  **vprerex** is invoked on a PDF file, it simply displays that file.

If the (first) argument  does  *not* have the .pdf suffix, it is assumed to be the base file for a LaTeX document containing a prerequisite-chart description  in [**prerex**(5)](/prerex/5.md) format, to be edited using [**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md). If a  *second* argument is supplied, it is regarded as an included file containing the specific chart environment to be edited.

If  *no* arguments are supplied, a file-opening dialog allows the user the specify the  [**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md) base file to be edited (or the PDF file to be viewed); if a separate chartfile is needed, [**vprerex**(1)](/vprerex/1.md) must be invoked wth two arguments on the command line.

If the mouse hovers over a hyperlink in the PDF viewing window, the cursor shape will change to a pointing finger and a tooltip will display the URI. If the PDF file displayed contains  a chart generated using [**prerex.sty**(7)](/prerex.sty/7.md) and the background coordinate grid has been enabled,  left-clicking the mouse on a course box, arrow mid-point, or background point will load the relevant coordinates  into the X clipboard. The cursor shape changes to a plus-sign to indicate successful capture of the coordinates. Middle-clicking the mouse at the [**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md) command-line will then paste those coordinates into a command being composed. If the chart file is regenerated, the updated document will be re-loaded.

## DEPENDENCIES

**vprerex** is based on the Qt-4 library. It calls [**xterm**(1)](/xterm/1.md) and [**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md) for the editing window and uses  **poppler-qt4** for rendering PDF files.

## AUTHOR

R. D. Tennent (rdt@cs.queensu.ca), adapted from David Boddie's PDFviewer, described in the QT Quarterly: **http://doc.trolltech.com/qq/QtQuarterly27.pdf.**

## SEE ALSO

[**prerex**(1)](/prerex/1.md), [**prerex**(5)](/prerex/5.md), [**prerex.sty**(7)](/prerex.sty/7.md), and [**xterm**(1)](/xterm/1.md).