lookup
lookup [word] [output=filename]
This command displays definition or alternate spellings for the word supplied. Words that contain spaces must be enclosed in quotation marks. If no word is supplied, the definition or spellings displayed are for the word currently selected (or the word nearest the cursor, if there is no selection). Selections can be made from windows other than Arbortext Editor windows, as well. Words are checked against the Proximity/Merriam-Webster Linguibase. Note that the language used for the dictionary is determined by the position of the cursor in the document. You can set a language on individual tags in a document, so that language can vary based on the position of the cursor.
If output is specified, lookup writes the definition of the word to filename. Note that filename can be any of the following:
• The name of a file (this could be a complete path name).
A right angle bracket (>) preceding the file name causes the definition to be appended to the end of the file. An exclamation mark (!) preceding the file name causes the file, if it exists, to be overwritten without prompting for confirmation.
• An asterisk (*) indicating the message window.
If preceded by a right angle bracket (>*), then the output is appended to the message window instead of replacing its contents. Additional predefined message windows msgwin2, msgwin3, or msgwin4 use the specifier output=*2, output=*3 or output=*4, respectively.
• A dash (-) indicating standard output. (This is normally the window from which you start Arbortext Editor.)
• A question mark (?) preceding the output file name.
If the file name starts with a question mark, then the file name is actually a variable name whose value is set to the output produced by the command. If the second character is a right angle bracket (>), then the output is appended to the current value of the variable instead of replacing it.
Examples
lookup
loo set
loo bicycle
loo "fork over"
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