Pitch Bend (portamento) & VSTi's

[Harbinger]

Now that we're up to 1.25, we need a primer/refresher on how you can bend the given or current notes from a VSTi or MIDI device. I couldn't find a single (unified) page in the wikimanual on this subject. This would be helpful for newcomers.

I remember using Exx and Fxx, and I believe these are now passed to MIDI devices/VSTi's. Is there a Zxx method of passing Pitch Bend messages via MIDI?

As of 9/4, the nightly build may include a more up-to-date method.

An exhaustive list of links on the subject for openMPT is also helpful.

[Saga Musix]

There is no special page about portmaneto and plugins because Exx and Fxx work precisely as with samples. Well, with two tiny differences:
1. OpenMPT needs to know the pitch wheel depth of the plugin or MIDI device. This is documented and can be entered in the instrument's MIDI settings, together with all the other plugin-specific things.
2. Pitch bends affect all notes on the same MIDI channel. In monotimbral plugins, this almost always means that they affect all playing notes, no matter which channel they're on.
This has never changed, in particular not in OpenMPT 1.25, and it will never change.

So, nothing special really. The bug report you are referring to just covers MIDI export, not plugins. MIDI export never took pitch beends into account before, it now handles them exactly as with instrument plugins.
If you really need or want it, you can control the pitch wheel using the message Ec00z.

[Harbinger]

Excellent!

And I believe you've now included a separate MIDI command for PB in the new release (1.25.02)? Woo-hoo!  

[Saga Musix]

Well, all I changed is that you don't have to memorize the command by yourself anymore and added a preset for it. Remember: You can send *any* MIDI message using the macro system, not just the pre-defined ones.