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README.TXT
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1992-10-20
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Programmer's File Editor
Beta 2 Release
ABSTRACT
--------
This is the second beta test release of Programmer's File Editor, a
programming-oriented editor for Windows 3.1. It can be used at no charge
by any private individual or non-commercial organisation, and can be freely
distributed.
PFE includes the following features:
- The size of file it can handle is limited only by the total amount of
virtual memory available
- Essentially no limit on the number of lines a file can contain
- It can edit multiple files, the number being limited only by the
available system resources
- Files can be edited in multiple windows simultaneously
- Can read and write files in UNIX format using LF as line terminator, with
automatic format detection
- Most-recently-used list of files allows easy selection between sessions
- Line numbers can be shown in any edit window if required
- Any installed fixed-pitch screen font, including TrueType, can be used in
edit windows
- The most frequent operations can be performed from buttons on a tear-off
toolbar with active buttons
- Text can be copied and moved by dragging and dropping
- Tabs can be inserted as TAB characters or spaces
- DOS commands, such as compilers, can be run with the output captured
in an edit window
- An application being developed can be quickly launched from a configurable
dialog
- Commonly-used text can be inserted in a simple operation from template
libraries
- Keys can be mapped to functions as required; two-key operation similar
to MicroEMACS is available, but with a wider choice of prefix keys
- Multiple sets of key mappings can be stored and selected as required
- Commonly-used program development tools can be configured into a list
and started simply from a dialog
- Files can be printed either in total, by line range, or selected text only
- Automatic line indenting and removal of trailing spaces
- Automatic configuration of edit options depending on file type
- Automatic configuration of tab sizes depending on file type
- Automatic brace alignment when editing C source
- Uses standard MDI methods to be fully compatible with other Windows apps
- All operations are CUA compliant
- Windows can be tiled vertically to maximize width
Additionally, the editor can be controlled by another application across a
DDE client-server link.
Full C source (Microsoft C 7) and technical documentation will be included
with the first full release of the editor.
NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR
---------------------
This beta version of PFE represents the second release to be made generally
available. PFE has been on beta release since July 1992 and is now heavily
used by many people all over the world; this second beta version has fixed
many of the reported bugs and incorporated many of the splendid suggestions
sent in by them.
I began to write PFE for several reasons. Writing an editor is an interesting
challenge (and far harder than anyone who hasn't ever done one would think).
I had long used MicroEMACS on a variety of platforms and needed a Windows
version: at the time no Windows version was available. This had a large
effect on the general design, and PFE can be configured to work as MicroEMACS
might if it were a standard sort of Windows app.
Co-incidentally, a colleague happened to be searching for an editor which
could act as a DDE server, and this spurred both the general development and
the DDE interfaces in particular.
As with MicroEMACS, I intend to release the full source of PFE. I will not
do so until the first public release 1.00.000 as major changes are still
going on, and having vastly different sources in circulation would cause
un-necessary confusion.
Again, as with MicroEMACS, I very much want to encourage anyone who's
interested to help with the development. The first main release will include
technical documentation so you can see how the internal design works.
At this beta release not all the features planned are implemented. The change
log included in the distribution set gives a history of how PFE has changed
from the first beta release, and lists most of the features that should be
complete for the full release. It also gives details of the known bugs that
still await fixing.
My original plans to have only three beta releases, and to have version 1
complete by the end of 1992 have proved hopelessly optimistic. There has been
much greater interest in PFE than I had ever anticipated: happily, I have
received far more excellent ideas, and (unhappily) far more bug reports than
I planned for. So the beta program will continue for some time yet, and
version 1 will probably not be finished until late Spring of 1993. However,
when it finally does appear, it will include the shared thoughts and
suggestions of very many real users. It should also be thoroughly battle-
tested and reliable!
I would very much appreciate hearing from you if you use PFE and find problems,
or if you can think of ways it could be improved. Even if the facility you would
like to see appears to be of interest only to you, tell me about it - you'd be
surprised how many ideas in that class have a much wider appeal. I'll try to
fix every reported bug for version 1, but I can't promise to include every
suggested improvement. However, every idea goes into the wish list, and there's
always version 2, or 3, or....
You can contact me by e-mail at
alan@uk.ac.lancaster if you're on the UK JANET network
alan@lancaster.ac.uk if you're on the Internet
I will try to reply to all the mail I receive. However I use a UNIX system as
my mailer, and it's not at all good at handling X400 style addresses - so if
the X400 reply address in your mail gets to me as a left encoded RFC822 style
address, I probably will not be able to get through to you.
WHERE TO GET PFE
----------------
I post releases of PFE to three main archive sites:
- For the UK Higher Education sector, it's available in the HENSA/micros
archive on the uk.ac.hensa.micros system.
- On the Internet, I place copies on the wsmr-simtel20.army.mil and
ftp.cica.indiana.edu archives in the pd:<msdos.windows3> and
/pub/pc/win3/programr directories respectively.
These sites will always contain the definitive current release; from there the
files will percolate to other systems such as CompuServe. If you have a
favourite BBS or archive that does not yet have a copy, I would very much
appreciate your posting a copy there too.
If the projected comp.os.ms-windows.binaries Usenet group comes into
operation, I will post a copy there too.
Announcements are posted to the comp.os.ms-windows.announce Usenet group.
--
Alan Phillips
October 1992