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DiMAT MicroComputer Systems, Inc.
Small Business Accounting Software
1. Introduction
The MAT Editor is a simple, easy to use, text editor
which allows you to create and modify files. Over the
years it has gained popularity among secretaries, students
& business personnel because of these features:
- Easy to install, one file "me.exe" which can be copied
to floppy or hard disks.
- Requires little memory (minimum of 64k).
- Loads quickly, runs quickly.
- What you see is what you get ! Your file is placed on
the screen and whatever you type goes into the file.
- The border around the screen tells you at a glance
that you are in the MAT Editor.
- Little or no documentation is required, it does what
you would expect.
- It is excellent for programming as well as word
processing.
Originally the MAT Editor was written by Gary Matuschek as
a personal 'C' programming editor. Over the years features have
been added to the editor to streamline the process of editing
'C' programs. These features include:
- Short Tab Stops. Tabs are set by default to every 4th
column to reduce the amount of indentation required for
a complex 'C' routine.
- Auto Indent. When the "Enter" key is pressed the cursor
will move to the same indentation on the next line as the
previous line.
- Block Comment. A comment on a line can be blocked to make
it stand out from the code by simply pressing Ctrl V.
- Few Keystokes. Must functions commonly used during the
edit of a 'C' program can be executed without the fingers
leaving the "home" keys by using single Ctrl or Alt key.
- Support for Longer Routine Names. Although DOS only only
allows 8 character file names with extensions, the MAT
Editor gets around the problem by searching the second
line of 'C' files for a string match for longer routine
names. For example, if a file begins with the following
comment:
/*---------------------------------*/
/* CHGREC -Change record number */
/*---------------------------------*/
The user could edit this file by typing:
me change_record_number.c
Or simply:
me change_record
- Compile Command. By pressing Alt F10 the editor will save
the file to disk, then call up the 'C' compiler to compile
the file and report any errors. If errors exist it will
take you to the line of the file where the first error
occurred. (Feature assumes Aztec C Compiler).
2. Installation
The MAT Editor will run under DOS 2.x thru 5.0 and
consists of just one file, "me.exe". This file can be
copied to floppy or hard disk using the DOS "copy" program.
3. Getting Started
Since the MAT Editor was written to be easy to use,
there are only two things you need to know to start using
it:
* Start it up by typing the word "me", then pressing
the RETURN key.
* Use the "Esc" key to abort a command or to quit the
edit session.
When started for the first time, the editor will prompt
you for a file name. Enter the name of an existing file or
make up a new file name. When the editor can't find the
file you specify, it will ask you if you want to create it.
4. Command Syntax and Options
me [filename] [+t] [-t] [-n1,n2,n3...] [+pn] [+l=n]
(brackets denote optional parameters)
filename
This is the name of the file that is to be edited. It
may be a full path name of up to 40 characters in length,
including disk letter.
EXAMPLES:
me memo1
me c:\notes\phone.num
me \autoexec.bat
If the specified file name does not exist the editor
will ask the user if it is to be created. The user may
respond with a Y, for YES, or anything else for NO.
When no file name is specified on the command line, the
editor will search for a file called "me.nam". This is a
special file created by the editor whenever a file is
written to disk. It contains information about the last
edit session to take place in the current directory
including file name, window position, and cursor position.
If such a file is found, the editor will resume the edit of
the file; otherwise, it will ask for a file name.
+t
This option tells the editor to put tab characters in a
file when saving it to disk. Normally the editor only
deals with spaces, since tab settings can be different for
different programs. Use this option only if you need to
conserve a little disk space for text files or if you
absolutely must have tab characters stored in a file which
must be read by some other program.
-t (default)
This option disables the writing of tab characters to
files (see above paragraph).
-n1,n2,n3...
Individual tab settings can be specified on the command
line using this option. Simply enter a hyphen "-"
immediately followed by the column numbers that the tab
stops should be set to.
EXAMPLES:
me memo -5,25 Edit file "memo" with tab stops
set at columns 5 and 25.
me report -10 Edit file "report" with tab stops
at every 10th column.
+l=n
This option will bring up the editor with the cursor
positioned at line number n.
5. Display Information
When the MAT Editor is started a window is drawn around
the border of the screen indicating that the editor is
active. The line at the top contains your name, the file
name, and the current position of the cursor. The bottom
border line contains a summary of the 10 Function key
commands. The line below the border is reserved for data
entry and special status information.
The following status notes may appear on the bottom right
of the screen:
IND - Auto-indent, when the RETURN key is
pressed, the cursor will advance to a
position on the next line which matches
the previous lines
indentation.
INS - Insert mode, as characters are typed they
are inserted in front of the characters that
are already to the right of the cursor.
REP - Replace mode, as characters are typed they
are replacing characters that may already be
there.
WRAP - Word wrap, when a space is typed after
column 70 a RETURN will be generated
automatically.
<< BUSY >> - Indication that the editor is involved with
an operation that may take a few seconds.
The left and right border lines may contain the special
"<" (less than) and ">" (greater than) symbols at times.
These are used to indicate that there are more columns of
data in the file than what will fit on the display. The
editor supports up to 132 columns per line but the display
screen can only show 78 at a time. By moving the cursor to
the beginning or end of a line the editor will
automatically adjust the file within the display screen to
show the entire line.
The left border may also show a special arrow symbol
which indicates where the last line of the current page
will be.
6. Keyboard Commands
The 10 Function keys on the left side of the keyboard
take on special meaning while the editor is active:
F1 - Move to the beginning of the file. The screen will
display the first 22 lines of the file and the cursor
will be positioned at the upper left corner.
F2 - Move to the end of the file. The display will
change so that the screen will show the end of the
file, and the cursor will be on the line below the
last line.
F3 - Move to the beginning of the current line. The
cursor will move to column 1 of the current line and
the file will shift to the right, if necessary, so
that it can be displayed.
F4 - Move to the end of the current line. The cursor
will move to one character past the end of the current
line. If necessary the file will be adjusted so that
the end of the line fits on the screen.
F5 - Insert a blank line before the current line. The
file size will be increased to make room for the
inserted line.
F6 - Delete the current line and save it. The line that
the cursor is on will be removed and the remaining
lines will be moved up. A copy of the deleted line
will be saved in the line stack and can be recalled
by pressing the PUT key, F8. So, if you accidentally
delete a line don't panic, just press F8 to un-delete
it !
Ctrl F6 - Delete current word. Remove the word that begins
with the current cursor position.
F7 - Pick a copy of the current line and save for later.
A copy of the current line is placed in the line
stack and can be recalled by pressing the PUT key,
F8. The cursor will advance to the next line
automatically. To pick up several lines at a time,
just press the F7 key several times. The line stack
normally holds up to 100 lines.
F8 - Put a saved line before the current line. The last
line to be placed in the line stack by a delete or
pick, will be inserted before the current line and
removed from the line stack. To insert several
lines from the line stack just press F8 repeatedly.
F9 - Quit editing. The editor will check to see if any
changes were made to the file. If changes were made
it will ask if you want to save the new file.
A "Y" response will cause the old file to be
replaced with the new one. A "N" response will
terminate the editor and all changes to the file
will be lost.
F10 - Display control and alternate key command summary.
The screen will clear and a summary of the special
control and alternate key commands will be
displayed. Pressing any key will clear the list
and return to the edit.
Other special keys on the keyboard have the following meanings:
Del - Delete the current character. Any data to the
right of the cursor will be shifted left to take up
the space of the deleted character.
End - Move the cursor to the lower left hand corner of
the screen.
Ctrl End - Move the cursor to the end of the file.
Esc - Escape. Used to cancel a command or to end the
edit session.
Home - Move the cursor to the upper left hand corner of
the screen.
Ctrl Home - Move the cursor to the beginning of the file.
Ins - Toggle the INSERT/REPLACE mode. When in INSERT
mode typed characters are inserted before existing
characters in the file. When in REPLACE mode,
typed characters overwrite existing characters.
PgDn - Move the file forward by one page (22 lines).
Ctrl PgDn - Move the file forward by 1/2 page (12 lines).
PgUp - Move the file backward by one page (22 lines).
Ctrl PgUp - Move the file backward by 1/2 page (12 lines).
Ctrl -> - Move cursor right to begining of next word.
Ctrl <- - Move cursor left to the begining of previous
word.
As indicated by the "help" page (F10), there are many
special commands that may be entered by holding down the
control or alternate key while typing a letter key. These
commands include the following:
Ctrl A - Define block lines. When Ctrl A is entered,
the current line that the cursor is on will
be highlighted. This defines the start of the
blocked line area that may be acted upon by
using the following keys:
F5 - Insert a block of lines in front of
the indicated lines.
F6 - Delete the block of lines that
are outlined. Save a copy of them
in the line stack for inserting with
the F8 key.
F7 - Pick up a copy of the outlined
lines. The copy is saved in
the line stack and can be inserted
elsewhere in the file by pressing
the F8 key.
Esc - Abort the block command.
Alt A - Define block area. When Alt A is entered,
the current character that the cursor is at
will be highlighted. This defines a corner
of a rectangular block of characters that can
be acted upon. Move the cursor to define the
opposite corner then enter one of the following:
F5 - Insert a block of spaces in front of
the indicated lines.
F6 - Delete the block of characters that
are outlined. Save a copy of them
in the line stack for inserting with
the F8 key.
F7 - Pick up a copy of the outlined
characters. The copy is saved in
the line stack and can be inserted
elsewhere in the file by pressing
the F8 key.
Esc - Abort the block command.
Ctrl B - Break the current line in two by moving the
data to the right of the cursor to the next
line.
Alt B - Un-break. Join the current line with the
next line.
Ctrl C - Insert a control character into the file.
The editor will prompt with:
Control ?
Enter a character and press return. The
control character will be displayed in
inverse video. This is useful for
inserting characters such as control "["
which is a ESCAPE character that is
recognized by many printers for special
printing commands. Also the FORM FEED
character, control "L" is used by most
printers to instruct it to move to the top
of a new page.
Alt C - Center current line. The line will be
centered based on the current left and right
margin settings.
Ctrl D - Delete the current line. This is identical
to the F6 function key. It is prefered by
many typists that do not like to have their
fingers leave the home keys while editing.
Alt D - Delete multiple lines. The editor will
prompt for the number of lines to be deleted.
The specified number of lines will be deleted
starting with the current line. They will not
be copied to the line stack so they cannot be
restored if deleted by accident ! If you want
to delete till the end of file, enter a large
number such as 30000.
Ctrl E - Move the cursor to the end of the current
line. This command is identical to the F4
function key.
Alt E - Delete from the current cursor position to
the end of the line. All characters to the
right, including the current character, will
be deleted.
Ctrl F - Find a string. The editor will prompt for
a character sequence that it is to search for.
If it finds an exact occurrence of the string,
it will display the page that shows the string
and the cursor will be positioned at the
beginning of the string. Otherwise, an error
message will be displayed at the bottom of the
screen.
Alt F - Find string again. The editor will search
forward thru the file searching for the next
occurrence of the previously specified search
string (See Ctrl F).
Ctrl G - Go to a line. The editor will prompt for a
line number. When a specific line number is
entered, the editor will position the file so
that the specified line is on the screen and
the cursor is at the beginning of the line.
Alt G - Go to a previously marked position. The
file will be positioned to a previously defined
page and cursor position as specified by the
Alt M command.
Ctrl J - Justify text. The editor will prompt for
information that is required for re-arranging
paragraphs of text based on specific margins.
A paragraph is defined as a group of lines
separated by a blank line. The prompts for
information will indicate the current or default
values for each parameter and allow you to
enter new values. The cursor should be on the
first line of the paragraph when using this
command. After entering the last parameter,
the editor will process the paragraph(s) and
the the justified text will appear. Use the
Alt J command to justify other paragraphs
without asking for the parameter values.
Alt J - Justify text without asking. The text will
be justified based on previously specified or
default parameters (see Ctrl J).
Ctrl K - Define a keystroke macro. This command is
simple yet powerful. When entered, the letters
"DEF" flash on the bottom right of the screen.
While in this mode all keys strokes that are
entered are remembered and the exact sequence
can be recalled later by entering the Ctrl X
command. To end the definition of a key stroke
sequence press Ctrl K again.
Ctrl L - Insert a line. This command is identical
to the function key F5. A blank line will
be inserted in front of the current line.
Alt M - Mark the current location. The current
page and cursor position are saved.
To return to the exact spot enter the
Alt G command.
Ctrl N - Move to next file. The editor will
check to see if any changes were made to the
current file and ask if they should be saved
to disk. Then it will prompt for a new file
name. The line stack buffer will stay in tact
and portions of the old file can be copied to
the new file. The old file name and position
are saved so that you can return to it by
entering Alt N.
Alt N - Switch to the alternate file. The editor
will check to see if any changes were made
to the current file and ask if they should
be saved to disk. Then it will call up the
file that you had switched from via the Ctrl N
command and return to the exact position that
you were in when you left. You can "bounce"
between two files by repeated entries of
the Alt N command.
Ctrl O - Toggle the auto-indent mode. This command
will change the current indentation mode from
automatic to manual and back. Auto-indent
mode is indicated by the letters "IND"
displayed on the bottom right of the screen.
When in auto-indent mode, the editor matches
the indentation of the previous line.
Ctrl P - Print the current page. The current page
(22 lines) will be sent to the default line
printer. Lines in excess of 78 columns will
be printed even though they may not appear
on the screen. Use the Alt P command to force
the printer to the top of the page when needed.
Alt P - Send a FORM-FEED character to the printer.
Ctrl R - Replace a sequence of characters with a new
sequence or "string". The editor will prompt
for the exact sequence of characters that it
is to search for and replace. Then it will
prompt for a new string. It will search
forward from the current cursor position
for the next occurrence of the specified
string. When found it will display the page
that the string was found on and highlight
the sequence by flashing it and ask if the
occurrence should be changed. It then
moves on to the next occurrence. This command
can be aborted at any time by pressing the
Esc key.
Alt R - Replace without asking. This is similar
to the Ctrl R command but it will not ask each
time an occurrence is found, it will simply
change it and go on. This command can be
interrupted by pressing any key while it is
working.
Ctrl S - Save the current file to disk. This
command will force the editor to write the
edit buffer to disk, replacing the old disk
file if it exists.
Alt S - Save the current edit buffer to a different
file. This command will prompt for a new
file name then write the edit buffer to the
new file.
Ctrl T - Move current line to top of screen. The
file data is not affected but the file is
displayed so that the current line is at the
top of the screen.
Ctrl U - Execute a DOS command. The editor will
prompt for a DOS command. Any command may
be entered while in the editor as long as
there is memory available. The edit session
will be suspended until the command has been
completed. The edit will continue were it left off.
Ctrl V - Display version information. The version
and release date will be displayed at the
bottom of the screen. If the file being edited
has a ".c" extension this command takes on new
meaning. It will take a 'C' comment and draw
a comment box around it.
Ctrl W - Toggle the word wrap mode. When in word
wrap mode the letters "WRAP" will appear at
the bottom right of the screen. Word wrap
forces a RETURN whenever a space is entered
after column 70.
Ctrl X - Execute a keystroke macro. This will cause
the editor to repeat a sequence of key
strokes which were previously saved using
Ctrl K key.
Alt Z - Refresh the screen. This will cause the
editor to clear the screen and re-write the
display according to what the editor believes
it should be. This is useful to correct
display errors caused by other programs
writing to the screen while you are editing,
such as error messages from DOS about the
printer being off-line.
7. Configuration Parameters
There are several parameters associated with the editor which
may be pre-set by the user. These parameters include the
following:
Parameter Options Normal Default
Typing Mode Replace/Insert Replace
Create Backup Files On/Off Off
Auto-Offset Indent On/Off Off
Word Wrap Mode On/Off Off
Line Expansion On/Off Off
Write Tabs to Disk On/Off Off
Tab Settings Specific Every 4th Column
Left Justify Margin Value 5
Right Justify Margin Value 70
Lines Per Page Value 55
Default parameter settings can be established by the
use of a single DOS Environment Variable; ME (environment
variables are discussed in the DOS Manual under the
Advanced Commands section for the command SET). Each
parameter has a key letter associated with it and the
presence of the letter in the environment variable string
implies that the option be turned on or set to a specified
value. The syntax of setting the ME environment variable is
as follows:
set ME=options_letters/values
These options include the following:
I - Set default type mode to Insert instead of
Replace.
B - Enable the creation of file Backup copies.
Whenever a file is saved to disk the original
file will be re-named with a ".bak" extension.
O - Enable auto-indent offset option. When a
RETURN is pressed the cursor will align with
the same indentation as the previous line.
W - Enable Word Wrap feature. When a space is
encountered beyond the right margin, a RETURN
will automatically be generated.
X - Enable line expansion during justification.
This will cause extra spaces to be inserted
between words to make lines even on their right
margins.
A - Write tabs to disk. When a file is written
to disk tab characters will be written when
possible to replace multiple spaces at the
beginning of each line.
Tn1,n2,... - Set default tab stops to n1, n2, n3,
etc....
Rn - Set right margin to value n.
Ln - Set left margin to value n.
Pn - Set number of lines per page to value n.