Night Owl 6

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Night Owl 6 / Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso / 019a / tpe30.zip / TPE.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1991-10-27 | 97KB | 1,991 lines

TPE: Turbo Powered Editor Version 3.0 Brian Foley TurboPower Software October 1991 Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TPE is a programmer's editor that we at TurboPower Software developed for our own use. TPE was created initially by fusing together parts of two editors in Borland's now defunct Editor Toolbox: FirstEd and MicroStar. Over time, however, TPE has evolved into a fairly distinctive program. The basic architecture remains largely the same, but the list of features has changed substantially. We'll get to those in a moment. TPE was developed primarily for our own use, and for the most part it remained "our little secret" for roughly three years. We gave it to various friends and acquaintances during that time, however, and many of them became overnight converts. "Why don't you put it on CompuServe?" they would ask. "We don't want to face the non-stop stream of requests for enhancements. Everyone has his own idea of how a text editor should work," we would reply. Or "Why don't you sell it?" they would ask. "We don't want to get into that market. We like the business we're in." And we still feel that way. So why did we decide to release TPE to the public after all? The main reason is that an awful lot of Turbo Pascal programmers we talk to seem to need it, or at least something like it. Many really like the Turbo Pascal IDE, the ease with which they can go from editing to compiling to debugging, but they are increasingly feeling cramped by the program's memory requirements. Many also like the alternative IDE in our Turbo Analyst package, but feel constrained by the limitations of its editor. These are problems that we just don't face ourselves, and the simple reason is that we use TPE for almost everything we write. We finally decided that it just wasn't right to keep it to ourselves any more. So here it is. Since the list of features in TPE is indeed long, we'll just hit on some of the highlights here: - Virtual memory management (optional) allows editing of files larger than will fit into memory - Up to eight zoomable and resizable windows for editing multiple files or different parts of a single file - Swapping exec function--TPE uses only 4K of memory while executing DOS commands or other programs - Hotkey access to compilers (up to 5), assembler, and debugger - Recognizes compiler errors generated by Turbo Pascal (TPC, TPCX, TPCW), Turbo Assembler (TASM), Macro Assembler (MASM), and Borland C++ (BCC, BCCX) and moves cursor to position of the error - Maintains list of 8 most recently edited files and allows easy retrieval of them - Support for EGA 43-line, VGA 50-line, and user-defined text modes - Synchronized scrolling option for comparing the contents of two windows - Cut and paste between windows - WordStar-compatible command structure - Fully configurable keyboard - Word wrap, smart tabs, fixed tabs, autoindent mode - Keyboard macro system, search-and-apply-macro command, ability to create self-repeating and self-aborting macros - Text markers - Undo command - Four line-drawing modes - Solid (block) cursor option - Commands for indenting, aligning, and reformatting blocks of text - Brace-matching commands for finding mismatched comment braces, parentheses, brackets, etc. In comparison with the best known commercial programmer's editors, TPE really lacks only two things: 1) It does not have a full undo facility, just a simple undelete function, and 2) its macro system is fairly simplistic. On the other hand, TPE has the three F's: it's Fast, Flexible, and Free. What's New in TPE 3.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Version 3.0 offers a multitude of enhancements over version 2.x. The following is a concise list of the things that are new and different in 3.0. Most of these items are described in greater detail elsewhere in the documentation. - now includes virtual memory manager to allow editing of files larger than will fit into memory; select the source of virtual memory in TINSTALL or with command line option - now allows you to define up to 5 compilers; select the one you want to use by pressing <ShF5> until its name appears on the status line - can now swap to XMS as well as EMS and disk when executing other programs - now uses separate file (TPE.CFG) for storing configuration data, allowing TPE.EXE to be compressed; CFG file can optionally be updated on exit - new <AltF5> command to display user screen - now traps compiler errors generated by Turbo Pascal, TASM, MASM, and Borland C++ and moves the cursor to the position of the first error or warning - now has option to pause after executing the primary file - now has option to save all modified files before executing a DOS shell - now has option to assemble the file in the current window (rather than the primary file, so that you don't have to change the primary file in order to assemble the file you're editing) - now lets you specify (via TINSTALL) a user-defined video mode that you can use by default or switch in and out of with <AltT><AltU> - now offers a "synchronized scrolling" option, activated with <AltS><AltS>, which causes all visible windows to scroll in unison when a cursor movement command is issued - now maintains a file "reload list" containing the last 8 files that you've edited, the location of the cursor when the window was closed, and the options that were set for the window; <CtrlF3> allows you to load a file from the list into a new window, and <ShF3> lets you load a file from the list into the current window; reload list also stores primary file setting - the reload list is saved automatically in TPE.RLL, either in the current directory or in the support path, when you exit (optional) - if the reload list was saved, you can use 'TPE /L' to reload the last file you edited, or 'TPE /A' to reload all files that were open when you last exited from TPE; specifying either /L or /A will also restore your primary file setting - you can now specify up to 8 filenames on TPE's command line (old limit was 3); you can also now specify a command line parameter that indicates a line number to jump to following the filename - other command line parameters let you select the video mode to use while editing or request use of black-and-white video attributes; use "TPE /?" to see a list of available command line options - new option to change format of status line so that it displays total number of lines in the file rather than the absolute position of the cursor within the file - now lets you set default search options with TINSTALL - now lets you specify printer initialization/reset strings - the <CtrlLeft> and <CtrlRight> commands in the prompt editor are now consistent with those in TPE itself - directory list now supplies '..' if necessary when displaying subdirectories on Netware drives - now has command line option to allow editing of UNIX files Installing TPE with TINSTALL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before using TPE, you will want to run the installation program that comes with it, TINSTALL. There are MANY configuration options available in TINSTALL, but only a few are truly important, so we'll cover those first. When you load TINSTALL, you'll be presented with a scrollable data entry screen that displays several basic configuration options. Most of the ones we're interested in now are on subsequent pages. To get to one you can't see at first, press either <Down> or <PgDn>. The following are the configuration options you should set initially: Configuration option Default setting (if any) ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Directory for supporting files This setting determines where TPE will look for its help file (TPE.HLP), its standard macro file (TPE.MAC), and (by default) its reload list file (TPE.RLL). Typically this will be the drive:\directory containing TPE.EXE and TPE.CFG. Source of virtual memory for editing RAM This setting determines the source of memory to be used to store text being edited. By default, TPE uses normal RAM, but you can also select EMS, XMS, or Disk here. If the desired source of virtual memory is not available, or is too limited to be of use, TPE will display an error message when it starts and use normal RAM instead. We generally advise use of Disk space for virtual memory only if you have a large (1-2 megabyte) disk cache installed. See the section on TPE's Virtual Memory Manager, below, for additional information about this feature. Printer to use LPT1 You can choose LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, COM1, or COM2. This setting is important only in the sense that you can't print with TPE if it is wrong. Name of swap file $TPE$.SWP This option is important only if your machine lacks EMS/XMS, or if you don't have enough EMS/XMS for TPE to use it when swapping itself out before executing other programs. (The amount of EMS/XMS needed varies depending on the number of files loaded, etc., but at least 250K is needed in all cases, more if EMS/XMS is being used by the virtual memory manager.) The default filename is fine, but you will probably want to specify a complete pathname, so that the swap file will always be in the same place. Compiler 1 Name of compiler TPC C:\TP6\TPC.EXE Primary options /M /$D- /$L- /L Secondary options /M /$D+ /$L+ /L /V These let you specify the complete pathname for your primary compiler and any command line options that should be sent to it, as well as an abbreviation of up to 4 letters that uniquely identifies this compiler. This abbreviation will be displayed on the status line when this compiler is the default compiler. The two sets of options correspond to two different Compile program commands in the editor, allowing you to easily alternate between compiling with or without debug information. Note that you can specify up to four other compilers for TPE to use (Compilers 2-5). TINSTALL also lets you select a Default compiler (normally Compiler 1), and TPE lets you switch compilers dynamically by pressing <ShF5>. Pathname for assembler C:\TASM\TASM.EXE Options for assembler Assemble file in current window Y These let you specify the complete pathname for your assembler and any command line options that should be sent to it. If the Assemble file in current window option is set to Y, TPE will pass the name of the file in the current window to the assembler; if it is set to N, TPE will pass the name of the primary file. Pathname for debugger C:\TD\TD.EXE Options for debugger These let you specify the complete pathname for your debugger and any command line options that should be sent to it. Of the remaining configuration options, only a couple require detailed explanations, so we'll go over those next. On the third page of configuration options, you'll find a section labelled "Video attributes". The options in this section let you change the colors used by TPE. There are two sets of colors: one for color systems, the other for monochrome adapters and color adapters running in a black-and-white video mode (BW80). These are the color settings and what they mean: Attribute Color Mono ---------------------------------------- ------- --------------------------- Text 1E 07 Ordinary text within an editing window. Marked blocks 1B 0F Color used to highlight marked blocks. Also used to display control characters embedded in the text. Text markers 5F 09 Color used to display text markers (sometimes called bookmarks). Highlighted search text 4F 70 Color used to temporarily highlight text found in a search operation. Window status line 2F 70 Color used for each window's status line. Command line 0B 07 Color used for the command line at the top of the screen. Block cursor 4F 70 Color used for a solid (non-blinking) block cursor. Menu items (unselected) 3F 07 Color used for unselected items in a menu (filenames in a directory list, for example). Menu items (selected) 3F 0F Color used to highlight a selected item in a menu. Menu items (alternate) 4F 70 Alternate color used for unselected items in a menu (directory names in a directory list, for example). Menu frame 3E 0F Color used for the frame around a menu/pick list. When the cursor is on one of these fields, the line at the top of the screen will change colors to give you a sample of the current color setting for that particular item. There are two ways to change one of these colors. If you know the hex value for the color you want, you can just enter it. For example, for white text on a red background, you'd enter "4F". The easier way is to press <F10> and select the color you want with the cursor keys. When you've got the correct color highlighted, press <Enter>. The next option that requires special comment is the very first one on the second page of options, Modify key assignments. When you press <Enter> with the cursor on this field, a new window will appear that shows all the commands in TPE and the keys they are assigned to. To change or add a key assignment, move the highlight bar to the one you want to modify and press <Enter>, then press the key(s) you want to assign the command to. While entering a key assignment, the following commands are available: <BkSp>, <CtrlBkSp> Delete last key <CtrlC>, <CtrlY> Clear the key assignment <CtrlR>, <CtrlQ><L> Restore the previous value <Enter> Accept key assignment <Esc>, <CtrlBreak> Cancel the operation If you need to enter one of these keys as part of the key assignment, press <ScrollLock> to switch to literal mode rather than command mode, enter the key(s), then press <ScrollLock> to switch back to command mode. To accept any changes that you have made and return to the main entry screen, press <Esc> or <CtrlEnter>. TINSTALL will then check to make sure that there are no conflicts among the key assignments. If any conflicts are found, an error message will be displayed and the keys causing the conflicts will be highlighted. TINSTALL will not allow you to return to the main entry screen until you have resolved all conflicts. If you decide that you'd rather just leave the keys the way they were before you made your changes, you can press <CtrlR> to Restore the default settings, then press <Esc>. The only other options that require special comment are the following: Configuration option Default setting ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Printer initialization string Printer reset string ^L^M These options allow you to specify special strings that are to be sent to the printer before and after text is sent to the printer. They require special comment only because any strings you may specify will typically need to contain control characters, such as <Esc>. To enter a control character into one of these strings, simply press <CtrlP> first. For example, to enter an <Esc> character, press <CtrlP><Ctrl[>. The default printer reset string simply sends a form feed and carriage return to the printer to eject the last page. If this isn't necessary for your printer, you should clear this string. The rest of the options are fairly self-explanatory, so we'll give only a brief description of what they mean. Most of them correspond to TPE commands that we'll be discussing later. Configuration option Default setting (if any) ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Configuration options File for virtual memory on disk $TPE$.VMF Specifies the name of the file that the virtual memory manager will use if Disk is the source of virtual memory. If no directory is specified, the file will be stored in the current directory. Amount of EMS/XMS to reserve (in KB) 0 This value specifies the amount of EMS or XMS (in kilobytes) that the virtual memory manager is supposed to leave available for other programs. Note that it always sets aside enough memory for the swapping exec function to use EMS/XMS if you answer Yes to either the "Use EMS if available" question or the "Use XMS if available" question" (see below). Save config data on exit N If this option is on, the CFG file is updated automatically on exit. Save reload list on exit Y If this option is on, the reload list is saved automatically on exit. Directory for reload list Support path This option lets you specify where you want the reload list stored when you exit from TPE. By default, it's stored in the support path, but you can also select Currrent dir, in which case you can maintain multiple reload lists in multiple directories. File options Create BAK files when saving Y If Yes, TPE will rename existing files with a BAK extension before overwriting them. Expand tabs to spaces when reading Y If Yes, tab characters are expanded to spaces when reading in a new file. Compress spaces to tabs when writing N If Yes, spaces are compressed to tab characters when writing a file to disk. Default extension for filenames PAS Extension to be applied to filenames when none is specified. If you don't want one to be applied, leave this field empty. Editing options Insert mode on by default Y If Yes, insert mode will be the default, else overtype mode. AutoIndent on by default Y If Yes, autoindent mode is on by default. Word wrap on by default Y If Yes, word wrap is on by default. Fixed tabs on by default N If Yes, fixed tabs will be the default, else smart tabs. Compress lines before wrapping Y If Yes, excess white space will be compressed out of a line when wrapping. Default left margin 1 Specifies the default left margin. Default right margin 78 Specifies the default right margin. Default size for fixed tabs 8 Specifies the default spacing for fixed tabs. Indent level for marked blocks 2 This setting governs the behavior of the indent and unindent block commands. Lines to reserve on undelete stack 20 Specifies the size of the stack used to store deleted lines. Default search options U Default options to use for search and find-and-replace commands. Window options Use block cursor when editing Y If Yes, a solid block cursor is used rather than a blinking cursor. Zoom windows by default N If Yes, new windows will be zoomed when first opened. Use black and white video attributes N If Yes, TPE will use black and white (monochrome) video attributes, even if a color adapter is detected. Status line format (bytes or lines) Byte count If this option is set to Byte count, the status line for each window will display the absolute position of the cursor within the file. If it is set to Total lines, the status line will instead display the total number of lines in the file--e.g., "5 / 1024", where 5 is the current line number and 1024 is the total number of lines in the file. Screen options User-defined video mode specified N If Yes, you must specify a user-defined video mode in the next field. This mode can be toggled on/off within TPE using <AltT><AltU>. User-defined video mode 00 If the answer to the previous question is Yes, this field should specify, using hexadecimal notation, the number of the video mode you want TPE to use when the <AltT><AltU> command is issued. TPE is designed to work with text modes that display anywhere from 40 to 132 columns, and virtually any number of rows. Specifying 01 here, for example, will allow you to activate 40x25 mode on any non-monochrome adapter. Specifying 55 here will allow you to activate 132x25 mode on a VGA that uses the Paradise chip set. Be forewarned that not all video cards that implement non-standard text modes allow them to be activated using the standard BIOS Set video mode function. If yours doesn't, you won't be able to use this facility in TPE. Default to 43-/50-line mode (EGA/VGA) N If Yes, TPE will switch to 43-/50-line mode when the program first starts. Default to user-defined video mode N If Yes, TPE will switch to the user-defined video mode when the program first starts. Suppress snow (CGA) Y If Yes, TPE will try to suppress snow when writing to video memory on a CGA card. Exec options Default extension for executables EXE Normally this will be "EXE"; change it to "COM" only if you write mostly programs that compile to COM files. Use EMS if available Y If Yes, EMS is used for swapping if it is available. Use XMS if available Y If Yes, XMS is used for swapping if it is available. Display "Swapping..." message Disk Determines whether or not a "Swapping" message is displayed when executing other programs. If "Disk", it is displayed only when swapping to disk. If "Always", it is displayed when swapping to disk, EMS, or XMS. If "Never", it is never displayed. Save modified files before exec N If Yes, TPE will save all modified files before executing a DOS shell or executing a program you specify. Note that this is always done when TPE execs the compiler, assembler, debugger, or the program associated with the primary file. Pause after running primary program N If Yes, you will be asked to press a key to return to TPE after it has executed the program associated with the primary file. Note that you can view the output of your program by pressing <AltF5> to display "the user screen." Confirm parameters Y If Yes, you will be given a chance to edit the command line sent to any program being executed. Compilers Default compiler 1 (TPC) Press <Space>, <+>, or <-> here to select the compiler you'll normally want to use. Within TPE, you can change this setting with <ShF5>. Trap compilation errors Y If Yes, TPE will attempt to identify errors reported by the compiler or assembler, and to move the cursor to the position of the error. TPE currently recognizes errors and warnings reported by recent versions of Turbo Pascal (TPC and TPCX), Turbo Pascal for Windows (TPCW), Turbo Assembler (TASM), Macro Assembler (MASM), and Borland C++ (BCC, BCCX). You'll probably want to set this to N only if your default compiler is not one of these. Note that in the case of compilers/assemblers that can generate multiple errors and warnings, TPE will pay attention only to the first error or warning still visible on the user screen. Press <AltF5> to view any other error messages that were generated. Open new window for compile errors Y If Yes, TPE will open a new window when it detects a compiler error in a file that is not currently loaded. If No, TPE will load the file into the current window if it is not already loaded. Assembler Name of assembler C:\TASM\TASM.EXE Specify the complete pathname of your assembler (if any). Options for assembler Specify the default options you want passed to the assembler. If you're using MASM, you should specify ";" here if nothing else. Assemble file in current window Y If Yes, TPE will pass the assembler the name of the file in the current window. If No, it will pass the name of the primary file. Debugger Name of debugger C:\TD\TD.EXE Specify the complete pathname of your debugger (if any). Options for debugger Specify the default options you want passed to the debugger. As you look at the default settings, you'll see that the program is configured for use with Turbo Pascal 6.0, Turbo Assembler, and Turbo Debugger. That doesn't mean it can't be used with other languages and tools, however. One of the most enthusiastic users of TPE is a C programmer, and another programs mostly in assembly language. Now, when you have set the options the way you want them, press <CtrlEnter>. TINSTALL will then save any changes you have made by modifying (or creating) TPE.CFG, and it will write a new version of TPE.HLP that reflects the key assignments you have specified. Note that, if it doesn't yet exist, TPE.HLP will be created whether you have modified any configuration settings or not. If you haven't changed anything and you don't want TPE.HLP to be created, or if you want to cancel the changes you have made, press <Esc> to exit instead of <CtrlEnter>. Starting TPE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now that you've got TPE installed for your system, you're ready to run the program. TPE expects a command line of the following form: TPE [Options] [FileName1] .. [FileName8] That is, you may specify up to eight filenames on the command line. If you have given TPE a default extension to use ("PAS" is the default), it will apply it to these filenames if no extension is specified. For example, to edit MYPROG.PAS, you could enter either of the following tpe myprog tpe myprog.pas If you need to edit a file without an extension, add a period to the end of the name: tpe readme. Although a filename may contain wildcards, TPE will ignore all filenames thereafter. That is, the following will work: tpe myprog myprog.inc *.doc TPE would load MYPROG.PAS and MYPROG.INC into the editor, and it would then display a list of all files in the current directory with an extension of DOC. This will not work, however: tpe *.pas myprog.inc *.doc TPE would ignore everything after "*.pas". If you don't specify any filenames as parameters, TPE will start by displaying a directory list. If there's a default extension, it will use that extension (e.g., "*.PAS"); if not, it will display all files in the directory (if memory allows). If you press <Esc> twice, TPE will create a "NONAME" file for you to edit, which you can rename later when you go to save the file. TPE also recognizes the following command line options: /L Reload last file (can be used multiple times) /A Reload all files /Jnnn Jump to line nnn. MUST follow a filename. /E Use EMS for virtual memory /X Use XMS for virtual memory /D Use disk for virtual memory /N Use normal RAM /U Use user-defined video mode /43 Use EGA 43-line mode /50 Use VGA 50-line mode (same as /43) /BW Use black and white (mono) video attributes /UNIX Edit UNIX files /? Display this help screen These options are fairly self-explanatory. /E, /X, /D, and /N allow you to specify the source of the memory to be used by the virtual memory manager, overriding the default setting selected with TINSTALL. /U, /43, and /50 let you specify the text mode to be used while editing. And /BW lets you request the use of black-and-white video attributes. You might use this when running TPE on a laptop. The /J option lets you specify a line number to jump to: tpe myprog.pas /J750 would load MYPROG.PAS and move the cursor to line 750. This parameter should be used only if the previous parameter was an actual filename. If it wasn't a filename, the parameter will be ignored. The /UNIX option should be specified when editing files intended to be used under UNIX. If this option is specified, TPE uses ^J (rather than ^M^J) as a line delimiter, and it does not append a ^Z to the ends of files it creates. /L and /A require some explanation. By default, when you exit from TPE, it writes the contents of its reload list to a file, TPE.RLL, either in the current directory or in the support directory. Just before doing so, it adds all files currently in memory to the reload list and marks them as loaded. The file above the current file is added first, and the current file is added last, at the top of the list. Now, if you start TPE with the /L option, it will automatically load the file that was current when you last exited and put the cursor right where it was. To load both that file and the one that was below it, use "TPE /L /L". To reload all files that were loaded at the time you exited, use "TPE /A". The windows won't necessarily be the same size or in the same place as they were, but the same files will be loaded (unless multiple windows were open onto the same file) and the cursor will be in the right place in each window. Note that specifying either /L or /A will also restore your primary file setting to what it was when you exited. TPE's Configuration File (TPE.CFG) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A few words about the TPE.CFG file are also in order here. TPE will normally look for it first in the current directory, then in the directory that TPE.EXE was loaded from (under DOS 3.x or higher), then in all directories on DOS's PATH. If it can't find it, it will display an error message and proceed to use the "factory default" settings. Note, however, that if you need to run TPE.EXE from a network drive and have multiple users using it, each with his own TPE.CFG file, what you can do is have each user set an environment variable that specifies the directory where his copy of TPE is stored: SET TPE=C:\TPE DO NOT specify the name of the configuration file, which is assumed to be TPE.CFG, just the drive and directory. This environment variable, if it exists, will be used only to locate TPE.CFG. (TINSTALL does not check for the existence of this environment variable, incidentally, only TPE.) Note too that, although it is possible to have multiple TPE.CFG files stored in multiple directories, we generally recommend that you maintain a single CFG file, preferably in the same directory as TPE.EXE. If you have multiple CFG files with different settings stored in various directories, the behavior of TPE will change depending on where you are when you load it. This could conceivably be desirable in certain cases, but it can also lead to confusion in others. For this last reason, we discourage the practice. On the other hand, if you've selected the Save config data on exit option, and you're the kind of programmer who works on a variety of projects at once, each with its own directory, and you always change to the appropriate directory before working on that project, you may also prefer to maintain multiple CFG files, one in each of these directories. If so, you will probably also want to select the option to save the reload list in the current directory rather than the support path. The Status Line ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As indicated earlier, the top line of TPE's screen is used as a command line. It's where you respond to requests for search strings, filenames, etc., and it is also used to display messages. The remainder of the screen is used for the editing windows, up to 8 of them at a time. At the top of each window is a status line of the following form: »SAVE« FILENAME.EXT Line nnnnnn Col nnn Byte nnnnnnnn TPC INS ST AI WW * »ZOOM« The "»SAVE«" indicator is present only when the file has been modified. If you are in a line-drawing mode, it will be replaced by a series of characters that indicate which of the four modes you are in (e.g., "─│┌┐└┘"). Or, if <ScrollLock> is on, "ScLock" will appear here instead, to indicate that the line drawing mode is being temporarily overridden. "FILENAME.EXT" is the name of the file being edited. If you need to be reminded of its full pathname, use the <AltI> command. (If you are editing in a user-defined 132-column mode, the full pathname will be displayed here if possible.) The next three slots on the command line indicate the position of the cursor relative to the beginning of the file. Note that if you have selected the Total lines option within TINSTALL, the format of the status line will be slightly different: »SAVE« FILENAME.EXT Line nnnnnnn / nnnnnnn Col nnn TPC INS ST AI WW * »ZOOM« In this format, the "nnnnnnn / nnnnnnn" following Line means "Current line / Total lines". "TPC" means that the default compiler is TPC.EXE. Use <ShF5> to select a different compiler. "INS" means that you are in insert mode. "OVR" means that you are in overtype mode. "ST" means that smart tabs are in use. "FT" means that fixed tabs are in use. "AI" means that autoindent mode is in effect. "WW" means that word wrap is on. "*" indicates that snow-checking is on. It will never appear unless you have a CGA card. "»ZOOM«" means that the current window has been zoomed. Three other messages can appear in this position: If the synchronized scrolling option is on, "∙SYNC∙" will appear here. If macro recording is on, "RECORD" will appear here instead. Or, if a macro is currently being played back, "MACRO!" will appear here until the macro is finished. (This visual reminder is useful because screen updates are suppressed while a macro is in progress.) The next few sections provide descriptions of all the commands in TPE, arranged into categories. The one that you will probably find most useful at first is the help command, <F1>, which opens a new window, loads TPE.HLP into it, and then zooms the window. This file, created by TINSTALL, gives a complete list of all the commands (arranged pretty much as they are here) and the keys they are assigned to. Basic Cursor Movement Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Character left <Left>, <CtrlS> Cursor left one character. Character right <Right>, <CtrlD> Cursor right one character. Word left <CtrlLeft>, <CtrlA> Cursor left one word. A "word" is any sequence of characters delimited by one of the following characters: space, tab, carriage return, line feed, < > , . / ? ; : " [ ] { } - = \ + | ( ) % @ & ^ $ # ! ~. If the cursor is at the beginning of a line, it is moved to the end of the previous line. Word right <CtrlRight>, <CtrlF> Cursor right one word. If the cursor is at the end of a line, it is moved to the beginning of the following line. Cursor to left side <Home>, <CtrlQ><S> Cursor to beginning of line. Cursor to right side <End>, <CtrlQ><D> Cursor to end of line--i.e., the position following the last non-blank character on the line. Trailing blanks are always removed from all lines to preserve space. Line up <Up>, <CtrlE> Cursor up one line. Line down <Down>, <CtrlX> Cursor down one line. Scroll up <CtrlW> Scroll window up one line. The cursor will remain on the current line unless that line is at the bottom of the window. Scroll down <CtrlZ> Scroll window down one line. The cursor will remain on the current line unless that line is at the top of the window. Page up <PgUp>, <CtrlR> Scroll window up one page. Page down <PgDn>, <CtrlC> Scroll window down one page. More Cursor Movement Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Top of file <CtrlPgUp>, <CtrlQ><R> Cursor to beginning of file. End of file <CtrlPgDn>, <CtrlQ><C> Cursor to end of file. Top of window <CtrlHome>, <CtrlQ><E> Cursor to top line of current window. The cursor remains in the same column. Bottom of window <CtrlEnd>, <CtrlQ><X> Cursor to bottom line of current window. The cursor remains in the same column. Up to equal indent <CtrlJ> Moves the cursor to the beginning of the first previous line with the same indentation level as the current line. For example, if the first non-blank character in the current line is at column 20, the cursor is moved to the next line up that also begins at column 20. Down to equal indent <CtrlJ><E> Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line with the same indentation level as the current line. Go to line <CtrlJ><L> Prompts for a line number, then moves the cursor to the specified line. Any positive integer value in the range 1 to 32767 is valid. If the value is preceded by a plus (+) or minus (-) sign, the target line number will be calculated relative to the current line. If the target line number is greater than the number of lines in the file, the cursor will be moved to the last line in the file. Go to column <CtrlJ><C> Prompts for a column number, then moves the cursor to the specified column of the current line. Any positive integer value in the range 1 to 999 is valid. If the value is preceded by a plus (+) or minus (-) sign, the target column number will be calculated relative to the current column. If the target column is greater than 999 or less than 1, the command is ignored. Go to byte <CtrlJ><A> Prompts for an byte offset, then moves the cursor to the specified absolute offset within the file. If the value is preceded by a plus (+) or minus (-) sign, the target offset will be calculated relative to the current offset. If the target offset is greater than the number of bytes in the file, the cursor will be moved to the end of the file. Previous cursor position <CtrlQ> Jump to the position the cursor was at before it was moved to the current line. This command is especially useful following a global search or replace operation. Match braces forward <CtrlQ><[> This command may be used to locate a matching "brace" character or character pair. For example, if the cursor is on a '{' character, this command would move the cursor to the corresponding '}'. The following characters and character pairs may be matched: ' ' single quotes " " double quotes ( ) parentheses [ ] square brackets < > angle brackets { } Pascal-style comment braces (* *) Pascal-style comments /* */ C-style comments Note that this command accounts for nested braces. For example, if the cursor were on the first '(' in I := (X*(Y+Z)); the cursor would move to the ')' preceding the ';', not the one following the 'Z'. Although the name of the command implies that it always searches in a forward direction, in most cases the search direction is determined by the character that the cursor is on. For example, if it is on a '}', it will search backwards. The only exceptions are the single- and double-quote characters, cases in which the search direction cannot be inferred. This command will always search forward for a match in these cases. Match braces backward <CtrlQ><]> This command is identical to the Match braces forward command, except in those cases where the cursor is on single- or double-quote character. In these cases, the command will always search backward. Insertion and Deletion Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ New line <Enter> In insert mode, this command inserts a line break at the position of the cursor; if autoindent mode is in effect, the cursor moves to the next line and to the same column as the first non-blank character in the previous line; otherwise, to column 1 of the new line. In overtype mode, this command moves the cursor to column 1 of the next line without inserting a new line, whether autoindent mode is in effect or not. Insert line <CtrlN> Inserts a line break at the position of the cursor without moving the cursor. Insert control char <CtrlP> Allows control characters to be entered into the text. For example, pressing <CtrlP><CtrlG> would insert a ^G into the text (pressing <CtrlP><G> would insert a G). Control characters are always displayed as highlighted capital letters in the color used for marked blocks. Delete current character <Del>, <CtrlG> Deletes the character under the cursor and moves any characters to the right of it one position to the left. This command does not work across line breaks. Delete left character <Bksp>, <CtrlBksp> Moves the cursor one character to the left and deletes the character there. Any characters to the right of the cursor are moved one position to the left. If the cursor is at the beginning of a line, the current line will be joined with the previous line. Delete right word <CtrlT> Deletes the word to the right of the cursor (see the definition of "word" given above for the Word left command). This command works across line breaks and thus may be used to remove line breaks. Delete line right <CtrlQ><Y>, <F6> Delete all text from the cursor to the end of the line. Delete line <CtrlY>, <CtrlF6> Delete the current line. Delete line (no undo) *none* This command is the same as the Delete line command, but the deleted line is not saved in the undo buffer. It is potentially useful when using the undo buffer to temporarily store lines being moved. Tab Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tab <Tab>, <CtrlI> Moves the cursor to the next tab stop. If insert mode is on, any text to the right of the cursor is moved to the right of the tab stop. When fixed tabs are in effect, the tab stops occur at 8-column intervals (by default). When smart tabs are in effect (the default setting), the tab stops are determined by the locations of the words on the previous line; the first character in each word represents a tab stop. Backward tab <ShTab> Moves the cursor to the previous tab stop. This command does nothing if smart tabs are in effect. Toggle fixed tabs <CtrlO><F> Toggles the tab mode between smart tabs and fixed tabs. Set tab size <AltS><AltT> Prompts the user for the number of columns between tab stops. The value specified must be in the range 1..100. Toggle tab expansion <AltT><AltT> Activates or deactivates option to "expand" tab characters to spaces when reading in files created with other editors. The assumed size of the tabs is specified with the Set tab size command. Toggle tab writing <AltT><AltW> Activates or deactivates option to compress spaces to tab characters when writing files to disk. The assumed size of the tabs is specified with the Set tab size command. Note that TPE will not try to compress spaces within quotation marks. Undo Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Restore line <CtrlQ><L>, <ShF6> Restore the original contents of the current line. Undo last deletion <CtrlQ>, <AltU> Used to restore whole lines deleted with the Delete line or Delete block commands. It will not restore single characters or words. To "undo" your most recent changes to the current line, use the Restore Line command. The size of the "undo buffer" used to save deleted lines may be specified with the Set undo limit command or with TINSTALL. Insert undo buffer <CtrlQ><V> Inserts the entire contents of the undo buffer into the current window just prior to the current line. This command is intended primarily to be used in macros. Flush undo buffer <CtrlQ><J> Empties the undo buffer. This command is intended primarily for use in macros, in cases where you wish to use the undo buffer as a scratchpad. Set undo limit <AltS><AltU> Allows you to set the size of the "undo buffer" used to store deleted lines. The default value is 20 lines. The size of this buffer may also be set with TINSTALL. Search and Replace ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Find pattern <CtrlQ><F>, <F4> This command lets you search for any string of up to 67 characters. When you enter this command, you will be prompted for a search string. The last search string entered (if any) will be displayed as a default. You may select it again by pressing <Enter>, edit it, or enter a new search string. <Esc> or <CtrlU> will cancel a search command, and <CtrlP> may be used to enter control characters: for example, to find a period at the end of a line, you would enter <.><CtrlP><CtrlM>. After the search string is entered, you are asked for search options. The options you used last are displayed at first. You may enter new options, edit the current options, or select them by pressing <Enter>. The following options are available: B Search backward from the current position of the cursor toward the beginning of the file. G Search globally. The entire file is scanned for the search string, regardless of the current position of the cursor. The search starts at the beginning of the file if searching forward; at the end if searching backward. L Search only within the currently marked block. n Find the n'th occurrence of the search string. The search starts at the position of the cursor unless the L or G option is also specified. U Ignore case; treat all alphabetic characters as if they were in upper case. W Search for whole words only; skip matching patterns that are embedded in other words. If the text contains a target matching the search string, the target is highlighted and the cursor is positioned just beyond it. Find and replace <CtrlQ><A>, <F3> This command allows you to replace one string of up to 67 characters with another. You will be prompted first for a search string, next for a replacement string, and finally for the search options. The valid options are the same as those for the Find pattern command, with the following exceptions: N Replace without asking. n Make a maximum of n replacements. (Overridden by L option.) If the text contains a target matching the search string, the target is highlighted and the cursor is positioned just beyond it. You are then asked if you wish to replace it. Press <Y> to replace it, <N> to ignore it, <A> to replace it and all subsequent matches without asking, or <Q> to abort the operation. If the N option was selected, this question will not be asked. Search and apply macro <CtrlQ><M> The Search and apply macro command lets you search for any string of up to 67 characters and then "apply a macro" to it: that is, move the cursor to the location of the target, and execute the commands stored in the macro. Search strings are entered in the same way that they are for the Find pattern command. After the search string is entered, you are shown a menu containing all of the macros you've defined. Move the highlight with the up and down cursor keys, and select the macro to apply by pressing <Enter>. You can abort the operation by pressing <Esc>. Finally, you are prompted for options. The options you used last are displayed at first. You may enter new options (canceling the old ones), edit the current options, or select them by pressing <Enter>. All the options available for the Find and Replace command are available here as well. The screen will not be updated while a search and apply macro operation is being performed. If you need to stop it, use the Abort command (<CtrlU>). The Search and apply macro command can be invoked inside a macro, making it possible to create an almost unlimited array of special commands. Note, however, that it may not be invoked recursively. That is, the macro to be applied may not itself execute the Search and apply macro command. Find next <CtrlL>, <ShF4> Repeat the last search operation, if any. If the last search command called for a Find pattern operation, the same search string and options will be used to repeat it. If it was a Find and replace operation, the replacement string will be reused as well. If it was a search and apply macro operation, the search string, options, and macro will all be reused. Note that if a search and apply macro operation is in progress, the last search operation will temporarily be considered Find pattern, to allow the macro to search for a second instance of the same string. For example, suppose you wanted to delete all text not within single quotes from the following block: 'One', abcdefg 'Two', hijklmn 'Three', opqrstu To do this, you could search for a single quote, and then apply the following macro to it: <BkSp> Delete the first ' <CtrlL> Find the second one on the line <Left> Move cursor over the second ' <CtrlQ><Y> Delete to end of line To perform this operation on the entire block, you would specify "LN" as your search options. File Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edit another file <AltF3> Load a new file into the current window. If the file being edited has been modified, you'll be asked to confirm that you wish to abandon it. Edit file from reload list <ShF3> Load a new file, selected from the reload list, into the current window. If the file being edited has been modified, you'll be asked to confirm that you wish to abandon it. Save and continue edit <CtrlK><S>, <F2> Save the current file and continue editing. Abandon file <CtrlK><Q>, <AltF2> Abandon the current file and close its window. If the file has been modified, and it is not being edited in another window, you will be asked to confirm this request. Abandon all and exit to DOS *none* Abandon all files and exit to DOS. If any of the files in memory have been modified, you will be asked if you want to save them. Save and exit to DOS <CtrlK><X>, <CtrlF2> Save the current file and close its window. If the current window is the only window, this command exits to DOS. Save all and exit to DOS <AltX> Save all modified files and exit to DOS. Save all and continue <ShF2> Save all modified files and continue editing. This command is especially useful in macros that execute other programs. Save/switch files <CtrlK><D> Save the current file and load a new one into the current window. Write to named file <CtrlK><N> Save the current file under a new name. Read block <CtrlK><R>, <AltF10> Reads a file into the window at the current position of the cursor and marks it as a block. Write block <CtrlK><W>, <F10> Writes the currently marked block to a file. You are first prompted for a filename. If the file already exists, you are asked if you want to append the block to the file or to overwrite it; if it does not exist, a new file is created. The block is left unchanged, and the block markers remain in place. If no block is marked, this command is ignored. Window Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Add window <CtrlO><A>, <AltW> Opens another text window. You will be prompted for a file to edit; if none is specified, a "NONAME" file is created, which you may later save as a named file using any of the Save file commands described above. If too many windows are open, you will get an error message. If you enter the name of a file already being edited, the new window will allow you to view a different section of the file than is displayed in the first window. Add window from reload list <^F3> This command is largely identical to the Add window command, but instead of being prompted for a file to edit you are asked to pick a file from the reload list. Previous window <CtrlO>, <ShF1> Makes the previous text window the current window. Next window <CtrlO><N>, <AltF1> Makes the next text window the current window. Resize current window <CtrlO><S> Allows you to change the size of the current window. You adjust the size by pressing the up and down cursor keys. When you are finished, pressing <Enter> or <Esc> returns you to the editor. Zoom current window <CtrlO><Z>, <AltZ> Zooms the current window to fill the entire screen, hiding the other text windows. When a window has been zoomed, "»ZOOM«" will appear at the top right corner of the status line. If you change windows while zoomed, the window you change to will be zoomed as well. If only one window is open at the time this command is given, the command does nothing except request that the next window opened should be zoomed. Block Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Begin block <CtrlK>, <F7> Marks the beginning of a block. The marker itself is not visible on the screen, and the block becomes visible only when the end block marker is set. You may also use the begin block marker as an extra text marker and jump directly to it with the Top of block command. End block <CtrlK><K>, <F8> Marks the end of a block. Like the begin block marker, the end block marker is invisible, and the block itself will not be displayed unless both markers are set. You may also use the end block marker as an extra text marker and jump directly to it with the Bottom of block command. Top of block <CtrlQ> Moves the cursor to the position of the block begin marker. The command works even if the block is hidden or the block end marker is not set. Bottom of block <CtrlQ><K> Moves the cursor to the position of the block end marker. The command works even if the block is hidden or the block begin marker is not set. Copy block <CtrlK><C>, <AltF7> Copy the currently marked and displayed block to the position of the cursor. The block markers are placed around the new copy of the block. Move block <CtrlK><V>, <AltF8> Move the currently marked and displayed block to the position of the cursor. The block markers remain around the block at its new position. Delete block <CtrlK><Y> Delete the currently marked and displayed block. Although the Undo command can usually restore portions of an accidentally deleted block, there is no command to restore a deleted block in its entirety, so you should use this command with care. Toggle block display <CtrlK><H> Toggle the display of marked blocks. Note that several of the other block commands do nothing or generate error messages if a marked block is not displayed. Mark current word <CtrlK><T> Mark the current word as a block. See the description of the Word left command for a definition of "word." Indent block <CtrlK> Indent all lines in the currently marked and displayed block by a fixed number of spaces. The default indention level of 2 may be changed using either TINSTALL or the Set indentation level command. The cursor must be within the block when the command is issued. Unindent block <CtrlK> Unindent all lines in the currently marked and displayed block by a fixed number of spaces (default is 2). Note that this command will not delete any non-blank characters at the beginning of a line. The cursor must be within the block when the command is issued. Increment marked block <^K><^G> Decrement marked block <^K><^L> These two commands are somewhat similar to the Upper case, Lower case, and Toggle case commands. If the cursor is not within a marked and displayed block, they increment or decrement the value of the character at the cursor, provided that it is not a space. If the cursor is within a block, the contents of that block are examined. If the block is all on one line *and* the string of characters within the block is a valid integer number in decimal format within the range -MaxLongInt..MaxLongInt, the command will increment or decrement that number. For example, if the block consists of "10", " 10", or "010", and the Increment marked block command were given, the block would be changed to "11", " 11", or "011" respectively. If the block is not on one line, or if the contents of the block is not a valid number, each non-blank character in the block will be incremented/decremented. For example, "BCDE" would become "CDEF"/"ABCD". One obvious use for these commands is to construct a macro such as the following: <CtrlK><CtrlT> Mark the current word as a block <CtrlK><CtrlG> Increment the value of the block <Down> Move the cursor to the next line <AltS><AltA> Abort the macro if the new line is empty <AltS><AltR> Repeat this macro Assuming that the cursor were at the top of a column of numbers (a series of constant declarations, for example), this macro would increment each number in the column until it reached a blank line. Before After ------ ------- "99" "100" " 99" "100" " 99" " 100" "0100" "0101" "0101" "0102" "0102" "0103" As you can see, it is acceptable for numbers to be left-padded with either zeros or spaces. If the number after incrementing is wider than it was before, all text to the right of the number will be pushed forward to make room. Align block <CtrlK><A> Aligns all lines in the currently marked and displayed block with the first line. For example, if the first non-blank character in the first line is at column 5, the text in the remaining lines in the block will be adjusted so that the first non-blank character in each line is at column 5. The cursor must be within the block when the command is issued. Reformat block <CtrlK><F> Reformats all paragraphs completely contained within the currently marked and displayed block. Note that this command does nothing if word wrap is off. Printing Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Print current file <AltK><AltP> Prints the current file in its entirety by writing it to the default printer device (LPT1). You can change the default printer device using TINSTALL if LPT1 is inappropriate for your system. (The other choices are LPT2, LPT3, COM1, and COM2.) By default, TPE will send a formfeed (^L^M) to the printer at the end of a print job, but you may disable this behavior using TINSTALL if you wish. Print block <CtrlK> Writes the currently marked and displayed block to the default printer device. By default, TPE will send a formfeed to the printer at the end of the print job. Text Marker Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Toggle marker display <CtrlK><M> Toggle the display of text markers. Set marker 0..9 <CtrlK><0>..<CtrlK><9> Sets one of the ten text markers at the position of the cursor. <CtrlK><0> sets marker 0, <CtrlK><1> sets marker 1, etc. Jump marker 0..9 <CtrlQ><0>..<CtrlQ><9> Moves the cursor to the specified text marker. <CtrlQ><0> jumps to marker 0, <CtrlQ><1> jumps to marker 1, etc. Macro Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Toggle macro record <CtrlJ><T> Turns macro recording on or off. When macro recording is on, all subsequent keystrokes (up to the 255-keystroke limit) are saved in the scrap macro until macro recording is turned off again. (Keystrokes used to turn it on and off are not saved.) Once the macro is recorded, you are asked to select a macro "slot" to store it in. Edit macro <AltS><AltM> Edit an existing macro. In the macro editor, special keys (function keys, cursor keys, etc.) are represented by abbreviated forms of their names--for example, <Esc><CtrlN><Enter>--and these symbols are highlighted. Regular keystrokes are shown as normal characters, without highlighting. When you issue this command, you are asked to select a macro to edit, then to enter a name for the macro (optional). Then you enter the macro editor itself. Several keys serve special purposes here: the cursor keys behave as usual, moving the cursor so you can select a particular keystroke to change; <BkSp> deletes a single keystroke, just as it does in the regular editor; <CtrlBkSp> deletes an entire macro; <Enter> accepts the macro. The <ScrollLock> key acts as a toggle, turning literal interpretation of keystrokes on and off. For example, if you wanted to insert the <Enter> key or the <BkSp> key into the macro, you would first press <ScrollLock>. Pressing it again would restore all special keys to their normal functions. The bottom right corner of the macro editor window indicates whether the editor is in Command mode or Literal mode. Load macros from disk <AltS><AltL> Allows you to load a file of previously saved macros. If the file you specify does not exist, an error message is displayed. Write macros to disk <AltS><AltW> Saves the current macros to the file you specify. Playback macro by menu <AltT><AltM> Displays a list of the currently defined macros. To play one of them back, move the highlight over the appropriate menu item and press <Enter>. Press <Esc> instead if you do not wish to playback a macro. Playback macro 1..9 <Alt1>..<Alt9> Plays back the specified macro one time. <Alt1> plays back macro 1, <Alt2> macro 2, and so on. Playback scrap macro <CtrlJ> Plays back the scrap macro (macro 0) a specified number of times. The scrap macro is always the same as the last macro that was recorded, even if that macro was saved as a normal macro (1-9). Note that the limit on the number of times that the macro can be played back depends on the length of the macro (if nothing else is in the keyboard buffer, the limit is '512 div Length(Macro)'). Playback scrap macro 1..9 time(s) <CtrlJ><1>..<CtrlJ><9> Plays back the scrap macro 1 to 9 times. <CtrlJ><1> plays it back once, <CtrlJ><2> twice, and so on. Special Commands for Use in Macros ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Force insert mode <AltF><AltI> Forces insert mode on. Force overtype mode <AltF><AltO> Forces insert mode off. Force autoindent mode <AltF><AltA> Forces autoindent mode on. Force word wrap on <AltF><AltW> Forces word wrap mode on. Abort macro if line empty <AltS><AltA> Aborts the macro if the current line is empty. Abort macro if end of file <AltS><AltF> Aborts the macro if the cursor is at the first *or* last line of the file. Abort macro if out of block <AltS><AltK> Aborts the macro if the cursor is not within the currently marked block. Repeat last macro <AltS><AltR> Repeats the last macro. This command should generally be used only at the end of a macro that is designed to be self-repeating *and* self-aborting. For example, you might have a macro such as the following: <AltS><AltK> Abort macro if cursor is not in the marked block <Home><Del><Del> Delete two spaces at the start of the current line <Down> Move the cursor to the next line <AltS><AltR> Repeat last macro--i.e., this macro (This macro is taken from the default macro file, TPE.MAC, where it is assigned to <Alt2>. See the discussion of The Standard Macro File, below.) The macro works something like this: while CursorInMarkedBlock do begin { <AltS><AltK> } HomeTheCursor; { <Home> } DeleteOneChar; { <Del> } DeleteOneChar; { <Del> } CursorDown; { <Down> } end; { <AltS><AltR> } The conditional test for aborting the macro should generally appear at the beginning of the macro or just prior to the Repeat last macro command. If the test is at the beginning, the macro will work like a "while" loop, meaning that it will never be executed if the condition isn't met initially. If it is just before the end, it will work like a "repeat..until" loop, meaning that the first part of the macro will always be executed once: repeat HomeTheCursor; { <Home> } DeleteOneChar; { <Del> } DeleteOneChar; { <Del> } CursorDown; { <Down> } if not CursorInMarkedBlock then { <AltS><AltK> } Exit; until False; { <AltS><AltR> } Note that it is possible to record a macro that contains the Repeat last macro command. However, TPE will automatically terminate the recording session as soon as the command is issued, rather than actually repeating the macro. The Repeat last macro command will then represent the last command in the recorded macro. Text Formatting Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reformat paragraph <CtrlB> Rearranges words from the current line to the end of the paragraph such that the lines are as full as possible, given the constraints imposed by the left and right margins. The end of a paragraph is signaled by a blank line. This command is available only when word wrap is on. Center line <CtrlO><C> Centers the current line within the left and right margins. Upper case <CtrlO> Convert all characters in the currently marked and displayed block to upper case. If the cursor is not within a marked and displayed block, the character at the cursor is converted to upper case. Lower case <CtrlO><V> Convert all characters in the currently marked and displayed block to lower case. If the cursor is not within a marked and displayed block, the character at the cursor is converted to lower case. Toggle case <CtrlO><O> Toggle the case of all characters in the currently marked and displayed block. If the cursor is not within a marked and displayed block, the case of the character at the cursor is toggled. Mode Toggle Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Toggle insert mode <Ins>, <CtrlV> Toggle insert mode on or off. A fat cursor indicates insert mode; a thin cursor indicates overtype mode. (If a solid block cursor is in use, only the status line will indicate whether you are in insert or overtype mode.) Toggle autoindent mode <CtrlQ> Toggle autoindent mode on or off. In autoindent mode, pressing <Enter> while in insert mode will cause the new line inserted to have the same indentation level as the previous line. Autoindent mode also affects the way that text is formatted when word wrap occurs--the new line will have the same indentation level as the previous line--and hence the behavior of the reformatting commands. Toggle word wrap <CtrlO><W> Toggle word wrap on or off. When word wrap is on, any attempt to insert or append text beyond the right margin will cause a new line to be inserted following the current line and all words that are at least partially beyond the right margin to be moved to the new line. Toggle compress at wrap <AltT><AltC> This option, which is on by default, tells TPE to compress excess white space out of a line before trying to word wrap it. For example, this is a test would become this is a test after compression. Leading white space is never removed. Note that this setting also affects the behavior of the reformatting commands. Toggle synchronized scroll <AltS><AltS> When synchronized scrolling is on, all cursor movement commands are passed to all visible windows on the screen for processing. This option is especially useful when comparing two versions of the same file. Note that many cursor movement commands--notably <Up>, <Down>, <Left>, and <Right>--will often have no visible effect on windows other than the current one. The effects will be visible only if the command causes the window to scroll. Note too that certain commmands--such as <End>, <CtrlLeft>, and <CtrlRight>--may have slightly different effects in different windows. Synchronized scrolling is temporarily disabled when the current window is zoomed. Commands for Controlling Text Formatting ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Set left margin <CtrlO><L> Set the left margin for text displayed on the screen. The default left margin of 1 may be changed with TINSTALL. Set right margin <CtrlO><R> Set the right margin for text displayed on the screen. The default right margin of 78 may be changed with TINSTALL. Set indentation level <CtrlO> Set the indentation level for marked blocks. This setting affects the behavior of the Indent block and Unindent block commands. The default indentation level of 2 may be changed with TINSTALL. Screen Toggle Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Toggle 43-/50-line mode <AltT><AltE> Activates/deactivates the 43-line mode on EGA's or the 50-line mode on VGA's. Note that TPE will restore the mode that the system was in initially before exiting to DOS or executing another program. Toggle user-defined mode <AltT><AltU> Activates/deactivates the user-defined video mode if one was specified with TINSTALL. If none was specified, this command does nothing. Toggle line-drawing mode <AltL> This command lets you activate/deactivate one of TPE's four line-drawing modes. In a line-drawing mode, pressing <Left>, <Right>, <Up>, or <Down> will cause an appropriate line-drawing character to be placed at the position of the cursor, overwriting the character beneath the cursor, if any. The cursor will then be moved in the direction indicated, if appropriate. Note that, when line-drawing characters are being inserted, the current margins are ignored, as are the states of the autoindent, word wrap, and insert mode toggles. By default, TPE runs in "edit mode," in which the four cursor keys simply move the cursor. Pressing <AltL> repeatedly allows you to select one of the four line-drawing modes, corresponding to the following sets of characters: ─│┌┐└┘ ═║╔╗╚╝ ─║╓╖╙╜ ═│╒╕╘╛ Pressing <AltL> a fifth time brings you back to edit mode. You can switch back to edit mode immediately by pressing <AltE> (Force edit mode), or you can temporarily switch to edit mode by pressing <ScrollLock>. Note that ScrollLock is forced off when you give either the <AltL> or the <AltE> command. As with other mode toggles, activating a line-drawing mode in the current window has no effect on other windows. When one of the line-drawing modes is in effect for a given window, the left side of its status line is used to display the corresponding character set. If ScrollLock is active, however, and that window is the current window, 'ScLock' is displayed there instead to remind you that the line-drawing mode has been temporarily overridden. If the window is in edit mode, that portion of the status line is used to display the '»SAVE«' reminder, as usual. Force edit mode <AltE> Forces a return to edit mode. Toggle snow check <AltT><AltS> Turns snow checking on or off. Since snow checking is needed only for older CGA adapters, TPE will ignore this command if the current display is not a CGA. Toggle block cursor <AltT><AltB> Hides the blinking cursor you normally see on the screen and replaces it with a solid, non-blinking "block cursor". You can change the appearance of the block cursor with TINSTALL. The blinking cursor is restored when you exit from TPE or when you execute another program. Toggle initial zoom <AltT><AltZ> If the initial zoom option is in effect (it is off by default), new windows will automatically be zoomed when they are first opened. Program Configuration Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Set support path <AltS><AltP> The support path is the drive:\directory where TPE looks for its help file (TPE.HLP) and the standard macro file (TPE.MAC). Set default extension <AltS><AltE> Used to specify the default extension for filenames. This extension is automatically added to filenames lacking extensions. For example, if you have set the default extension to "PAS" (the default setting) and wish TPE to load "MYPROG.PAS" when the program starts, you can enter tpe myprog at the command line. Note that you must issue the Save defaults command if you want to make this setting permanent. Save defaults <AltS><AltD> Allows you to save the current configuration settings as the defaults. If TPE found TPE.CFG when it first loaded, that copy of TPE.CFG will be overwritten with the new settings. If TPE.CFG was not found initially, a new TPE.CFG file will be created in the current directory. This command is of little use if you've selected the option to automatically save the configuration data on exit. Miscellaneous Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show system info <CtrlJ><V>, <AltI> Shows you a variety of statistics about the file in the current window, as well as certain "system information": the version of TPE in use; the full pathname of the file being edited; the number of lines, bytes, and words in the file; the amount of RAM and (if appropriate) virtual memory remaining; the current drive and directory; and the amount of space remaining on the current drive. Show available memory <CtrlJ><R>, <AltM> Displays the amount of virtual memory available within the editor. Invoke DOS shell <CtrlJ><O>, <AltD> This command gives you access to DOS services or to other programs from within TPE. You will be prompted for the name of a program or a DOS command to be executed. If you need to run several programs, you can invoke a DOS "shell" simply by leaving the command string blank and pressing <Enter>. To return to TPE from a DOS shell, enter "EXIT" at the DOS command line. As mentioned elsewhere, one of the nicest features of TPE is its ability to swap itself almost entirely out of memory before executing other programs. Only a tiny kernel of about 4K remains in memory; the rest of the program is swapped to disk, EMS, or XMS. Note that you cannot load a second copy of TPE while you are shelled out to DOS. If you try to do so, TPE will abort with the message "TPE is already loaded." One other special note about this command. TPE analyzes the command line you specify and replaces each instance of "%p%" with the full pathname of the primary file. (See the next section of the documentation.) For example, if the primary file is "C:\PAS\MYPROG.PAS", then "tpc %p%" would be treated as equivalent to "tpc C:\PAS\MYPROG.PAS". Note that there may be more than one instance of "%p%" in the command string. This feature makes it possible to create a macro that executes a utility program and automatically passes it the name of the primary file. For example, the macro "<ShF2><AltD>psa %p%<Enter>" would save all modified files and then execute the PSA program from Turbo Analyst, passing it the name of the primary file as a parameter. Log drive/path <CtrlJ><D>, <AltP> Allows you to change the active drive and directory. You may enter a drive and path, or you can specify a "file mask" and choose a new path from a directory listing. For example, entering C:\*.* would show you a list of all the subdirectories that branch out of the root directory on drive C. When the name of the directory you want is displayed at the top of the window, press <Esc> to make it the current directory. Abort <CtrlU> Used to halt an operation in progress. The keyboard buffer is checked regularly to see if the abort command has been issued; if it has, the buffer is emptied and the operation is stopped. Load help file <F1> This command tells TPE to load the help file (TPE.HLP) created by TINSTALL. If the file is found on the support path, and there are fewer than 8 windows open, TPE will open a new window, load TPE.HLP into it, and then zoom the window. There is nothing special about the help file. It is an ordinary ASCII text file, and you may do anything with it that you could do with any other file (perform searches, edit it, etc.). Display user screen <AltF5> This command displays the contents of "the user screen"--the screen that was active when TPE first started. If any other programs have been executed while within TPE, the output of those programs can be viewed using this command. Press any key to return to the TPE screen. Commands for Executing a Program ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Set primary file <AltC><AltP> This command lets you specify the name of the "primary file," usually the main source file for the program you are working on in the editor. Reset primary file <AltC><AltR> This command makes the file in the current window the primary file. Execute primary file <CtrlF9>, <AltR> This command executes the program corresponding to the primary file. When searching for the program to be executed, TPE will apply the default extension for executables to the name of the primary file (see the Set extension for executables command). It will look for the file first in the current directory and then on the DOS path. If it is unable to locate the program, you will be asked to enter its name. If the Confirmation of parameters option is On, as it is by default, you will be given an opportunity to edit the command line to be passed to the program before it is executed. (The state of this option may be changed using the Toggle confirmation of parameters command.) Set extension for executables <AltC><AltE> Lets you specify the default extension to be applied to the name of an executable program. The default setting of "EXE" should be left alone unless you are compiling/running/debugging a program that compiles to a COM file. Set default parameters <AltC><AltS> Lets you specify a list of parameters to be passed to a program when the Execute primary file or Debug primary file commands are issued. Toggle confirmation of parameters <AltC><AltT> This command toggles the option that determines whether or not you will be asked to confirm the command line to be passed to a program being executed. This option is On by default, unless you have changed the default setting with TINSTALL. Note that this setting also applies to the compiler, assembler, and debugger. Commands for Compiling Programs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Select compiler <ShF5> This command allows you to change the current compiler, assuming that you have configured TPE for use with multiple compilers. The abbreviation for the currently selected compiler will appear on the status lines for all visible windows. Note that, unlike TINSTALL, TPE will not allow you to select a given compiler unless it has a 1- to 4-character abbreviation. Compile w/ primary options <F9> This command compiles the primary file using the current compiler and its primary compiler options. Normally this command is used to compile a program *without* debug information. If the Confirmation of parameters option is On, as it is by default, you will be given an opportunity to edit the command line to be passed to the compiler before it is executed. Compile w/ secondary options <AltF9> This command compiles the primary file using the current compiler and its secondary compiler options. Normally this command is used to compile a program *with* debug information, in preparation for running it in the debugger. If the Confirmation of parameters option is On, as it is by default, you will be given an opportunity to edit the command line to be passed to the compiler before it is executed. Set path to compiler <AltC><AltN> Lets you specify the complete pathname of the current compiler. Note that TPE will automatically use the first four letters of the compiler's name as its abbreviation. For example, if you set the path to the current compiler to 'C:\BC\BIN\BCCX.EXE', TPE will set the compiler's abbreviation to 'BCCX'. Set primary compiler options <AltC><AltO> Lets you specify the command line options to be passed to the current compiler when you issue the Compile w/ primary options command. Set secondary compiler options <AltC><Alt2> Lets you specify the command line options to be passed to the current compiler when you issue the Compile w/ secondary options command. Commands for Assembling Programs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Assemble file <AltA> This command assembles either the file in the current window (default) or the primary file, depending on how TPE is configured. If the Confirmation of parameters option is On, as it is by default, you will be given an opportunity to edit the command line to be passed to the assembler before it is executed. Set path to assembler <AltC><AltA> Lets you specify the complete pathname of the assembler. Set assembler options <AltC><AltC> Lets you specify the command line options to be passed to the assembler when you issue the Assemble file command. Commands for Debugging Programs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Debug primary file <ShF9> This command invokes the debugger, passing it any command-line options specified with the Set debugger options command, followed by the name of the primary file (after applying the default extension for executables to the filename), plus any command line options you have specified with the Set default parameters command. If the Confirmation of parameters option is On, as it is by default, you will be given an opportunity to edit the command line to be passed to the debugger before it is executed. Set path to debugger <AltC><AltD> Lets you specify the complete pathname of the debugger. Set debugger options <AltC><AltG> Lets you specify the command line options to be passed to the debugger when you issue the Debug primary file command. The Standard Macro File: TPE.MAC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When TPE first starts, it looks for a macro file called TPE.MAC. It looks for this file first in the current directory and then in TPE's support path directory (set with TINSTALL). In the typical case, you will have only one file called TPE.MAC, located in your support path. However, if you wish you may have multiple files of that name for use on different projects. Just keep in mind that TPE will look only in the current directory for a project-specific macro file. In any case, if a file called TPE.MAC is found, the macros are loaded and effectively become part of the TPE command set. We have provided a file by this name containing the macros we routinely use. You may edit these macros, add new ones, or replace the file entirely. The standard macros in TPE.MAC are as follows: 0 Scrap This macro is reserved for recording purposes, and is never saved by the Write macro file command. Hence it is always empty when TPE starts. 1 Destructive unindent This macro deletes two characters at the beginning of each line in the currently marked block. 2 Destructive unindent one This macro is chained to by macro 1. It deletes two characters at the beginning of each line in the currently marked block, starting at the current line. 3 Procedure shell This macro constructs a "shell" for a procedure: procedure ; {-} begin end; Like all the "shell" macros, it forces insert and autoindent modes on. 4 Function shell Constructs a "shell" for a function: function :; {-} begin end; 5 Program shell Constructs a "shell" for a program: program ; {-} uses ; type const var begin end. 6 Unused 7 Unit shell Constructs a "shell" for a unit: unit ; {-} interface uses ; implementation {begin} end. 8 Indent marked block Simply executes the indent marked block command (<CtrlK><CtrlI>). A holdover from the days before there was such a command. 9 Unindent marked block Executes the unindent marked block command (<CtrlK><CtrlU>). Another holdover. Even if you don't have any use for the macros themselves, you will probably want to study them when you start writing your own. TPE's Virtual Memory Manager ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TPE uses a virtual memory manager that allows it to store text being edited in "virtual memory," which can be either RAM, EMS, XMS, or disk. By default, TPE uses normal RAM, but you can select one of the other sources of memory either by changing the default setting with TINSTALL or by passing the appropriate command line parameter to TPE when you go to run it: /E for EMS, /X for XMS, /D for disk, or /N for normal RAM. If the desired source of virtual memory is not available, or is too limited to be of use, TPE will display an error message when it starts and use normal RAM instead. Note that TPE does not store all its data in virtual memory; many things are always stored in normal RAM. In particular, TPE allocates a single 16-byte data structure in RAM for each line in a given file. In addition, when using either XMS or disk for virtual memory, TPE also allocates roughly one third of available RAM for buffering data stored in virtual memory. Given 600K of available RAM, TPE will therefore be able to edit a file of about 27,000 lines if using EMS, or 18,000 lines if using XMS or disk. To see how much RAM and virtual memory is still available, use the Show system info command (<CtrlJ><V> or <AltI>). The Show available memory command (<CtrlJ><R> or <AltM>) displays only the amount of virtual memory remaining. When TPE runs out of memory, you'll see one of two error messages. If it has exhausted the supply of normal RAM, you'll see "Insufficient memory." If it runs out of virtual memory, you'll see "Insufficient virtual memory." Please keep this distinction in mind. The fact that you have lots of virtual memory available doesn't mean that you won't be seeing an "Insufficient memory" error message. There are two other error messages that you might see in this connection. The first is simply a warning message: "Warning! Limited RAM available". This message will appear only when EMS, XMS, or disk is being used for virtual memory. What it means is that the virtual heap is badly fragmented, and that TPE is dangerously close to not having enough memory (RAM) reserved to keep track of all the blocks of available virtual memory. If you see this warning, the best thing to do is to save your work, exit from TPE, and reload TPE with the /A option. The second error message is one we hope you'll never see: "Critical error nnn. Data may be lost." What this means is that the virtual memory manager has encountered an unrecoverable error, and you need to exit immediately. If the error number ("nnn") is 204, you're in good shape. That simply means that the virtual heap is so badly fragmented that TPE can no longer keep track of all the free memory blocks. No data has been lost, but you should save all your work and exit immediately. You shouldn't see this message unless you've previously seen the warning message described above. Any other critical error message is very bad news indeed. It means that an I/O error occurred while trying to access the source of virtual memory (a disk read error, for example). In all likelihood, at least some of your data has been lost. You can try saving your work before exiting, but very likely the file will contain garbage or be incomplete. Copyright and License Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TPE is copyright (c) 1990-1991 by TurboPower Software. All Rights Reserved. Although TPE is copyrighted software, license is hereby granted to distribute the program for personal, non-commercial use. You may use the program yourself, give it to your friends or co-workers, or distribute it for a cost-based fee ($20 or less) as part of a user's group or bulletin board service. TPE is not shareware: we're not asking for a donation. However, if you request that we send you a new version, we'll ask for $20 to cover our time and costs. You will receive only a disk containing the latest version of the program. You will not receive any printed documentation. The only "manual" for TPE is this DOC file. Alternatively, the current version of the program may be downloaded from our data library on CompuServe, LIB 6 of the PCVENB forum. The name of the file to download is TPE.LZH. Since TPE is neither commercial software nor shareware, and we are not attempting to make any profit from it, we would ask that you please restrain your natural urge to suggest enhancements to it. Responding to such requests can take lots of time, time that we ought to be spending developing new products, enhancing existing ones, and supporting our paying customers. Your consideration will be much appreciated. On the other hand, please feel free to contact us if you encounter a problem with the program. We depend heavily on this program ourselves, and we have a vested interest in insuring that it works properly. If you encounter a problem with TPE, you may contact Brian Foley at: TurboPower Software P.O. Box 49009 Colorado Springs, CO 80949-9009 You can also leave messages in section 6 of the PCVENB forum on CompuServe, addressed to Brian Foley [76317,3247].