Collection of Tools & Utilities/Collection of Tools and Utilities.iso/edit/ed_el.zip/ED.MAN

Text File | 1989-02-16 | 6KB | 113 lines

ed - line-oriented text editor, similar to UN*X V7 ed

syntax:
    ed [existing-file]

    existing-file  Only an existing file can be opened.  Otherwise
        a nameless edit buffer is opened; a name can be used with
        the `f' or `w' commands.

As a line editor, ed operates in one of two modes: COMMAND mode, in which
a colon is displayed at the screen's bottom to prompt for a command; and
INPUT mode, in which all keyboard input is added to the file (edit buffer).
From COMMAND mode, INPUT mode is entered by either the `i' or `a' commands.
From INPUT mode, the COMMAND mode is restored by entering a line consisting
of a single period by itself.  If such a line is desired in the file, it
can be created by entering (for instance) two periods, then using the `s'
command to change these to only one period.

A command consists of an optional line-range specification, a single char-
acter indicating the command, and for some commands an optional third
argument.  The line-range specification is either a single line number or
a first-line number and a last-line number separated by a comma.  The
character `^' means the first line of the file; `$' means the last line
of the file.

Commands:
    <newline>
    If a line is specified, make that the new current line.
    Otherwise advance the current-line-pointer by one line.
    =    Print the line number of the current line.
    .    (by itself)  Print the current line.
    -    (by itself)  Move the current-line-pointer back one, and print
    the new current line.
    +    (by itself)  Move the current-line-pointer forward one, and
    print the new current line.
    !    Execute a shell command and return.
    a    Go into INPUT mode with a new line following the current line.
    (INPUT mode is terminated by an input line containing only a
    period in the first column.)
    i    Go into INPUT mode with a new line preceding the current line.
    (INPUT mode is terminated by an input line containing only a
    period in the first column.)
    c    Delete the specified lines (or the current line) and then
    add new lines in their place.  This is equivalent to a `d'
    command followed by an `i' command.
    d    Delete the specified range of lines (or the current line).
    Leave the current-line-pointer at the following line.
    e    Clear the edit buffer and begin editing a new file.  This
    command fails if the buffer contains changes (or new lines)
    which have not been written out.  To discard these changes
    and edit a new file, use `E' instead of `e'.
    E    Clear the edit buffer and begin editing a new file, regardless
    of any changes to the current edit buffer.
    f    Print the filename, or set it to a new name if specified.
    j    Join the addressed lines together (or the current line to the
    previous line).
    k    Mark the addressed line with the specified letter.  Example:
    `17ka' puts mark "a" on line 17.
    l    List the addressed lines, showing all non-printing characters
    and indicating the end-of-line.
    m    Move the specified range of lines to follow the line number
    given.  Example:  `5,7m3' moves lines 5 through 7 "up", to
    follow line 3.
  p,P    Print the specified lines.
    q    Quit the editor.  This fails if the edit buffer contains any
    changes.  If so, use `Q' instead.
    Q    Quit the editor absolutely.  Any changes are discarded.
    r    Read in a file, adding it after the current line.
    s    Substitute text on the current line.  Example:  `s/alpha/beta/'
    finds the string "alpha" and replaces it with "beta".
    t    Transfer (copy) the specified range of lines to follow the line
    number given.  Example:  `5,7t7' puts a copy of lines 5 through
    7 after line 7.
  w,W    Write the edit buffer out.  If a filename is given, it is used
    and becomes the current filename.  If a range of lines is
    specified, only those lines are written.
    x    Write the entire buffer out to its file, and terminate.
    z    Print 21 lines.  `-', `.', or `+' may be given, and mean
    "start 21 lines previous, end at current line",
    "start 11 lines previous, end 10 lines hence", or
    "start at current line, end 21 lines from here", respectively.

BUGS and COMMENTS
I haven't figured out how to split a line; I can't get a newline character
into the substitution string.

[Here's an example of how to split a line:  .s/BUGS/BU\nGS/
The backslash n (\n) ends the current line after the U and starts another
line beginning with G.  -Ed L]

The code started out as many small files.  It is now one file, but the
result isn't as clean as it could be.  I've cleaned it up some, but in
converting it to TurboC compliancy I've probably lost generic C compliancy.
Headers describing its distribution history are appended to the code.

[The i variable in function doprnt() has been eliminated and replaced by
the global variable CurLn.  MSDOS signal code has been added to intercept
CTRL C and CTRL [BREAK] so that the program does not abort your work when
you press either of these key sequences.  -Ed L]

AUTHORS
Brian Beattie seems to be the original author.  Kees Bot is associated
with it.  Allan Holub authored some bitmap code.  Andy Tanenbaum ported
it to MINIX, and posted it to Usenet.  Bob Montante ported it to MSDOS
and did some minor dressing-up.  Lewis Carroll wrote Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland; James Joyce wrote Finnegans Wake; they are clearly the
spiritual wellsprings.

[The ed.c source contains an untoggled switch for displaying line
numbers and another for stripping high bits off characters.  If you
type "se" at the ":" prompt, you will get a decimal version number.
-Ed L]