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Welcome to QEDIT version 1.30! QEDIT "the quick editor" version 1.30, July 1986 (c) copyright 1985, 1986 by SemWare This document describes the QEDIT software package. This version of QEDIT is being distributed under the ShareWare concept. The shareware concept is based on three principles: 1. People need to try programs to see if they are useful. 2. Software authors can be supported directly by users. 3. Copying and networking of programs can be encouraged. Only by supporting the program authors who release valuable programs as shareware can you encourage others to do the same. The bottom line is - if you're still using a user supported program after a couple of weeks, then its pretty obvious that its worth something to you, and you should send in a contribution. If user supported software works, then everyone will benefit. The user will benefit by receiving quality products at low cost, and by being able to "test drive" software thoroughly before purchasing it. The author benefits by being able to enter the commercial software arena without first needing large sources of venture capital. Why choose this route? Because of cost. As an individual, I cannot even come close to meeting the costs of marketing commercial software. Heres what I'm asking: If you like this program, and find it of use, then your registration ($25) will be greatly appreciated and used in supporting future, improved versions. Plus, I will mail you the next major version as soon as it is ready, at no additional charge. A program disk and printed documentation are available for $45, plus you still get the next major version, again at no additional charge. What do you get for your registration? One, the next major version will be sent to you, at no additional charge. After that, you can always get the current version for a distribution charge of $10. Two, you encourage me to keep improving QEDIT. Three, if you wish, you'll get on my mailing list for announcements of future versions and/or products. Four, you'll get support. I do not have the time to support non-registered users, but I will always make time to support registered users. What can you do with your copy of QEDIT? Actually, just about anything you want to! Remember that QEDIT is the copyrighted property of SemWare. Beyond that, I would appreciate it if you would: 1) Copy and freely distribute it, as long as: a) No fee is charged for such copying and distribution, except for copying and distributing costs, not to exceed $10. b) It is distributed ONLY in its original, unmodified form. c) It is NOT distributed with or as part of any other software package or hardware, unless prior written permission has been granted by SemWare. 2) Please, don't rip me off! If you'd like to distribute QEDIT in some other form or with another software package, or you're interested in marketing it, then please contact me first. You'll find that I am VERY reasonable, and I'm sure we can work something out that will make you happy! 3) If you are using this program in a commercial environment, then I really think that you should register your copy or see about getting a site license. That way I'll stay in business and you'll be sure to get support! Send all inquiries to: SemWare c/o Sammy Mitchell 136 Mark Lane Smyrna, GA 30080 Make all checks payable to SemWare. Please - to help me forward updates to you, include your PRINTED name and address. If at all possible, please fill out the enclosed order form. We also accept Purchase Orders and will ship C.O.D. Site licenses and commercial distribution licenses are available. Full program sources are also available. I also do customized versions for very reasonable costs. Have a compiler or interpreter that you'd like to interface with an editor? Drop me a line. I think you'll be glad you did! I really would like to hear your comments about QEDIT. Even if you're not a registered user, feel free to let me know what you think about it. If it really stinks, then tell me about it, and be sure to let me know where it might be improved! With your comments, hopefully I can produce a better product. If you would like to send your comments via modem, then I can be reached at the following BBS's: TJ's 404-394-1756 PC-Exchange 404-977-6686 the C & Turbo Exchange 404-441-9702 Just leave mail for Sammy Mitchell. These are all fine BBS's, and you might want to give them a call whether you want to talk to me or not! I can also be reached at: (404) 436-6626, 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Saturday. Please do NOT call at other times. Sorry, but I cannot accept collect calls. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Price list of current and new products (as of July 1, 1986) Prices subject to change without notice. QEDIT - the "Quick Editor" Single user license. $25.00 Includes next major version, documentation on disk. Printed copy of the documentation and the next major version. $45.00 Multiple user site licenses. (includes update to the next major version). users: percent of current price First 50 %60 51 thru 100 %30 101 thru 1000 %15 1001 and up %1 NOTE that prior level price requirements must be met. For example, to purchase a 100 user site license would cost (at the current single unit cost of $25): 50 @ (.60 x 25) = 750 50 @ (.30 x 25) = 375 -- ----- 100 1125 Which works out to $11.25 a copy or a 55 percent discount. Of course, the larger the order, the larger the discounting. Regardless of the quantity, only one set of materials for the program will be sent to you. You may then make as many copies of it that are required. If you MUST have individual diskettes, then please add $2.00 per diskette wanted. The next update, or version, will also be sent to you. QEDIT source code. (registered users only) Version 1.00A $ 75.00 Version 1.25 $100.00 Version 1.30 $125.00 For personal use ONLY. NOT for resale or redistribution in ANY other fashion. See source code license form at the end of this document. Need an editor written in C (or Turbo Pascal) to interface or supply with your product? We'll even put your logo and copyright message on it. Give us a call - you might be glad you did. -------------------------------------------------------------------- QEDIT - the 'Quick Editor' by Sammy Mitchell Version 1.30 July, 1986 Reference Manual SemWare 136 Mark Lane Smyrna, Georgia 30080 (C) Copyright 1985, 1986 by SemWare. All Rights Reserved. DISCLAIMER SemWare makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties to the suitability of this program for any particular purpose. You must determine that yourself. In addition, you should understand that using a program of this type on an IBM PC or compatible has inherent risks and that you may inadvertently damage or destroy valuable programs or data. SemWare expressly declines to assume liability for any use of this program by you, and your use of this program constitutes your agreement to hold us blameless. SemWare reserves the right to make changes from time to time in the context hereof without obligation to notify any person or persons of such changes. TRADEMARK MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. PC-DOS is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. TURBO PASCAL is a registered trademark of Borland International Inc. WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro International Corporation. Compaq is a registered trademark of Compaq Inc. Tandy 1000 is a registered trademark of Tandy Corporation. Table of Contents: Acknowledgements 0 Summary of Changes 1 Introduction 2 Features 3 System Requirements 4 The Program Disk 5 Getting Started - and How to Get Out 6 Quick Reference 7 The Status Line 8 Editing Multiple Files 9 Windows 10 Command Reference Appendices A) Glossary of Special Terms B) Configuration C) Technical Specifications/Requirements/Limits D) Command Summary E) Some Frequently Asked Questions Acknowledgments Many months of work went into the development of QEDIT. And we had LOTS of help. Special thanks go to: Steve Watkins and Alan Brown, for their diligent testing and many suggestions. Anthony M. Marcy, who developed the INLINER program, an assembler which translates 8088 assembly language directly into Turbo Pascal INLINE code. If you don't have this program, then get it! Les and Kathy Heyward, and Cindy Lynch, for scrutinizing our documentation, for their corrections and many suggestions. My wife, for putting up with all the long hours (and a few all nighters) and time spent on this program. P.L. Olympia, who has gone out of his way and spent much time promoting this program. To ALL registered users - THANKYOU - it is only through your support that additional versions are made possible. 0. Summary of Changes *** Version 1.30 07/21/86 New Version! Features/commands new to version 1.30 of QEDIT: SIX new commands: - GExit - this command executes the exit command for all files currently edited. Nice from quitting multiple files. Defaults to the Alt-x key. - DeleteLeftWord - similar to the DeleteRightWord command, but it deletes the word to the LEFT of the cursor. Defaults to the ^Backspace key. - AppendScrBuff - appends the marked block to the end of the named scratch buffer. NOTE that the following commands can also be set/configured with the configuration program, QCONFG. - SetTabWidth - allows you to set the tabs width between 1 and 12. Defaults to ^KT - ToggleAutoIndent - toggle between AutoIndent and normal tabbing. Defaults to ^QI - TabsOut - If TabsOut is on, then tabs are actually inserted in any lines that are updated by editing. Note that if TabsOut is off, then as the file is written to disk, tabs are expanded. Defaults to ^QO. The ALT key-pad can be used to enter ANY desired character into the edited text. To enter '═' then just key 'ALT 2 0 5'. The replace command now has a Selective Replace option. Select 'S' as one of the options when executing the Replace command. The ESCAPE command is now operational from ANY QEDIT prompt. Version 1.30 will now create a '.bak' file when you change an existing file. This option is configurable. *** Version 1.25A 05/01/86 Maintenance Version Fixed bug that resulted in a runtime error when lines longer than 255 were created via deleting newlines. *** Version 1.25 03/08/86 Maintenance Version - The SHELL command did not work on systems with lots of extra memory (more than 512k). Fixed. - A new command, Called ESCAPE, added to allow you to 'escape' from most QEDIT user prompts. Defaults to the ESC key. - The initial input buffer allocation routines have been reworked, to give a slight performance advantage. - The size of the TwoKey buffer has been increased by 30 bytes. The size is now 100 bytes. This will allow approximately 40 TwoKey commands to be defined during configuration. - Initial settings of the mode (Insert or Overlay) is now configurable. - QCONFG now allows you to keep QEDIT from changing the original cursor size/shape. - QCONFG now allows you to make QEDIT ignore vertical and horizontal retrace. This really only applies to users with an EGA or other enhanced graphic adapters (such as the ones that come with the Compaq's and AT&T's 6300 computers). - You cannot reserve less than 8 or more than 32767 paragraphs with the reserve option of QCONFG. (NOTE that you can still elect to reserve 0 paragraphs). *** Version 1.20 02/27/86 New Version! Features/commands new to version 1.2 of QEDIT: - The SHELL command. This command allows you to 'exit' to DOS, and then return to the editor by simply typing 'exit'. - Split screen editing. Two files may be displayed at once, in different windows. - SHIFT commands. The cursor line or the currently defined block (if the cursor resides in it) may be shifted left or right by pressing a key. Handy for changing the indentation of blocks of code. - Scratch Buffers now take a full 12 character name, instead of just a single character name. - Insert/OverWrite indicator displayed on the Status Line. Also, the insert cursor is smaller in size than in release 1.00. - The amount of memory that QEDIT uses can be limited during configuration. Handy to keep COMMAND.COM from needing to be reloaded, or for use in multi-tasking environments. - QEDIT now restores the screen/cursor attributes correctly upon exit. - The BLOCKMOVE command is about 50% faster than in release 1.00. - Usage of the configuration program (QCONFG) has been simplified. - And, the BACKSPACE command will now remove the newline from the preceding line, if issued in column 1! (I've been listening!) *** Version 1.00A 11/23/85 Maintenance Version Oops! Somehow a bug sneaked into the video display routines. The result was that QEDIT 'hung' PC'S with color displays. Special thanks to Gerhard Barth, the sysop of the TAMIAMI BBS, who went above and beyond the call of duty to help us track down this bug. *** Version 1.00 11/20/85 Initial Release Version 1. Introduction "You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ram and disk storage." Ancient American proverb, ca. 1980 This manual describes the use and operation of QEDIT, a full-screen text editor for the IBM PC and compatible computers. The manual includes installation instructions, overview of QEDIT's major features, and reference for all of QEDIT's commands. QEDIT is a text editor as opposed to a word processor. QEDIT can be used to write short documents or letters, (this manual was written with QEDIT and then formatted with a formatting program) but most of its features are geared to creating or maintaining program source code. QEDIT's personality is heavily influenced by the goals set in developing QEDIT. These were and are: 1) Fast operation - above all else, QEDIT was designed to operate quickly, especially in these areas: - reading a file from disk to the editing buffer. - screen displaying/updating. - movement through the editing window. - searching for text. - writing text back out to disk. 2) Compact - Every effort was made to keep the code size as small as possible. Even though memory is getting cheaper all the time, we didn't want QEDIT to require any more memory than absolutely necessary. 2. Features Features of QEDIT: - VERY FAST! - SMALL (only 32k) - Uses all available memory. You can edit files as large as memory allows with QEDIT. - True multi-file editing - number of files edited is limited only by memory. - The screen may be split to view two files at the same time. - 99 scratch buffers for cut and paste/templates operations. - Exit temporarily to DOS from within the editor. - Configurable - if you don't like the way we've configured QEDIT, you can easily change it. This includes the meaning of ALL special keys on the keyboard (Ctrl, the function keys, Alt, Home, PgUp, Etc.) 3. System Requirements QEDIT will run on the IBM PC, PC/XT, PC/AT, PC/Jr, and 100% compatible computers including the Compaq, NCR, Tandy 1000, and WYSE PC's. Minimum requirements are: 96 KB of memory (although QEDIT will use up to 640 KB if it is available). PC-DOS or MS-DOS 2.0 or greater. One diskette drive. Either a color or a monochrome monitor with 80 column display. 4. The Program Disk These are the files that come on the QEDIT program diskette: Q.COM - The QEDIT editor. QCONFG.COM - This is the configuration program for QEDIT. QKEY.DEF - This is the default keyboard definition file for QEDIT. WSKEY.DEF - This is a keyboard definition file to make QEDIT behave similar to the TURBO PASCAL editor or WordStar. MYKEY.DEF - This is an undefined keyboard definition file that you can set up anyway you like. QEDIT.DOC - This manual in ASCII text format. Q.HLP - A brief help file that can be loaded into the editor. Unlike many copy-protected programs, the QEDIT program disk may be freely copied. You can move the program, help and manual files onto another floppy, or a hard disk. NOTE: It is your responsibility to make backup copies of the program disk we send you. Never use your program disk without making such a backup copy. NOTE: When we refer to the QEDIT program in this manual, we actually mean the Q.COM file on the distribution diskette. You are free to rename Q.COM to whatever seems right to you. If you use the configuration program, then you must make sure to rename the QEDIT program to Q.COM, as this is what QCONFG expects. 5. Getting Started - and how to Get Out There are two ways to start QEDIT. From the DOS prompt type: 1) Q filespec where filespec is the name of the file you want to edit in the standard format, i.e., d:filename.ext. Using this format, QEDIT will 'read' filespec into memory if it exists, or create it if it does not, and allow you to start editing this file. or: 2) Q If you just type Q, QEDIT will prompt you for the file you wish to edit. Pressing return without entering a filespec will exit QEDIT. There are several commands that will get you out of QEDIT. The most basic are the FILE command and the QUIT command. The FILE command will write the file in memory back to disk and then QUIT the editor. The pre-installed FILE command is activated by pressing ^KX. (This means to press the Ctrl and K keys at the same time, release them, then to press the X key - note that the case of the key is ignored.) The QUIT command will 'quit' the file in memory without changing anything on disk. If the file in memory has been changed, then QEDIT requests confirmation before actually quitting. The pre-installed QUIT command is activated by pressing ^KQ. (This means to press the Ctrl and K keys at the same time, release them, then to press the Q key - note that the case of the key is ignored.) 6. Quick Reference ---- Cursor movement commands ----------------- COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) BottomOfScreen ^End CursorDown down arrow key CursorLeft left arrow key CursorRight right arrow key CursorUp up arrow key EndOfLine End key FirstOfLine Home key NewLine --- Return return key TabLeft shift tab key TabRight tab key TopOfScreen ^Home WordLeft ^left arrow WordRight ^right arrow ---- Scroll (move screen) commands ------------ COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) BottomOffile ^PgDn HalfPgDn --- HalfPgUp --- JumpToLine ^J LastPlace ^P MakeTopOfScreen F5 PgDn PgDn key PgUp PgUp key ScrollDown ^Z ScrollUp ^W TopOfFile ^PgUp ---- Delete and Insert commands --------------- COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) AddLine F2 Align ^A BackSpace BackSpace key DeleteChar Del key DeleteLine ^Y DeleteLeftWord ^BackSpace DeleteRightWord ^T DeleteToEOL ^QY and F6 DupLine F4 Return return key SplitLine ^N ShiftLeft shift F7 ShiftRight shift F8 ---- Find and Replace commands ---------------- COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) Find ^QF RepeatLastFindOrRep ^L Replace ^QA ---- File commands ---------------------------- COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) EditFile ^KE Exit ^KD FileidChange ^KF FileToMain --- FileToSystem ^KX GExit Alt-X KillFile ^KZ NextFile ^KN PQuitToSystem ^KQ PQuitToMain F3 PrevFile ^KP QQuit --- ReadFile ^KR SaveFile ^KS WriteBlock ^KW ---- Block commands --------------------------- COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) CopyBlock Alt-C GroupDelete Alt-G MarkLine Alt-L MoveBlock Alt-M UnMarkBlock Alt-U WriteBlock ^KW ---- Scratch Buffer commands ------------------ COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) AppendScrBuff ^BA LoadScrBuff ^BL StoreScrBuff ^BS ZapScrBuff ^BZ ---- Windowing commands ----------------------- SplitScreen ^OS OneWindow ^O1 NextWindow ^ON PrevWindow ^OP ---- Miscellaneous commands ------------------- COMMAND KEYSTROKE (--- denotes NOT pre-installed) Escape ESC SetTabWidth ^KT Shell F9 TabsOut ^QO ToggleAutoIndent ^QI ToggleTabsExpand ^QT ToggleIns Ins key UnDoCursorLine ^QL 7. The Status Line The status line is used by QEDIT to tell you the current status of the file you are editing, and also used when QEDIT needs information from you. The items displayed on the status line, from right to left, are: The files drive, then name: A:JUNK.TXT The line number of the cursorline: L 492 The column that the cursor resides in: C 48 The mode of operation, Inert or Overwrite: INS The approximate amount of memory available in K: M 86 8. Editing Multiple Files This editor is a true multi-file editor. By true we mean that multiple files can be kept in memory at the same time. Switching back and forth between files can be done at the touch of a key and is instantaneous. A simple explanation of how the editor handles multiple files will help you in using the multiple file commands. Edited files are kept in a 'ring' in memory. When a new file is edited, that file is inserted in the ring immediately after the currently edited file, and it becomes the new current file. The other file becomes the previous file. When a file is 'Quit', then that file is deleted from the ring and the previous file in the ring becomes the new current file. If there is only one file being edited, then the previous, next and current files are all the same file. Switching between files is accomplished with the NextFile and PrevFile commands. 9. Windows This version of QEDIT supports simple split screen editing. Commands are available to: a) Split the current screen into two windows. Note that there must already be two files loaded into memory when this command is executed, and the screen must not already be 'split'. Use the SplitScreen command. b) Change back and forth between windows. Use the NextWindow and the PrevWindow commands. c) Make the current window the ONLY window on the screen. Use the OneWindow command. To copy text between windows, you can: a) Mark the text to be copied/moved. b) Store the text in a scratch buffer. c) Change to the other window. d) Load the text from the appropriate scratch buffer. 10. Command Reference Cursor Movement Commands: Unless specified otherwise, the Cursor Movement commands act non-destructively, i.e. they do not change any information in the file being edited. COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) BottomOfScreen ^End Moves the cursor to the next to last line of the screen. That line becomes the new CursorLine. CursorDown DownArrow Moves the cursor to the line below. If the cursor is on the next to last line of the screen, then the screen scrolls up one line. CursorLeft LeftArrow Moves the cursor one character to the left. When the cursor reaches the left edge of the screen, it stops, unless the text has been scrolled right, in which case the text scrolls left. CursorRight RightArrow Moves the cursor one character to the right. When the cursor reaches the right end of the screen, the text starts scrolling horizontally until the cursor reaches the maximum line length, in which case the scrolling stops. CursorUp UpArrow Moves the cursor to the line above. If the cursor is on the top line of the screen, then the screen scrolls down one line. EndOfLine END The cursor moves to the position immediately following the last non blank character on the line containing the cursor. If the line is blank, then the cursor moves to column one. FirstOfLine HOME The cursor moves to column one of the line containing the cursor. NewLine not pre-installed Is the equivalent of the following two commands: CursorDown, FirstOfLine. Return Return key The return command behaves differently depending on whether the editor is in Insert or OverWrite mode. In OverWrite mode, the return command behaves as if you executed the following command: NewLine. In Insert mode, the return command behaves as if you executed the following commands: SplitLine, NewLine, Align. TopOfScreen ^Home Moves the cursor to the top of the screen. That line becomes the new CursorLine. WordLeft ^LeftArrow Moves the cursor to the end of the word to the left of the cursor. If there is not a word to the left of the cursor, then the cursor will move to column one. If this command is executed when the cursor is in column one, then the cursor moves to the EndOfLine on the previous line. WordRight ^RightArrow Moves the cursor to the beginning of the word to the right of the cursor. If there is not a word to the right of the cursor, then the cursor will move to the EndOfLine. If this command is executed when the cursor is already at the EndOfLine, then the cursor moves to column one on the following line. Tab commands: In the current version, tabs can be used in one of two modes. AutoIndent or normal tab mode. In the AutoIndent mode, there are no fixed tab positions. Instead, tab positions are automatically set to the beginning (for the tab right command, or the end for the tab left command) of each blank delimited group of characters on the line immediately above the cursor. If there is not a line immediately above the cursor or the line immediately above the cursor is blank, then there will not be any tab positions for that line. In normal tab mode, then tabs are set at every nth position, where n is a number between 1 and 12, and can be set via the SetTabWidth command. SetTabWidth ^KT You will be prompted to enter a new tab width between 1 and 12. This command's default value can also be set by the configuration program. TabsOut ^QO This command turns TabsOut on and off. If TabsOut is on, then tabs are actually inserted in any lines that are updated by editing. Note that if TabsOut is off, then as the file is written to disk, tabs are expanded using the current TabWidth. TabRight Tabkey The TabRight command behaves differently depending on whether the editor is in Insert or OverWrite mode. In OverWrite mode, the cursor is moved to the next tab position as defined above. The characters over which the cursor moves are not affected. In Insert mode, the cursor is moved to the next tab position as defined above. The text to the right of and including the cursor, is shifted the number of characters the cursor is moved. TabLeft shift Tab The TabLeft command behaves differently depending on whether the editor is in Insert or OverWrite mode. In OverWrite mode, the cursor is moved to the previous tab position as defined above. The characters over which the cursor moves are not affected. In Insert mode, the cursor is moved to the previous tab position as defined above. The text of the line is shifted left the number of characters that the cursor is moved. ToggleAutoIndent ^QI This command toggles between AutoIndent mode and normal tab mode. Scroll (Move Screen) Commands: COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) BottomOffile ^PgDn Positions the cursor on the first character of the last line of the file, which is made the new last line of the screen. HalfPgDn F8 Scrolls the screen toward the end of the file one half page. HalfPgUp F7 Scrolls the screen toward the top of the file one half page. JumpToLine ^J The jump command allows the user to 'jump' to the indicated line number. The user is queried for the line number to jump to. The requested line becomes the new Top Of Screen line. The command can be aborted by pressing the return key without entering a line number. LastPlace ^P Not Implemented in this version. MakeTopOfScreen F5 Scrolls the screen so that the CursorLine becomes the new top of screen line. PgUp PgUp Scrolls the screen toward the top of the file one page minus one. PgDn PgDn Scrolls the screen toward the end of the file one page minus one. ScrollDown ^Z Scrolls down toward the end of the file, one line at a time (the entire screen scrolls up). The cursor remains on the same text line until it reaches the top of the screen. ScrollUp ^W Scrolls up toward the beginning of the file, one line at a time (the entire screen scrolls down). The cursor remains on the same text line until it reaches the next to last line on the screen. TopOfFile ^PgUp Positions the cursor on the first character of the first line of the file, which is made the new top of screen line. Delete and Insert Commands: COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) AddLine F2 A new line, with the current mask value, is added after the CursorLine and becomes the new CursorLine. The default mask value is blank. Align ^A Aligns the text of CursorLine with the text of the line immediately before the CursorLine. The cursor is not moved. If the CursorLine is line one, or the line immediately before is blank, or the CursorLine is blank, then this command does nothing. BackSpace BackSpace key Deletes the character to the left of the cursor. If the cursor is in column one, then the cursorline is merged with previous line. DeleteChar Del Deletes the character the cursor is currently at the cursor. Text to the right of the cursor shifts left one position. DeleteLeftWord ^BackSpace Deletes the word to the left of the cursor. DeleteLine ^Y, Alt-D Deletes the CursorLine, making the line after the CursorLine become the new CursorLine. If the CursorLine is the last line of the file when this command is issued, then the line before the CursorLine becomes the new CursorLine. DeleteRightWord ^T Deletes the word to the right of the cursor. DeleteToEOL ^QY and F6 Deletes from the cursor position to the End of the line, including the character at the cursor. DupLine F4 The CursorLine is duplicated, with the duplicated line becoming the new CursorLine. Return Return key The return command behaves differently depending on whether the editor is in Insert or OverWrite mode. In OverWrite mode, the return command behaves as if you executed the following command: NewLine. In Insert mode, the return command behaves as if you executed the following commands: SplitLine, NewLine, Align. ShiftLeft shift-F7 This command allows you to shift the cursorline or the marked block to the left one position. If the cursorline resides in a marked block when the command is executed, then the entire block is shifted. If the cursorline is NOT in a marked block, then only the cursorline is shifted. This command is very handy for changing indentation levels in highly structured code, i.e., removing or adding an if statement to a block of code. ShiftRight shift-F8 This command allows you to shift the cursorline or the marked block to the right one position. If the cursorline resides in a marked block when the command is executed, then the entire block is shifted. If the cursorline is NOT in a marked block, then only the cursorline is shifted. This command is very handy for changing indentation levels in highly structured code, i.e., removing or adding an if statement to a block of code. SplitLine ^N The CursorLine is split at the cursor position. All text following and including the cursor position is placed on a new line, immediately following the CursorLine. The cursor does not move. Find and Replace Commands: COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) Find ^QF The find command allows the user to find a simple string within the current file. The user is prompted for a search string and then for options wanted. Pressing just the return key in response to the search string will abort the command. Options available are: Forward search, Backward search, Respect case of search string, Ignore case of search string. The options in affect are shown in uppercase, while the options not in affect are shown in lowercase. [F,b, I,r] - to select an option just enter the appropriate letter. To search Backward and Respect the case of the search string, the user would enter: BR <CR> (NOTE that the default options never have to be entered as they default if not selected.) Replace ^QA The replace command allows the user to globally find and replace simple strings within the current file. The user is prompted for a search string, a replace string, and then for any search options. Pressing just the return key in response to the search string will abort the command. Options available are: Forward search, Backward search, Respect case of search string, Ignore case of search string, Global replace, Selective replace. The options in affect are shown in uppercase, while the options not in affect are shown in lowercase. [F,b, R,i, G,s] - to select an option just enter the appropriate letter. To search and replace Forward, ignoring the case of the search string, the user would enter: FI <CR> (NOTE that the default options never have to be entered as they default if not selected.) Note that if the selective search option is chosen, then the user must use the RepeatLastFindOrRep command (below) to keep finding/replacing. RepeatLastFindOrRep ^L This command will re-execute the last Find or Replace command issued. The user is NOT prompted for any information, as the information used in the last find or replace is used. File Commands: COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) EditFile ^KE The EditFile command is used to edit multiple files in one session. This command prompts the user for a file to edit. Pressing return without entering a file specification will abort the command. If a valid file specification is entered, then that file will be read into memory and become the current file. The previous file that was being edited is not changed and is still available in memory - see the commands NextFile and PrevFile for information on switching files. See the NextFile and PrevFile commands for information on how to switch between files. Exit ^KD The Exit command can be used to quit the current file, returning control to the opening screen if the ring of files is empty, or making the previous file in the ring the new current file if the ring is not empty. If the file has been changed, the user is given the option of saving it before quitting, or of aborting the command. If the file has not been changed, then the file is purged from memory. FileidChange ^KF The FileidChange command allows the user to change the fileid of the current file. FileToMain not pre-installed The FileToMain command will write the current file to disk, and if there are no more files left in the ring, return control to the opening screen. If there are more files in the ring, then the previous one becomes the new current file. See the FileToSystem command. FileToSystem ^KX The FileToSystem command will write the current file to disk, and if there are no more files left in the ring, return control to the operating system. If there are more files in the ring, then the previous one becomes the new current file. See the FileToMain command. GExit Alt-X Global Exit command. This command will issue the Exit command for every file currently being edited. Responding 'N' or ESCAPE to a "save prompt" will abort the command. KillFile ^KZ This command will erase the current file from disk. The user is given the chance to abort the command before the file is erased. NextFile ^KN The NextFile command will make the next file in the ring become the new current file, with the previous current file becoming the previous file in the ring. See the PrevFile command. PQuitToMain ^KQ The PQuitToMain command will purge the current file from memory and, if the ring of files is empty, return to the opening screen. If the ring of files is not empty, then the previous file in the ring will become the new current file. If the file has been changed, the user is given the choice of continuing or aborting the command. PQuitToSystem F3 The PQuitToSystem command will purge the current file from memory and, if the ring of files is empty, return to the control to the operating system. If the ring of files is not empty, then the previous file in the ring will become the new current file. If the file has been changed, the user is given the choice of continuing or aborting the command. PrevFile ^KP The PrevFile command will make the previous file in the ring become the new current file, with the previous current file becoming the next file in the ring. See the NextFile command. QQuit not pre-installed The QQuit command does an unconditional immediate quit on the current file. The file is abandoned without any warning, regardless of any changes that may have been made to it. Use it with care. ReadFile ^KR The ReadFile command can be used to insert an external disk file into the current file being edited. The external file is inserted into the current file after the CursorLine, and the inserted file becomes 'marked', as if it had been marked with the MarkLine command. The user is prompted for the name of the file to insert. SaveFile ^KS The SaveFile command will write to disk the current file being edited, replacing the previous file on disk, if it already exists. The file remains in memory, ready for additional editing. WriteBlock ^KW See the description of the WriteBlock command in the section titled 'Block Commands:'. Block Commands: COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) CopyBlock Alt-C The CopyBlock command will copy a marked block to the position after the CursorLine. The original block is left unchanged. If there is not a marked block, then this command has no affect. GroupDelete Alt-G The GroupDelete command will delete a marked block. If there is not a marked block, then this command has no affect. MarkLine Alt-L Use the MarkLine to mark a line for use by other block commands. The area 'marked' by the MarkLine command is shown in reverse video. To mark a group of lines, first mark the starting line, then move the cursor to where the ending line is, then mark it. This will mark the entire area including the starting and ending lines. MoveBlock Alt-M The MoveBlock command will move a marked block to the position after the CursorLine. The original block is deleted. This command is equivalent to issuing a CopyBlock command, then remarking the original block and then issuing a GroupDelete command. If there is not a marked block, then this command has no affect. UnMarkBlock Alt-U Use this command to 'unmark' a marked block. If there is not a marked block, then this command has no affect. WriteBlock ^KW The WriteBlock command will write the marked block in the current file to disk. The user is prompted for a file specification. If the file already exists, then confirmation is required to replace it. Scratch Buffer Commands: The editor can create up to 99 scratch pad buffers. Each buffer is given a name of your choosing, limited to 12 characters. Currently supported functions using the buffers are: 1) storing text to a buffer 2) retrieving text from a buffer 3) deleting a buffer COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) AppendScrBuff ^BA This command will append the currently marked block to the end of the named scratch buffer, i.e., the current contents of the named scratch buffer are NOT lost, the block is added to the end of it. LoadScrBuff ^BL This command will insert the contents of the named buffer after the CursorLine. The scratch buffer is left unchanged. The user is prompted for the name of the buffer to load from. StoreScrBuff ^BS This command will store the marked block to a named buffer. The user is prompted for the buffer name to store to. If the buffer does not exist it is created. If the buffer exists, then its current contents are lost. ZapScrBuff ^BZ This command will 'zap' (delete) the named scratch buffer. The user is prompted for the buffer name. Windowing Commands: COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) OneWindow ^O1 This command makes the current window the only window on the screen. If there is only one window when this command is executed, then the command is ignored. NextWindow ^ON This command makes the next window on the screen the new current window. It is one of the commands available to change windows. If there is only one window when this command is executed, then the command is ignored. PrevWindow ^OP This command makes the previous window on the screen the new current window. It is one of the commands available to change windows. If there is only one window when this command is executed, then the command is ignored. SplitScreen ^OS This command will split the screen into two separate windows, and display the next file in the in memory ring in the second window, also making it the current window. Please NOTE that this command requires that their be at least two files loaded into memory when it is executed. If there is only one file in memory when this command is executed, then the command is ignored. Miscellaneous Commands: COMMAND DEFAULT KEY(S) Escape ESC This command allows you 'escape' from any QEDIT prompts. Any prompt or explicit "press certain key" prompt can be exited by pressing the key the ESCAPE command is assigned to. Shell F9 This command allows you to exit the editor temporarily, and to invoke a second copy of the command processor. As long as there is enough extra memory available, then you can execute essentially any commands that you would normally execute from the DOS command level. Once you are finished, then you can return to the editor by entering the return command, 'exit'. Your editing session will be exactly as you left it. Caution: You should NOT load (execute for the first time) any commands from the 'shell' that remain resident (the DOS print command, or any of the keyboard macro programs, resident note pad programs, appointment calendars, etc). It is perfectly legal to invoke these from the 'shell' if they have been loaded prior to invoking the editor. If you DO load resident programs from the 'shell', then due to DOS'es scheme of memory management then your amount of available memory will be drastically reduced until you 'reboot' your system. Also, please remember that the editor cannot 'check' programs you execute to make sure that they behave properly. This is probably NOT the place to test programs, and definitely not the place to run programs that alter memory that they did NOT allocate from DOS. Thus all DOS non-resident utility commands and commercial programs should work perfectly fine from the 'shell' UnDoCursorLine ^QL This command will let you 'undo' changes made to the CursorLine as long as the cursor does not move to a new CursorLine. ToggleIns Ins This command toggles between Insert and OverWrite modes. Initially set to OverWrite mode. ToggleTabsExpand ^QT This command toggles between Dynamic tab expansion or no tab expansion. Initially set to no tab expansion. Appendix A) Glossary of Special Terms Terms used: ^ When used in reference to the keyboard, means the Ctrl key. For example, ^X means the Ctrl X key. To execute a command labeled ^X, you would first press the Ctrl key, then, without releasing it press the X key. (the CASE of the character is ignored in Ctrl key commands, so that ^X and ^x are both interpreted as ^X. Sometimes a command is referred to as: ^KD. This means that this particular command requires you to first press the Ctrl key, then without releasing it press the K key then the D key. Note that the Ctrl key can optionally be released before pressing the second key. <CR> Is interpreted as the Return key. If this occurs in a text string, then it means to press the Return Key. Alt- When used in reference to the keyboard, means the Alt key. For example, Alt-L means the Alt L key. To execute a command labeled Alt-L, you would first press the Alt key, then, without releasing it press the L key. (the CASE of the character is ignored in Alt key commands, so that Alt-L and Alt-l are both interpreted as Alt-L. Current File Refers to the file currently being edited. The editor allows multiple files in memory at the same time, and there are commands to switch back and forth between them. Current Window The window that the cursor currently resides in. In This version of the editor, there may be two separate 'windows' on the screen, viewing two separate files. CursorLine The line of the current file being edited where the cursor resides. EndOfLine The position immediately following the last non blank character on a line. If the line is blank, then EndOfLine is column one. F1,F2..F10 Refers to the ten function keys. FirstOfLine Column one. Insert One of the available editing modes of the editor. When in Insert mode, existing text to the right of the cursor moves to the right when you enter new text. Modes Settings that generally affect the editors method of operations and particularly affect many editor commands. The two currently supported modes are: Insert and OverWrite. OverWrite is the default. The mode can be toggled (changed) by pressing the Ins key or ^V. OverWrite One of the available editing modes of the editor. When in OverWrite mode, all characters typed 'overlay' any information or text already appearing in the file. OverWrite mode is very similar to typing on a conventional typewriter. TopOfScreen The top line of the screen in the current window, not including the STATUS line, if it is displayed. Word A sequence of one or more characters composed of: 0..9, A..Z, a..z and _. Anything else is considered a delimiter. Appendix B) Configuration What can be configured: 1) Binding of commands to keys 2) Screen attributes (colors) for certain parts of the editor display 3) Amount of memory NOT to use, or reserve for other tasks. 4) Initial Tab Expansion and mode (insert/overwrite) settings. 5) QEDIT'S resetting of the cursor size/shape. 6) QEDIT'S handling of horizontal and vertical retrace when using a graphic adapter. QEDIT's configuration is accomplished with the supplied configuration program, QCONFG. The requirements for running QCONFG are the same as for QEDIT. NOTE that QCONFG and/or the keyboard configuration files are NOT needed to operate QEDIT, only to configure QEDIT. Once configuration is complete, these files can be removed from online storage. There are six parts to QEDIT's configuration: 1) QEDIT allows you to reconfigure the keyboard command format more to your individual tastes. If you don't like the way QEDIT is supplied, you are free and encouraged to reconfigure it more to your liking. This is done by supplying the configuration program, QCONFG, with the name of a keyboard definition file. QCONFG will process this file and change QEDIT accordingly. Three keyboard definition files are supplied. The first one, QKEY.DEF, is the default configuration file for QEDIT. If you change the configuration and decide you want to go back to the original, then just run QCONFG and specify QKEY.DEF as the keyboard definition file and QEDIT will be reconfigured to the default configuration. The second, WSKEY.DEF, is a keyboard definition file that configures QEDIT to appear similar to the TURBO PASCAL editor or WordStar in non document mode. The third, MYKEY.DEF, is a keyboard definition file that you can change to configure QEDIT the way you think is best. Setting up MYKEY.DEF is fairly simple (At least we hope so! Let us know if you have problems or if you have suggestions about making QCONFG easier to use.) The format of a keyboard definition file is: Key command where -key is the key to be defined. -command is the command to be executed when that key is pressed. Blank lines and lines starting with an asterisk are ignored. NOTE that ALL keys that you want defined MUST be in your keyboard definition file. The QCONFG program initializes the keyboard command translation table to undefined for ALL keys, and only defines those keys that are in your keyboard definition file. MYKEY.DEF contains a list of all the keys that may be used as command keys by QEDIT. To define a key to issue a particular command, just place the desired command to the right of the desired key. If you wish to 'un' define a key, then just leave the command part blank. This is the way MYKEY.DEF comes, so that all command keys are undefined. For an example, suppose that you wanted to define the F6 key to be the delete line command, and you wanted the F3 key to be undefined. A simple way to do this would be to: ( *** DENOTE COMMENTS ) 1) Q QKEY.DEF *** Edit QKEY.DEF 2) *** Find the F3 key definition. 3) *** Delete everything to the right of F3. 4) *** Find the F6 key definition. 5) *** Replace or enter anew the command definition, DeleteLine. 6) *** Change the file name to MYKEY1.DEF (or whatever you want to call it) This can be done with the ^KF command. 7) *** Issue the file command, ^KX. Now, to install your configuration, run QCONFG, when asked for the keyboard definition file give the name of the file you created, save the program, and you've reconfigured QEDIT! You can also install two key commands. To do this, you must give the lead in key of your two key sequence the command, TwoKey. On the next line, you must put the number of two key commands defined for this particular lead in key. Then, on following lines you put the keys and commands in the normal way. For examples, see the QKEY.DEF keyboard definition file. Note that multiple keys may be assigned the same command. For example, if you so desired, you could have all the function keys issue the FileToSystem command. 2) Reconfiguring the screen attributes. QCONFG also allows you to change the default attributes for selected portions of the display screen. These are: -the Status Line - this is the top line of QEDIT's display where the filename, line number, column, and available memory are displayed. -the Text area - the is the part of the file that you see on the screen. -the Message line - this is the top line of QEDIT's display, shared with the Status Line. -Blocked Text - this is text that has been marked with the MarkLine command. -the CursorLine - this is the line that the cursor resides on. QCONFG will show you what the different attributes will look like on your display, by number. Then QCONFG will show you the current values and let you change them if you would like. When you have set the selectable portions of QEDIT's screen, you can instruct QCONFG to save these values by responding 'Y' to the 'save these values' prompt. 3) Reconfiguring the amount of memory that QEDIT will reserve. NOTE that memory RESERVED is NOT available for QEDIT's buffer routines, so reserving memory will DECREASE the size of the files that you can edit. The amount to be entered is the DECIMAL number of PARAGRAPHS (16 bytes) that QEDIT will reserve. This serves two purposes: a) By default QEDIT allocates all available memory to himself. In a multi-tasking environment that does not partition memory between tasks, then this option can be used to leave memory available for other tasks. b) Since QEDIT allocates all available memory, COMMAND.COM must be reloaded upon exiting QEDIT. This is hardly noticeable on hard disk systems, but on floppy disk based systems it can be annoying. Tell QCONFG to reserve 834 paragraphs and COMMAND.COM will not have to be reloaded. (This applies to PC-DOS 2.1, other versions of DOS may require you to use a higher value to keep COMMAND.COM from being reloaded.) 4) Reconfiguring initial tabs and mode setting. QCONFG will display the current settings, and give you a chance to change them. 5) QEDIT's resetting of the cursor size/shape. QEDIT normally sets the overwrite cursor to a blinking underline, and the insert cursor to a blinking double underline (or a small blob). Upon exit, QEDIT sets the cursor back to the normal underline, blinking cursor. If you do NOT want QEDIT to change the cursor size/shape, then answer "N" when QCONFG asks you if QEDIT should change the cursor size. 6) QEDIT's handling of horizontal and vertical retrace when used with graphic adapters. On a computer equipped with a graphic card, QEDIT normally 'turns off' the screen momentarily when it is doing full screen updates. This causes a small amount of flicker, but can be annoying. On the newer style graphic cards (such as the EGA, and the cards that come with the Compaq's and the AT&T's 6300) this is not necessary. To keep QEDIT from doing this, answer "Y" when QCONFG asks you if QEDIT should ignore retrace for color adapters. Appendix C) Technical Specifications/Requirements/Limits. -Source language: Turbo Pascal 73%, Assembler 27%. -IBM PC specifics: int 10h (the video interrupt) int 16h (the keyboard interrupt) writes directly to screen ram at B800 or B000 (color or monochrome) QEDIT works ONLY with TRUE ASCII text files. ASCII text files are produced by most editors (for example, the TURBO PASCAL editor). An ASCII text file will end each line in a Carriage Return and Line Feed characters (hex 0D and 0A, respectively). The end of the file is marked by a hex 1A. Maximum line length - 255 characters INCLUDING the CR and LF characters. Minimum RAM memory required................................128K Maximum RAM used...........................................640K Maximum file size - Limited to available memory. Maximum number of files edited in 'multi-file' mode - 32767 or available memory - which ever comes first. Minimum Disk Drives required...............................1 Minimum Disk Space required................................36K FileSpecs can include PATH specifications, for a maximum of 64 characters. Appendix D) Command Summaries Alphabetical list of commands ------------------ QEDIT default ------------- WordStar (R) -- AddLine F2 --- Align ^A --- AppendScrBuff ^BA --- BackSpace BackSpace key ^H BottomOffile ^PgDn ^QC BottomOfScreen ^End ^QX CopyBlock Alt-C ^KC CursorDown down arrow key ^X CursorLeft left arrow key ^S CursorRight right arrow key ^D CursorUp up arrow key ^E DeleteChar Del key ^G DeleteLeftWord ^BackSpace --- DeleteLine ^Y ^Y DeleteRightWord ^T ^T DeleteToEOL ^QY ^QY DupLine F4 --- EditFile ^KE --- EndOfLine End key ^QD Escape ESC --- Exit ^KD --- FileidChange ^KF --- FileToMain --- ^KD FileToSystem ^KX ^KX Find ^QF ^QF FirstOfLine Home key ^QS GExit Alt-X --- GroupDelete Alt-G ^KY HalfPgDn --- --- HalfPgUp --- --- JumpToLine ^J --- KillFile ^KZ --- LastPlace ^P ^QP LoadScrBuff ^BL --- MakeTopOfScreen F5 --- MarkLine Alt-L ^KB, ^KK MoveBlock Alt-M ^KV NewLine --- --- NextFile ^KN --- NextWindow ^ON --- OneWindow ^O1 --- PgDn PgDn key ^C PgUp PgUp key ^R PQuitToMain ^KQ ^KQ PQuitToSystem F3 --- PrevFile ^KP --- PrevWindow ^OP --- QQuit --- --- ReadFile ^KR ^KR RepeatLastFindOrRep ^L ^L Replace ^QA ^QA Return return key --- SaveFile ^KS ^KS ScrollDown ^Z ^Z ScrollUp ^W ^W SetTabWidth ^KT ^OI Shell F9 --- ShiftLeft shift-F7 --- ShiftRight shift-F8 --- SplitLine ^N ^N SplitScreen ^OS --- StoreScrBuff ^BS --- TabLeft shift tab key --- TabsOut ^QO --- TabRight tab key ^I ToggleAutoIndent ^QI --- ToggleTabsExpand ^QT --- ToggleIns Ins key ^V TopOfFile ^PgUp ^QR TopOfScreen ^Home ^QE UnDoCursorLine ^QL --- UnMarkBlock Alt-U --- WordLeft ^left arrow ^A WordRight ^right arrow ^F WriteBlock ^KW ^KW ZapScrBuff ^BZ --- Commands by key ----- Function key commands ------------------------ AddLine F2 PQuitToMain F3 DupLine F4 MakeTopOfScreen F5 Shell F9 ShiftLeft shift-F7 ShiftRight shift-F8 ----- Ctrl Key commands ---------------------------- Align ^A AppendScrBuff ^BA LoadScrBuff ^BL StoreScrBuff ^BS ZapScrBuff ^BZ JumpToLine ^J Exit ^KD EditFile ^KE FileidChange ^KF NextFile ^KN PrevFile ^KP PQuitToSystem ^KQ ReadFile ^KR SaveFile ^KS SetTabWidth ^KT WriteBlock ^KW FileToSystem ^KX KillFile ^KZ RepeatLastFindOrRep ^L SplitLine ^N OneWindow ^O1 NextWindow ^ON PrevWindow ^OP SplitScreen ^OS LastPlace ^P Replace ^QA Find ^QF ToggleAutoIndent ^QI TabsOut ^QO ToggleTabsExpand ^QT UnDoCursorLine ^QL DeleteToEOL ^QY DeleteRightWord ^T ScrollUp ^W DeleteLine ^Y ScrollDown ^Z DeleteLeftWord ^BackSpace BottomOfScreen ^End TopOfScreen ^Home WordLeft ^left arrow TopOfFile ^PgUp BottomOffile ^PgDn WordRight ^right arrow ----- Alt Key commands ---------------------------- CopyBlock Alt-C GroupDelete Alt-G MarkLine Alt-L MoveBlock Alt-M UnMarkBlock Alt-U GExit Alt-X ----- Dedicated key commands ----------------------- BackSpace BackSpace key DeleteChar Del key CursorDown down arrow key EndOfLine End key Escape ESC key FirstOfLine Home key ToggleIns Ins key CursorLeft left arrow key PgDn PgDn key PgUp PgUp key Return return key CursorRight right arrow key TabLeft shift tab key TabRight tab key CursorUp up arrow key Appendix E) Some Frequently Asked Questions 1. "Will it help if I buy more RAM memory for my PC?". ANSWER: Yes. QEDIT uses ALL available memory up to a maximum of 640K. The size of and number of files that you can edit with QEDIT is directly determined by the amount of available memory present. 2. "In what language was QEDIT written?". ANSWER: It was originally written entirely in TURBO PASCAL. This version contains about 3500 lines of TURBO PASCAL and 700 lines of Assembler. We are looking into rewriting QEDIT in Assembler or 'C' or both. We would actually like to rewrite QEDIT in MODULA 2, but we have not found a satisfactory implementation (the ones that we've seen produce far too bulky modules for our tastes) and Borland has not released their version yet. Late note: Qedit is currently being re-written in C. We started out using Desmet C, switched to MS-C, and are now switching once again to DataLight C. If we can ever find a C compiler that we really like, we may finish the rewrite! 3. "Can I obtain the source code for the program?". ANSWER: Yes. Write for details. 4. "What is your update policy?". ANSWER: We will try to notify all registered users of new updates. Current update pricing is $10 for the most current version. 5. "How do I get files with tabs to display with the tabs expanded?" ANSWER: Use the ToggleTabsExpand command. (^QT) 6. "When I try the SplitScreen command, nothing happens. What's wrong?" ANSWER: You must have two or files currently loaded before the SplitScreen command will work. To load another file into memory use the EditFile command.