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Text File | 1985-10-03 | 10.6 KB | 207 lines

                  New Version of ACE coming soon!!!

   A new version of ACE (1.25P [Public version]) will be finished
soon.  This new version is unbelievably better.  It has TONS of new
stuff, like:

             If you have a color graphics adapter, screen display is
          much faster...

             You may specify the character that takes the place of
          ASCII 174, instead of it always being 254.

             There is a function that will list all the functions in
          the current file (Up to 176) and allow you to position a
          cursor on the one you would like to go to.  When you press
          enter ACE will place you on the line of the declaration.

             You may also with a different function type in the name,
          and have it (using the above search method) place you on the
          line of the function declaration.

             There is now an UndoRemark function to remove remarks
          from a block or line.

             There is a function to jump to the end of the code on a
          line.  This is useful when you have remarks after your lines
          and you want to add some code to the end of the line without
          having to cursor past your remark to the end of your code.

             Search and replace now support wild cards.  Below are the
          newly added characters you can use in a search string:

               *  -  This functions like dos's asterisk.  It specifies
                     that any number of character can fill it's
                     position.
               ?  -  This also operates like the dos question mark.
                     It signifies that any one character can take its
                     place.
               ^1 -  This search's for the ASCII 1 char, that is normally
                     used to tell ACE you want to change search or replace
                     parameters.
               ^* -  This lets you search for an actual asterisk.
               ^? -  This lets you search for an actual question mark.
               ^^ -  This lets you search for a ^ character.
               ^C -  This lets you search for a carriage
                     return/linefeed combo.
               ^E -  This lets you search for an escape character.
                     (ASCII 27)
               ^F -  This tells ACE to take the information following
                     the ^F and ending with a ^F as a function name,
                     and to search for it appropriately.  Using this
                     is essentially the same as using the function
                     mentioned above where you type in a function
                     name for ACE to go to.  Using ^F^F would go to
                     the next function declaration.

             The replace string supports all these new functions
          except for the ^F function.  In the replace string you
          may replace with an asterisk field or a question mark
          field from the search string.  So for example, in the file
          you had a bunch of function calls like this:
               hello(10,20);
               hello(5,14);
               hello(1,2);
               hello(99,145);
               hello(12,38);
               etc..
          Well, you want to insert the number 5 after the first
          number in that call, what a pain...  No more..  You would
          just specify for the search string:
               hello(*,*);
          and for the replace string:
               hello(*1,5,*2);
          this would insert the string found for the first asterisk
          field then a five then the string found for the second
          asterisk field.  Understand?  I hope so..  Anyway you
          could use this for alot of stuff, like for a replace string:
               printf("*1",*5,*4,*3,*2);
          This would reverse the four asterisk fields found in the file.
          So if the file contained this:
               printf("%d %d %d %d",a,b,c,d);
          it would now contain:
               printf("%d %d %d %d",d,c,b,a);
          pretty cool, eh?

             There is also a new Go To function.  Thumb position.  So
          now when you select go to.  You can type in the line number,
          tag char, or T for thumb position.  This function allows you
          to use the cursor keys to move the thumb at the left side of
          the window.  So if you place the thumb in the middle of the
          window and press enter it will take you to the middle of the
          file.

             There is a new utility function:  Comment align.  This
          new utility has you enter a column number where it then
          takes the entire file or a block and right align's the
          remarks with that column.  So, if you have lines like this:
                main()  /* main... */
                { /* beginning of main. */
                    int h; /* define loops variable as int. */
                etc..
          then having it line up with whatever column will make it
          look something like this:
                main()                                 /* main... */
                {                           /* beginning of main. */
                        int h;   /* define loops variable as int. */

             The Scan for errors function has been revamped.  Some
          bugs in it have been fixed, it is faster, and it is a little
          friendlier.

             The option "Indent after {" has been changed to "Indent
          aft. { and }".  You ask why?  Well, when this option is
          active, each time you enter a line containing a left brace,
          ACE stores the beginning indent of that line.  Then whenever
          you type in a right brace and there are no character besides
          spaces/tabs in front of it, ACE will automatically indent
          that line so that it matches with the correct starting left
          brace line.

             ACE also now, finally correctly supports tabs!!!  You
          remember how before, the tab key inserted hard spaces...
          That took up tons of space as you knew.  But now ACE in
          memory has each tab as an ASCII 9 (The way it should be) and
          just displays the appropriate number of spaces...  So in
          effect changing ACE in this way lets you edit larger files,
          and also got rid of the convert utility.

             ACE manages itself better...  There is no longer a limit
          on the number of lines you may have, well almost...  You
          can't go beyond 32,000, but at this time that is far beyond
          what anyone will be able to go with ACE's current buffer
          size.  This new revamp also has speeded up all the block
          operations.  No more waiting a sec/or two...  Just  WHAM!
          it's there...

   I believe that is all for 1.25P, but following is a list of some of
the things ACE's registered users can expect in version 1.26 which
will be done a few months after 1.25P is released:

             ACE will allow you to edit two separate files at once.
          They will be in two separate windows that the user can
          resize, copy to/from, edit, everything!

             It will have an expanded Scan for errors function.  It
          will do lint type analysis...

Possibilities:  (Not for sure, but likely to be there)
             ACE will have an option that when on will allow ACE to
          load Very Large files, up to ACE's max. line limit, which by
          then will be around 65,000.  Using this method ACE would
          store a 40 or so K section of that file in memory, and as
          the user would scroll through the file ACE would load in the
          required section of that file.  All editing while in this
          mode would be stored in a duplicate file, and later when you
          save your file ACE would delete the old file, and rename the
          duplicate file that had been changed to the old file name.
          If the option is set to off, then ACE will act as it does
          now...  Fast but smaller files...

             ACE might have some kind of a macro language in 1.26.
          With this language you would have full control over ACE,
          so you could say....  Ok when I press Ctrl F1, I want
          you to tell me if the current line has a certain string in
          it, if it does then oh....  Remark it with a special kind of
          indent, Or if it has this other string then uh.... copy that
          and the next 20 lines into a file...  Things like this could
          be possible...  With this new language many of ACE's current
          functions like ALT R, ALT U, ALT J (last two in 1.25P), etc..
          Could be replaced with macros!!  So with these macros you
          could essentially customize ACE!

             There will probably be an awesome new print
          function.  It was written by a friend of mine, and it is
          NICE...  It prints an index containing all the functions
          page #'s, keeps functions with their describing remarks,
          etc....  It has a few bugs in it at this time, but one of us
          plan to have it fixed by ACE's new version.

             There might be some kind of automated Compile option
          that after you defined what programs it would run along
          with parameters, and what kind of erorr output the program
          displayed. (like:   Line number   error message...)  You
          would just specify File Compile and ACE would automatically
          run your compilor, linker, whatever and route their output
          to a ACE file.  It would then scan this file for messages
          that matched your definition for errors.  It would then
          open the second window with the error messages from this
          file and highlight the first one.  ACE would also in the
          first window place the cursor on the line specified in
          the error message above.  By pressing a key ACE would
          automatically highlight the next error message above and
          again place the cursor on the appropriate line for editing.

   I think that's about it, but PLEASE if you have any
ideas/comments/suggestions...  Anything!  (Ver. 1.26 is not totally
thought out, so if you want something added, speak up!)
Call me or Write, but it's easier if you call...

   The address/number is:

          R.R.#12 Box#19
          Muncie, IN  47302
          [phone] After 3:30 p.m.

          Compuserve ID#: 70167,1123