NAME

textedit − SunView window- and mouse-based text editor

SYNOPSIS

textedit [ generic-tool-arguments ] [ −Ea on | off ] [ −adjust_is_pending_delete ] [ −Ei on | off ]

[ −auto_indent ] [ −Eo on | off ] [ −okay_to_overwrite ] [ −Er on | off ] [ −read_only ]

[ −Ec N ] [ −checkpoint count ] [ −EL lines ] [ −lower_context lines ] [ −Em pixels ]

[ −margin pixels ] [ −En N ] [ −number_of_lines lines ] [ −Es N ] [ −scratch_window lines ]

[ −ES N ] [ −multi_click_space radius ] [ −Et N ] [ −tab_width tabstop ] [ −ET N ]

[ −multi_click_timeout intrvl ] [ −Eu N ] [ −history_limit max ] [ −EU N ]

[ −upper_context lines ] filename

AVAILABILITY

This command is available with the SunView 1 User’s software installation option.  Refer to Installing the SunOS for information on how to install optional software. 

DESCRIPTION

textedit is a mouse-oriented text editor that runs within the SunView environment.  It creates a window containing two text subwindows.  The top subwindow (referred to as the “scratch” window) can be used to store small pieces of text.  The bottom subwindow (referred to as the “edit” window) displays the contents of filename, if given.

The name of the file currently being edited is displayed in the left-hand portion of the frame header.  The name of the current working directory is displayed in the right-hand portion. 

OPTIONS

generic-tool-arguments
textedit accepts the SunView generic tool arguments listed in sunview(1). 

−Ea on|off

−adjust_is_pending_delete
Choose whether or not an adjustment to a selection makes the selection “pending-delete.”  The default is off. This option corresponds to, and overrides, the adjust_is_pending_delete Text defaults entry. 

−Ei on|off

−auto_indent
Choose whether or not to automatically indent newly-opened lines.  The default is off.  Corresponds to the auto_indent Text default. 

−Eo on|off

−okay_to_overwrite
Set behavior to the Store as New File menu item.  If on a Store as New File to the current file is treated as a Save Current File.  If off (the standard default), Store as New File operations using the current filename result in an error message.  Corresponds to Store_self_is_save. 

−Er on|off

−read_only
Turn read-only mode on or off. When on, text cannot be modified.

−Ec N

−checkpoint count
Checkpoint after every count editing operations.  If count is 0 (the standard default), no checkpointing takes place.  Each character typed, each Paste, and each Cut counts as an editing operation.  Corresponds to checkpoint_frequency. 

−EL lines

−lower_context lines
Specify the minimum number of lines to keep between the caret and the bottom of the text subwindow. The default is 2. Corresponds to lower_context. 

−Em pixels

−margin pixels
Set the scrollbar margin width in pixels. The default is 4. Corresponds to left_margin. 

−En N

−number_of_lines lines
Set the number of lines in the bottom subwindow. The default is 45.

−Es N

−scratch_window lines
Set the number of lines in the scratch window. A zero value means that there is no scratch window. The standard default is 1. Corresponds to scratch_window. 

−ES N

−multi_click_space radius
Set the radius, in pixels, within which clicks must occur to be treated as a multi-click selection. The default is 3 pixels. Corresponds to multi_click_space. 

−Et N

−tab_width tabstop
Set the number of SPACE characters displayed per TAB stop.  The default is 8.  This option has no effect on the characters in the file.  Corresponds to tab_width. 

−ET N

−multi_click_timeout intrvl
Set the interval, in milliseconds, within which any two clicks must occur to be treated as a multi-click selection. The default is 390 milliseconds. Corresponds to multi_click_timeout. 

−Eu N

−history_limit max
Set the maximum number of editing operations that can be undone or replayed. The default is 50. Corresponds to history_limit. 

−EU  N

−upper_context lines
Set the minimum number of lines to keep between the caret and the top of the text subwindow. The default is 2. Corresponds to upper_context. 

USAGE

For a description of how to use the facilities of the text subwindows, see the SunView 1 Beginner’s Guide. 

Signal Processing

If textedit hangs, for whatever reason, you can send a SIGHUP signal to its process ID, which forces it to write any changes (if possible):

kill −HUP pid

The edits are written to the file textedit.pid in its working directory.  If that fails, textedit successively tries to write to a file by that name in /var/tmp, and then /tmp.  In addition, whenever textedit catches a fatal signal, such as SIGILL, it tries to write out the edits before aborting. 

Defaults Options

There are several dozen user-specified defaults that affect the behavior of the text-based facilities.  See defaultsedit(1) for a complete description.  Important defaults entries in the Text category are:

Edit_back_char Set the character for erasing to the left of the caret.  The standard default is DELETE.  Note: the tty erase character-setting has no effect on textedit.  Text-based tools refer only to the defaults database key settings. 

Edit_back_word Set the character for erasing the word to the left of the caret.  The standard default is CTRL-W. 

Edit_back_line Set the character for erasing all characters to the left of the caret.  The standard default is CTRL-U. 

Checkpoint_frequency
If set to 0 (the standard default) no checkpointing is done.  For any value greater than zero, a checkpoint is made each time the indicated number of editing operations has been performed since the last checkpoint.  Each character typed, each Paste, and each Cut counts as an editing operation.  The checkpoint file has a name of the form: filename%%, where filename is the name of the file being edited. 

Making a selection

In textedit, the mouse is used to specify a selection, which is a character span to operate on.  The mouse is also used to position the insertion point and to invoke a menu of commands. 

The assignment of commands to the mouse buttons is:

Mouse button Description

LEFT Starts a new selection and moves the insertion point to the end of the selection nearest the mouse cursor. 

MIDDLE Extends a selection, and moves the insertion point. 

RIGHT Displays a menu of operations, explained below. 

There are two types of selections: a primary selection is indicated by video-inversion of the span of characters, and tends to persist.  A secondary selection is indicated by underlining the span of characters and only exists while one of the four function keys corresponding to the commands Cut, Find, Paste, or Copy, is depressed. 

In addition, a  selection can be “pending-delete,” as indicated by overlaying the span of characters with a light gray pattern.  A selection is made pending-delete by holding the CTRL key while clicking the LEFT or MIDDLE mouse buttons.  If a primary selection is pending-delete, it is only deleted when characters are inserted, either by type-in or by Paste or Copy.  If a secondary selection is pending-delete, it is deleted when the function key is released, except in the case of the Find, which deselects the secondary selection. 

You can make adjusted selections switch to pending-delete using the adjust_is_pending_delete defaults entry, or the −Ea option.  In this case, CTRL-Middle makes the selection not pending-delete. 

Commands that operate on the primary selection do so even if the primary selection is not in the window that issued the command. 

Inserting Text and Command Characters

For the most part, typing any of the standard keys either inserts the corresponding character at the insertion point, or erases characters.  However, certain key combinations are treated as commands.  Some of the most useful are:

CommandCharacterDescription
Cut-PrimaryMETA-X Erases, and moves to the Clipboard, the primary selection.
Find-PrimaryMETA-FSearches the text for the pattern specified by the primary
selection or by the Clipboard, if there is no primary selection.
Copy-to-ClipboardMETA-CCopies the primary selection to the  Clipboard.
Paste-ClipboardMETA-VInserts the Clipboard contents at the insertion point.
Copy-then-PasteMETA-PCopies the primary selection to the insertion point (through
the Clipboard).
Go-to-EOFCTRL-RETURNMoves the insertion point to the end of the text, positioning
the text so that the insertion point is visible.

Function Keys

The commands indicated by use of the function keys are:

CommandSun-2|3 KeyDescription
StopL1Aborts the current command.
AgainL2Repeats the previous editing sequence since a
primary selection was made.
UndoL4Undoes a prior editing sequence.
FrontL5Makes the window completely visible (or
hides it, if it is already exposed).
CopyL6Copies the primary selection, either to the
Clipboard or at the closest end of the secondary
selection.
OpenL7Makes the window iconic (or normal, if it is already
iconic).
PasteL8Copies either the secondary selection or the Clipboard at
the insertion point.
FindL9Searches for the pattern specified by, in order, the
secondary selection, the primary selection, or the Clipboard.
CutL10Erases, and moves to the Clipboard, either the primary or
the secondary selection.
CAPSLOCKF1Forces all subsequently typed alphabetic characters
to be upper-case.
This key is a toggle; striking it a second time undoes the
effect of the first strike.

Find usually searches the text forwards, towards the end.  Holding down the SHIFT key while invoking Find searches backward through the text, towards the beginning.  If the pattern is not found before the search encounters either extreme, it “wraps around” and continues from the other extreme.  Find starts the search at the appropriate end of the primary selection, if the primary selection is in the subwindow that the search is made in; otherwise it starts at the insertion point, unless the subwindow cannot be edited, in which case it starts at the beginning of the text. 

CTRL-Find invokes the Find and Replace pop-up frame. 

The default assignment of function keys can be modified using defaultsedit(1). 

Menu Items

File A pull-right menu item for file operations. 

Edit A pull-right menu item equivalent of the editing function keys.  The Edit submenu provides Again, Undo, Copy, Paste, and Cut (same as function keys L2, L4, L6, L8, and L10). 

Display A pull-right menu item for controlling the way text is displayed and line display format. 

Find A pull-right menu item for find and delimiter matching operations. 

Extras A user definable pull-right menu item.  The Extras standard submenu is controlled by /usr/lib/text_extras_menu.  This file has the same syntax as .rootmenu file.  See sunview(1). 

Only those items that are active appear as normal text in the menu; inactive items (which are inappropriate at the time) are “grayed out”. 

User Defined Commands

The file /usr/lib/text_extras_menu specifies filter programs that are included in the text subwindow Extras pull-right menu item.  The file ~/.textswrc specifies filter programs that are assigned to (available) function keys.  These filters are applied to the contents of the primary selection.  Their output is entered at the caret. 

The file /usr/lib/textswrc is a sample containing a set of useful filters.  It is not read automatically. 

FILES

~/.textswrc specifies bindings of filters to function keys

/usr/lib/text_extras_menu
specifies bindings of filters for the extras menu pull-right items

/usr/bin contains useful filters, including shift_lines and capitalize. 

filename% prior version of filename is available here after a Save Current File menu operation

textedit.pid edited version of filename; generated in response to fatal internal errors

/tmp/Text∗ editing session logs

SEE ALSO

defaultsedit(1), kill(1), sunview(1)

SunView 1 Beginner’s Guide

DIAGNOSTICS

Cannot open file ’filename’, aborting! 
filename does not exist or cannot be read. 

textedit produces the following exit status codes:

0 normal termination

1 standard SunView help message was printed

2 help message was requested and printed

3 abnormal termination in response to a signal, usually due to an internal error

4 abnormal termination during initialization, usually due to a missing file or running out of swap space

BUGS

Multi-click to change the current selection does not work for Adjust Selection. 

Handling of long lines is incorrect in certain scrolling situations. 

There is no way to replay any editing sequence except the most recent. 

‘textedit newfile’ fails if newfile does not exist. 

Sun Release 4.0  —  Last change: 22 March 1989