


                                      Mr Ed
                                  A Text Editor

                                       by

                                   Eric Tauck
                               1304 Deerpass Road
                             Marengo, IL 60152-9644
                                     U.S.A.

                             Compuserve: 72457,1557
                       Internet: 72457.1557@compuserve.com

        Mr Ed is a simple DOS based text editor for IBM PC/XT/AT compati-
        bles.  Mr Ed requires PC/MS DOS 3.0 or higher and at least 224K
        of free memory.  Mr Ed can only edit files that fit entirely in
        memory, have 18,000 lines or less, and no lines longer than 4096
        characters.  Mr Ed has a fixed memory overhead of about 230,000
        bytes -- all additional free (conventional) memory is used for
        editing.  Mr Ed is run by entering:

          ED [switches] [file]

        'switches' are optional command line arguments that change the
        appearance or operation of Mr Ed.  'file' is the name of the file
        to edit.  If a file is not specified, Mr Ed will start editing an
        empty unnamed file.  Large files are loaded in the background, so
        you may begin editing a large file while the rest of it is being
        loaded.

                                     Display
                                     -------

        The Mr Ed display consists of a status line at the top of the
        screen with the rest of the screen devoted to the text being
        edited.  The status line shows the file name and a file changed
        marker, several state indicators, the memory free, and the cur-
        rent row and column position.  The file changed marker (the
        leftmost character on the status line) is a triangle if the file
        doesn't exist (i.e. a new file), a block if an existing file has
        been loaded, or an asterisk if the file (new or existing) has
        been changed.  The state indicators show the state of the numlock
        (a '#' if locked), capslock (an up-arrow if locked), the block
        status ('Mrk' if marking a block or 'Blk' if a block is marked),
        and the insert state ('Ins' if in insert mode).  The memory free
        is thousands of bytes if a 'K' follows the number, or a simple
        byte count if a 'b' follows the number.  The first number of the
        current location is the row and the second number is the column.

                                  Entering Text
                                  -------------

        Simply type in the characters you wish to add to the file.  Text
        is changed or entered at the cursor location.  If insert mode is
        on (an 'Ins' is displayed on the status line), existing text will



        not be overwritten by new text.  The CTRL-P command allows you to
        enter keystrokes that would normally be interpreted as commands
        (like ^D or TAB).  The following is a list of text entry com-
        mands:

          ENTER        start a new line (splits current line)
          CTRL-ENTER   insert a new line after the current line
          INS          toggle the insert state

          CTRL-P       enter a literal character

                                  Deleting Text
                                  -------------

        There are several commands for deleting text.  You may also
        delete sections of text using the block commands described later.
        The following is a list of delete commands:

          DEL          delete the character under the cursor
          BKSP         delete the character to left of the cursor
          CTRL-BKSP    delete the word to left of the cursor

          CTRL-B       delete to the beginning of the line
          CTRL-E       delete to the end of the line
          CTRL-N       delete the next word
          CTRL-L       delete the entire line

                                 Cursor Movement
                                 ---------------

        Most operations are performed at the cursor location.  The cursor
        starts at the beginning of the file and moves as different opera-
        tions are carried out.  The cursor can also be moved using any of
        the commands below:

          UP           move the cursor up one line
          DOWN         move the cursor down one line
          LEFT         move the cursor left one column
          RIGHT        move the cursor right one column
          PGUP         move the cursor up one screen
          PGDN         move the cursor down one screen
          HOME         move the cursor to the first column
          END          move the cursor to the end of the line

          CTRL-LEFT    move the cursor to the previous word
          CTRL-RIGHT   move the cursor to the next word
          CTRL-PGUP    scroll the file one line up
          CTRL-PGDN    scroll the file one line down
          CTRL-HOME    move the cursor to the beginning of the file
          CTRL-END     move the cursor to the end of the file

          TAB          move the cursor to the next tab stop
          SHIFT-TAB    move the cursor to the previous tab stop



          ALT-G        move the cursor to a specific line number

                               Search and Replace
                               ------------------

        Arbitrary sequences of characters are called strings.  Strings
        can be searched for and replaced with other strings.  String
        searching in Mr Ed is "case-sensitive," meaning that upper and
        lower case characters must match exactly.  The following is a
        list of search and replace commands:

          F2           find a string
          F3           find the next occurrence of a string
          F4           find and replace a string

                                     Blocks
                                     ------

        Blocks are marked sections of text that can be manipulated as a
        single unit.  Blocks come in two types: marked columns within a
        single line (a column block), or marked rows (a line block).
        Generally, block operations consist of moving the cursor to where
        you want the block to start, begin marking the block, move the
        cursor to where you want the block to end, stop marking the
        block, and perform a block delete or write operation; OR move the
        cursor again and perform a move or copy operation.  The following
        is a list of block commands:

          F5           start/stop/clear marking (line block)
          CTRL-F5      start/stop/clear marking (column block)

          CTRL-C       copy a block to the cursor location
          CTRL-D       delete a block
          CTRL-R       read a block (i.e. file) to the cursor location
          CTRL-V       move a block to the cursor location
          CTRL-W       write a block to a file

                                    Clipboard
                                    ---------

        The clipboard is a hidden area for storing text and is useful as
        an alternative method of manipulating blocks.  For instance,
        instead of marking and moving a block, you can cut a block to the
        clipboard and paste it in at the new location.  A clipboard
        'copy' operation copies the current block to the clipboard, a
        'cut' operation copies the current block to the clipboard and
        then deletes the block, and a 'paste' operation inserts the
        contents of the clipboard to the cursor location.  The clipboard
        is a fixed size of about 1/10th of the total free memory.  The
        following is a list of clipboard commands:

          F6           copy a block to the clipboard
          F7           cut a block to the clipboard
          F8           paste the clipboard contents



                                     General
                                     -------

        The following is a list of general/miscellaneous commands:

          F1           display a brief help screen

          ALT-A        display a chart of ASCII codes
          ALT-H        display a brief help screen (same as F1)
          ALT-L        load a new file
          ALT-N        start editing a new (unnamed) file
          ALT-R        rename the current file
          ALT-S        save the current file

          ESC          clear block (if block marked)

          ESC          quit Mr Ed (if no block marked)
          ALT-X        quit Mr Ed

                                  Configuration
                                  -------------

        You can save the current configuration or dynamically change and
        save the current colors from inside Mr Ed.  The following is a
        list of commands for saving the configuration and changing the
        colors:

          ALT-F1       save the current configuration (except colors)
          ALT-F2       configure and save the colors

                                    Switches
                                    --------

        There are several command line switches that allow you to config-
        ure Mr Ed to your personal tastes.  These switches may be speci-
        fied when Mr Ed is run, listed once and saved with the /SAVE
        switch, or specified with the environment variable MRED.  When
        switch settings are saved with the /SAVE switch (or the ALT-F1
        command from within Mr Ed), the settings are saved permanently to
        the ED.EXE file.  To use the environment variable MRED, just list
        the switches as you would on the command line, for instance:

          MRED=/AUTO+ /BAK-

        Environment variables are usually set in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
        For conflicting switch settings (for instance you specify /BEEP+
        in the environment variable but /BEEP- on the command line),
        environment settings take precedence over saved switch settings,
        and command line switches take precedence over environment set-
        tings.  For switches with a '+' and '-' form, the '+' form ena-
        bles the feature and the '-' form disables the feature.  The
        following is a list of command line switches:



        /AUTO+
        /AUTO-

          Automatically save the file when you exit via ALT-X.  Mr Ed
          usually asks if you want to save any changes to your file when
          you exit.  If /AUTO+ is used, Mr Ed will automatically save any
          changes when you exit.  The default is /AUTO-.

        /BAK+
        /BAK-

          Create backup (.BAK) files.  If backup files are enabled, Mr Ed
          will save an original (i.e. unmodified) copy of the file you're
          editing with a .BAK extension.  This option is a safety feature
          that allows you to get your original file back.  The default is
          /BAK+.

        /BEEP+
        /BEEP-

          Beep on error.  These options enable an audible beep for cer-
          tain Mr Ed warnings and errors.  The default is /BEEP+.

        /BW
        /MONO

          Force monochrome color set.  These two switches force Mr Ed to
          use only normal (white on black) or reverse (black on white)
          color schemes, regardless of what custom colors have been set.
          These switches are particularly useful if you have saved a
          color scheme to ED.EXE that is illegible on a particular com-
          puter/video system.

        /COLOR1=n

          Set the status line color.  'n' is a color value in the range 0
          to 255.  The foreground color values are 0 = black, 1 = blue, 2
          = green, 3 = cyan, 4 = red, 5 = magenta, 6 = brown, and 7 =
          white.  The background color values are 0 = black, 16 = blue,
          32 = green, 48 = cyan, 64 = red, 80 = magenta, 96 = brown, and
          112 = white.  Add a foreground and background color together to
          get a combined color value.  Add 8 to the total to make the
          foreground brighter, and/or add 128 to make the foreground
          color blink.  The Mr Ed colors can be set with command line
          switches or with the ALT-F2 command from within Mr Ed.

        /COLOR2=n

          Set the normal text color.  See the description of the
          /COLOR1=n switch.



        /COLOR3=n

          Set the block marking text color.  See the description of the
          /COLOR1=n switch.

        /COLOR4=n

          Set the block marked text color.  See the description of the
          /COLOR1=n switch.

        /COLOR5=n

          Set the help screen color.  See the description of the
          /COLOR1=n switch.

        /COLOR6=n

          Set the end of file marker color.  See the description of the
          /COLOR1=n switch.

        /DELAY=n

          Set the keyboard repeat delay rate.  This switch changes the
          time that a key must held down before keystrokes start repeat-
          ing.  This switch only works on extended AT style keyboards.
          'n' is the number of 1/100th seconds before keys start repeat-
          ing (use 0 for no change).  The default is /DELAY=0.

        /END+
        /END-

          Display the end of file marker.  These switches enable or
          disable a visible end of file marker when editing a file.  The
          marker shows up as a line of characters across the screen.  You
          can set the character used in the marker with the /END=n
          switch.  The default is /END-.

        /END=n

          Set the end of file marker character.  This switch lets you set
          the character used to display the end of the file marker.  'n'
          is the ASCII value of the character to use.  The default is
          /END=250.  The end of file marker is only displayed if the end
          of file marker is enabled (see the /END+,/END- switch descrip-
          tion).

        /EOF+
        /EOF-

          Write EOF character to the end of files.  When this feature is
          enabled, Mr Ed appends an EOF character (ASCII code 26) to the
          end of a file when it is saved.  The default is /EOF+.

        /INSERT+



        /INSERT-

          Set the insert mode.  These switches set the initial insert
          state.  The default is /INSERT+.

        /LINES+
        /LINES-

          Remove trailing blank lines.  When this feature is enabled, Mr
          Ed removes blank lines at the end of a file when it is saved.
          The default is /LINES-.

        /LOCK+
        /LOCK-

          Lock options.  When this feature is enabled, Mr Ed does not
          allow any configuration items to be saved to ED.EXE, either by
          the /SAVE switch, or by the ALT-F1 or ALT-F2 commands.  The
          default is /LOCK-.

        /RATE=n

          Set the keyboard repeat rate.  This switch sets the rate at
          which keystrokes are repeated when a key is held down.  This
          switch only works on extended AT style keyboards.  'n' is the
          number of keys per second (use 0 for no change).  The default
          is /RATE=0.

        /SAVE

          Save switch settings to ED.EXE.  This switch permanently saves
          all other switch settings, so the switches need not be speci-
          fied the next time Mr Ed is run.

        /SPACES+
        /SPACES-

          Remove trailing spaces.  When this feature is enabled, Mr Ed
          removes spaces at the end of lines when a file is saved.  The
          default is /SPACES-.

                             DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
                             ----------------------

        THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE DISTRIBUTED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT
        WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER
        WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.  BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS
        HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE
        PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED.

        GOOD DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURE DICTATES THAT ANY PROGRAM BE
        THOROUGHLY TESTED WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA BEFORE RELYING ON IT.
        THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM.  ANY
        LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT
        REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE.
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