EVE (text editor)

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EVE (introduced as the Extensible VAX Editor, [1] [2] [3] later [4] as the Extensible Versatile Editor [5] ) is a flexible text editor that is part of the VMS operating system. [6] EVE is implemented by using the Text Processing Utility (TPU). [7]

Contents

The Emacs editor features an EVE emulation (as an add-on). [8]

Editor control

EVE is invoked via:

$ EDIT/TPU filename [9] 

Since the EVE editor was designed for use from a VT100 or VT220 terminal, [10] many keyboard conventions introduced for personal computers do not work.

KeyMeaning
Exit the editor
F10exit; saves the file and quits the editor [11]
Ctrl-Zexit; saves the file and quits the editor
Ctrl-Yabort; terminates the editor without saving the file
Command line
- (num.)recall; recall the EVE command line (empty); enter Help to get the list of EVE commands
Ctrl-Brecall; recall the EVE command line (with previous command); use Ctrl-U to clear it
Text deleting
Backspaceerases the character to the left of the cursor
Ctrl-Uerase start of line; deletes everything to the left of the cursor to the start of the line
Ctrl-Xerase start of line; deletes everything to the left of the cursor to the start of the line
Ctrl-Jerase word; deletes the word under the cursor
7 (num.)Select; starts text selection
8 (num.)Remove; removes the text from the place where Select was used previously
9 (num.)Insert here; inserts the text removed by the Remove
EndSelect; starts text selection
DeleteRemove; removes the text from the place where Select was used previously
InsertInsert here; inserts the text removed by the Remove
Mode changes
F11change direction; changes direction of the F12 and of the searching (notice the state line indicating Forward or Reverse)
* (num.)change direction; changes direction of the F12 and of the searching (notice the state line indicating Forward or Reverse)
Ctrl-Achange mode; switches between character insertion and overstrike (notice the state line indicating Insert or Overstrike)
Movements
cursor left
cursor right
cursor up
cursor down
1 (num.)cursor left
3 (num.)cursor right
5 (num.)cursor up
2 (num.)cursor down
Ctrl-Eend of line; put the cursor after the last character on the line
Ctrl-Hstart of line; put the cursor to the line start
F12next/previous line; direction can be changed with the F11 key
Text insertion
Ctrl-Vinserts a control character
Ctrl-Itab; inserts horizontal tabelator
Ctrl-Linsert page break; inserts the FF (form feed) character on a new line
Ctrl-Mreturn; inserts end of line
More commands
Ctrl-Sfreezes the screen output
Ctrl-Qreleases the screen output (the opposite of the Ctrl-S)
Ctrl-Twrite the status in the form of machine::user 09:15:19 TPU CPU=00:00:00.67 PF=2524 IO=7447 MEM=628 to the status line
Ctrl-Wrefresh; refreshes the screen
Ctrl-Rremember
NumLockcalls the Find command—enter a string to be found in the command line; the search direction is based on the direction set by the F11 key
Help
/ (num.)displays the numeric keypad keys help
Helpenter the Help command in the command line to get the list of EVE commands

Key Function Definitions

Interactive Key Definitions

To assign a command or function to a key or key combination, use the following procedure:

  1. Enter the EVE command line (using the - key on the numeric keypad or Ctrl-BCtrl-U)
  2. Enter the Define Key command—as almost everywhere in OpenVMS the text is case insensitive and it is possible to use abbreviations, so entering de k will do
  3. When the EVE command: prompt occurs, enter the name of the command
  4. When the Press the key you want to define: prompt occurs, press the key or key combination which is to call the given command

Key Definitions in a File

EVE upon its start interprets the EVE$INIT.EVE file in the user's current or home directory. [12] When the SYS$LOGIN:EVE$INIT.EVE file contains

DEFINE KEY= Ctrl/F   Find DEFINE KEY= F3       Find Next DEFINE KEY= F1       Help DEFINE KEY= F2       Do

the Ctrl-F key would call string search function, the F3 key repeating of the last search, the F1 key would display the list of EVE commands and the F2 key would call the EVE command line.

Features

Automatic journaling facilitates recovering "all or most" of one's editing. [1] :p. 1-9

The TWO WINDOWS command allows editing more than one file at a time [1] :p. 4-4 (split screen). [1] :p. 4-6

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 User's Guide to EVE AA-Z302A-TE. Digital Equipment Corporation. July 1985. p. ix.
  2. "VAX, VMS, and other manuals". User's guide to EVE
  3. "Course: Introduction to the Extensible VAX Editor". Argonne Computing Newsletter. 1992.
  4. HP
  5. Extensible Versatile Editor Reference Manual. Hewlett Packard. Archived from the original on 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  6. "VSI OpenVMS Version 8.4-1H1 for Integrity servers". Bolton Massachusetts, USA: VMS Software, Inc. 2015.
  7. "TPU". TextEditors.org. 2013.
  8. "Emacs EDT emulation". Free Software Foundation, Inc. 2015.
  9. OpenVMS documentation. Compaq. March 2001.
  10. Patrick Holmay (1998). The OpenVMS User's Guide. Digital Press. p. 74.
  11. "HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation". Hewlett Packard. Archived from the original on 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
  12. "Extensible Versatile Editor Reference Manual". Hewlett Packard. Retrieved 2016-01-29.[ permanent dead link ]