collapseos/doc/ed.txt

# Editing text

Collapse OS has 2 levels of text editing capabilities: command-
based editing and visual editing.

The command-based editor is a "traditional" Forth text editor as
described in Starting Forth by Leo Brodie. We call this editor
the "Block editor" and it is located at B100.

The visual editor is a full-blown application that takes over
the interpreter loop with its own key interpreter and takes over
the whole screen using AT-XY. We call this editor the "Visual
Editor" and is located at B120.

When available, the Visual editor is almost always preferable to
the Block editor. It's much more usable. We have the Block edi-
tor around because not all machines can implement AT-XY. For ex-
ample, a machine with only a serial console can't.

# Block editor

The Block editor augments the built-in word LIST with words to
modify the block currently being loaded. Block saving happens
automatically: Whenever you load a new block, the old block, if
changed, is saved to disk first. You can force that with FLUSH.

Editing works around 3 core concepts: cursor, insert buffer
(IBUF), find buffer (FBUF).

The cursor is simply the character index in the 64x16 grid. The
word T allows you to select a line. For example, "3 T" selects
the 3rd line. It then prints the selected line with a "^" char-
acter to show your position on it. After a T, that "^" will 
always be at the beginning of the line.

You can insert text at the current position with "i". For exam-
ple, "i foo" inserts "foo" at cursor. Text to the right of it
is shifted right. Any content above 64 chars is lost.

Why "i" and not "I"? Because "I" is already used and we don't
want to overshadow it.

You can "put" a new line with "P". "P foo" will insert a new
line under the cursor and place "foo" on it. The last line of
the block is lost. "U" does the same thing, but on the line
above the cursor.

Inserting anything also copies the inserted content into IBUF.
Whenever an inserting command is used with no content (you still
have to type the whitespace after the word though), what is in-
serted is the content of IBUF.

This is all well and good, but a bit more granularity would be
nice, right? What if you want to insert at a specific position
in the line? Enter FBUF.

"F foo" finds the next occurrence of "foo" in the block and
places the cursor in front of it. It then spits the current line
in the same way "T" does.

It's with this command that you achieve granularity. This allows
you to insert at arbitrary places in the block. You can also
delete contents with this, using "E". "E" deletes the last found
contents. So, after you've done "F foo" and found "foo", running
"E" will delete "foo", shifting the rest of the line left.

List of commands:

T ( n -- ): select line n for editing.
P xxx: put typed IBUF on selected line.
U xxx: insert typed IBUF on selected line.
F xxx: find typed FBUF in block, starting from current
       position+1. If not found, don't move.
i xxx: insert typed IBUF at cursor.
Y: Copy n characters after cursor into IBUF, n being length of
   FBUF.
X ( n -- ): Delete X chars after cursor and place in IBUF.
E: Run X with n = length of FBUF.

# Visual editor

This editor, unlike the Block Editor, is grid-based instead of
being command-based. It requires the Grid subsystem (B401).

It is loaded with "125 LOAD" and invoked with "VE". Note that
this also fully loads the Block Editor.

This editor uses 19 lines. The top line is the status line and
it's followed by 2 lines showing the contents of IBUF and
FBUF. There are then 16 contents lines. The contents shown is
that of the currently selected block.

The status line displays the active block number, then the
"modifier" and then the cursor position. When the block is dir-
ty, an "*" is displayed next. At the right corner, a mode letter
can appear. 'R' for replace, 'I' for insert, 'F' for find.

All keystrokes are directly interpreted by VE and have the
effect described below.

Pressing a 0-9 digit accumulates that digit into what is named
the "modifier". That modifier affects the behavior of many
keystrokes described below. The modifier starts at zero, but
most commands interpret a zero as a 1 so that they can have an
effect.

'G' selects the block specified by the modifier as the current
block. Any change made to the previously selected block is
saved beforehand.

'[' and ']' advances the selected block by "modifier". 't' opens
the previously opened block. 

'h' and 'l' move the cursor by "modifier" characters. 'j' and
'k', by lines. 'g' moves to "modifier" line.

'H' goes to the beginning of the line, 'L' to the end.

'w' moves forward by "modifier" words. 'b' moves backward.
'W' moves to end-of-word. 'B', backwards.

'I', 'F', 'Y', 'X' and 'E' invoke the corresponding command from
command-based editor.

'o' inserts a blank line after the cursor. 'O', before.

'D' deletes "modifier" lines at the cursor. The first of those
lines is copied to IBUF.

'f' puts the contents of your previous cursor movement into
FBUF. If that movement was a forward movement, it brings the
cursor back where it was. This allows for an efficient combi-
nation of movements and 'E'. For example, if you want to delete
the next word, you type 'w', then 'f', then check your FBUF to
be sure, then press 'E'.

'R' goes into replace mode at current cursor position.
Following keystrokes replace current character and advance
cursor. Press return to return to normal mode.

'@' re-reads current block even if it's dirty, thus undoing     
recent changes.

# Tight screens

Blocks being 64 characters wide, using the Visual editor on a
screen that is not 64 characters wide is a bit less convenient,
but very possible.

When VE is in a "tight screen" situation, it behaves different-
ly: no gutter, no line number. It displays as much of the "left"
part of the block as it can, but truncate every line.

The right part is still accessible, however. If the cursor moves
to a part of the block that is invisible, VE will "slide" right
so that the cursor is shown. It will indicate it "slid" mode by
adding a ">" next to the cursor address in the status bar.

To slide back left, simply move the cursor to the invisible part
of the left half of the block.

Other than that, VE works the same.