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f2a0d81d C |
1 | .nr PS 9 |
2 | .nr VS 11 | |
3 | .if t .2C | |
4 | .SH | |
5 | Introduction | |
6 | .PP | |
7 | .ul | |
8 | Ed | |
9 | is a ``text editor'', that is, an interactive program | |
10 | for creating and modifying ``text'', | |
11 | using directions provided by a user at | |
12 | a terminal. | |
13 | The text is often a document | |
14 | like this one, | |
15 | or a program | |
16 | or perhaps data for a program. | |
17 | .PP | |
18 | This introduction is meant to simplify learning | |
19 | .ul | |
20 | ed. | |
21 | The recommended way to learn | |
22 | .ul | |
23 | ed | |
24 | is to read this document, | |
25 | simultaneously using | |
26 | .ul | |
27 | ed | |
28 | to follow the examples, | |
29 | then to read the description in section I of the | |
30 | .ul | |
31 | .UC UNIX | |
32 | .ul | |
33 | Programmer's Manual, | |
34 | all the while | |
35 | experimenting with | |
36 | .ul | |
37 | ed. | |
38 | (Solicitation of advice from experienced users is also useful.) | |
39 | .PP | |
40 | Do the exercises! | |
41 | They cover material not completely discussed | |
42 | in the actual text. | |
43 | An appendix summarizes the commands. | |
44 | .SH | |
45 | Disclaimer | |
46 | .PP | |
47 | This is an introduction and a tutorial. | |
48 | For this reason, no attempt is made to | |
49 | cover more than a part of the facilities that | |
50 | .ul | |
51 | ed | |
52 | offers | |
53 | (although this fraction includes the most useful and frequently used | |
54 | parts). | |
55 | When you have mastered the Tutorial, | |
56 | try | |
57 | .ul | |
58 | Advanced Editing on | |
59 | .ul | |
60 | .UC UNIX . | |
61 | Also, | |
62 | there is not enough space to explain basic | |
63 | .UC UNIX | |
64 | procedures. | |
65 | We will assume that you know how to log on to | |
66 | .UC UNIX , | |
67 | and that you have at least a vague understanding | |
68 | of what a file is. | |
69 | For more on that, read | |
70 | .ul | |
71 | .UC UNIX | |
72 | .ul | |
73 | for Beginners. | |
74 | .PP | |
75 | You must also know what character to type as the end-of-line | |
76 | on your particular terminal. | |
77 | This character is the | |
78 | .UC RETURN | |
79 | key on most terminals. | |
80 | Throughout, we will refer to this character, | |
81 | whatever it is, | |
82 | as | |
83 | .UC RETURN . | |
84 | .SH | |
85 | Getting Started | |
86 | .PP | |
87 | We'll assume that you have logged in to | |
88 | your system | |
89 | and it has just printed the prompt character, | |
90 | usually either a | |
91 | .UL $ | |
92 | or a | |
93 | .UL % . | |
94 | The | |
95 | easiest way to get | |
96 | .ul | |
97 | ed | |
98 | is to type | |
99 | .P1 | |
100 | ed (followed by a return) | |
101 | .P2 | |
102 | You are now ready to go \- | |
103 | .ul | |
104 | ed | |
105 | is waiting for you to tell it what to do. | |
106 | .SH | |
107 | Creating Text \- the Append command ``a'' | |
108 | .PP | |
109 | As your first problem, suppose you want to create some text | |
110 | starting from scratch. | |
111 | Perhaps you are typing the very first | |
112 | draft of a paper; clearly it will have to start | |
113 | somewhere, and undergo modifications later. | |
114 | This section will show how to get some text in, just to | |
115 | get started. | |
116 | Later we'll talk about how to change it. | |
117 | .PP | |
118 | When | |
119 | .ul | |
120 | ed | |
121 | is first started, it is rather like working | |
122 | with a blank piece of paper \- there is no text | |
123 | or information present. | |
124 | This must be supplied by the person using | |
125 | .ul | |
126 | ed; | |
127 | it is usually done | |
128 | by typing in the text, or by reading it into | |
129 | .ul | |
130 | ed | |
131 | from a | |
132 | file. | |
133 | We will start by typing in some text, and return shortly to how to | |
134 | read files. | |
135 | .PP | |
136 | First a bit of terminology. | |
137 | In | |
138 | .ul | |
139 | ed | |
140 | jargon, the text being | |
141 | worked on is said to be ``kept in a buffer.'' | |
142 | Think of the | |
143 | buffer as a work space, if you like, or simply as the information | |
144 | that you are going to be editing. | |
145 | In effect the buffer is like the | |
146 | piece of paper, on which we will write things, then change some | |
147 | of them, and finally file the whole thing away for another day. | |
148 | .PP | |
149 | The user tells | |
150 | .ul | |
151 | ed | |
152 | what to do to his text | |
153 | by typing instructions called ``commands.'' | |
154 | Most | |
155 | commands consist of a single letter, | |
156 | which must be typed in lower case. | |
157 | Each command is typed | |
158 | on a separate line. | |
159 | (Sometimes the command is preceded by information | |
160 | about what line or lines of text are to be affected \- | |
161 | we will discuss these shortly.) | |
162 | .ul | |
163 | Ed | |
164 | makes no response | |
165 | to most commands \- there is no prompting | |
166 | or typing of messages like ``ready''. | |
167 | (This silence is preferred | |
168 | by experienced users, but sometimes a hangup for beginners.) | |
169 | .PP | |
170 | The first command is | |
171 | .ul | |
172 | append, | |
173 | written as the letter | |
174 | .P1 | |
175 | a | |
176 | .P2 | |
177 | all | |
178 | by itself. | |
179 | It means ``append (or add) text lines to the buffer, | |
180 | as I type them in.'' | |
181 | Appending is rather like | |
182 | writing fresh material on a piece of paper. | |
183 | .PP | |
184 | So to enter lines of text into the buffer, | |
185 | just type an | |
186 | .UL a | |
187 | followed by a | |
188 | .UC RETURN , | |
189 | followed by the lines of text you want, like this: | |
190 | .P1 | |
191 | a | |
192 | Now is the time | |
193 | for all good men | |
194 | to come to the aid of their party. | |
195 | \*. | |
196 | .P2 | |
197 | .PP | |
198 | The only way to stop appending is to type a | |
199 | line that contains only a period. | |
200 | The ``\*.'' is used | |
201 | to tell | |
202 | .ul | |
203 | ed | |
204 | that you have finished appending. | |
205 | (Even experienced users forget that terminating ``\*.'' | |
206 | sometimes. | |
207 | If | |
208 | .ul | |
209 | ed | |
210 | seems to be ignoring you, | |
211 | type an extra line with just ``\*.'' on it. | |
212 | You may then find you've added some garbage lines | |
213 | to your text, which you'll have to take out later.) | |
214 | .PP | |
215 | After the append command has been done, the buffer will | |
216 | contain the three lines | |
217 | .P1 | |
218 | Now is the time | |
219 | for all good men | |
220 | to come to the aid of their party. | |
221 | .P2 | |
222 | The | |
223 | .UL a '' `` | |
224 | and ``\*.'' aren't there, because they are | |
225 | not text. | |
226 | .PP | |
227 | To add more text to what you already have, | |
228 | just issue another | |
229 | .UL a | |
230 | command, and continue typing. | |
231 | .SH | |
232 | Error Messages \- ``?'' | |
233 | .PP | |
234 | If at any time you make an error in the commands you type to | |
235 | .ul | |
236 | ed, | |
237 | it will tell you by typing | |
238 | .P1 | |
239 | ? | |
240 | .P2 | |
241 | This is about as cryptic as it can be, | |
242 | but with practice, you can usually | |
243 | figure out how you goofed. |