Introduction to the Screen Editor

This topic gives an overview of the Screen Editor. It describes its capabilities and limitations, explains how to run it and lists its main features.

Overview

This topic describes the Screen Editor processor.

Screen Editor Capabilities

The Screen Editor is a processor you can use to modify any item in the database, as long as you have access to that item. The Screen Editor can create and/or modify DataBasic programs, Procs, data files, and file dictionaries.

Screen Editor allows full screen editing of Reality items. It is especially useful for input and editing of DataBasic programs, Procs, and English dictionary items.

Screen Editor replaces the standard system Line Editor with a word processing style text editor.

Syntax Element Definitions

The Screen Editor, unlike the Line Editor, does not require the input of syntax elements with the commands. Screen Editor commands are single keystroke commands. When additional parameters are required, you are prompted for those parameters by the Status/Command Line.

For those commands that prompt you for additional parameter input, you will find an explanation of the prompt and the proper response with the description of the command given in Screen Editor Commands.

Screen Editor Limitations

The only items you cannot edit with Screen Editor are cataloged DataBasic programs and other binary format items.

Screen Editor Features

The Screen Editor includes the following features:

• Input and Editing of any file item.

• Automatic line wrapping.

• Control characters, X'00' to X'1F', are displayed as periods (.). Characters from X'7F' to X'FD' are displayed as tildes (~).

• Status/Command Line shows current mode, file-name, and item-id.

• Interface to system cursor addressing scheme to allow use with any terminal by setting the terminal type number using the TERM command.

• Prism 7/8/9 cursor positioning keys supported in EDIT mode.

• File options include renaming of the current item and interface to the DataBasic compiler for automatic compilation after editing.

• Item filing under new item-ids and/or in new files.

• Uses item locks to prevent duplicate update of items.

• Accepts commands in upper or lower case.

• Command sequences can be captured and rerun using the PRESTORE RECORD and PRESTORE RUN commands.

• 80 or 132 column display.

• Line highlighting with reverse video to mark current line.

• UNDO command allows recovery of item prior to last change.

• Line number prompting on input.

• Line concatenation.

• Universal replacement.

• Line merging from the same item or from external items.

• Character string location and replacement.