XEDIT
Encyclopedia
XEDIT is a visual editor
for VM/CMS using block mode
IBM 3270
terminals.
It is much more line-oriented than modern PC and Unix editors. For example, it supports automatic line numbers, and many of the commands operate on blocks of lines. One of the features is a command line which allows the user to type arbitrary editor commands. Because IBM 3270 terminals do not transmit data to the computer until certain special keys are pressed (such as enter and function keys) XEDIT is less interactive than many PC and UNIX editors. For example, continuous spell-checking as the user types is impossible.
Notable features of the screen layout:
, EXEC2, or EXEC (CMS EXEC
).
KEDIT 5 for DOS and OS/2 supports an external REXX interpreter (native OS/2 REXX or Quercus REXX, for DOS only Quercus REXX replacing the older Mansfield REXX) and its own rather limited KEXX subset. KEDITW 1.6.1 for Windows supports only its own internal KEXX 5.62 version of the REXX
language.
Its predecessor was EDIT SP (SP is an acronym for System Product used by IBM
). Other key influences was EDIT (the older editor for CMS), and EDGAR (a program product editor for CMS). XEDIT supported many of the EDGAR commands [SOS (Screen Output Simulation) being a major one]. XEDIT also supported EXEC2, the predecessor of REXX.
XEDIT is one of the text editors subject to holy wars; see also Emacs
and vi
.
As of 2011 Mansfield Software Group announced that the support for KEDITW 1.6.1 will end in 2012. This last 32bit version works also in the 64bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista, but does not directly support Unicode
.
Visual editor
Visual editors or full screen editors are editing programs which display the text being edited on the screen as it is being edited, as opposed to line-oriented editors ....
for VM/CMS using block mode
Block-oriented terminal
A block-oriented terminal is a type of computer terminal that communicates with its host in blocks of data, usually chunks of text, as opposed to a character-oriented terminal that communicates with its host one character at a time...
IBM 3270
IBM 3270
The IBM 3270 is a class of block oriented terminals made by IBM since 1972 normally used to communicate with IBM mainframes. As such, it was the successor to the IBM 2260 display terminal. Due to the text colour on the original models, these terminals are informally known as green screen terminals...
terminals.
It is much more line-oriented than modern PC and Unix editors. For example, it supports automatic line numbers, and many of the commands operate on blocks of lines. One of the features is a command line which allows the user to type arbitrary editor commands. Because IBM 3270 terminals do not transmit data to the computer until certain special keys are pressed (such as enter and function keys) XEDIT is less interactive than many PC and UNIX editors. For example, continuous spell-checking as the user types is impossible.
Typical screen layout
MOHICANS SCRIPT A1 V 132 Trunc=132 Size=10 Line=10 Col=1 Alt=10
XEDIT:
of the streams, or in effecting the rugged passes of the mountains
|...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7...
>
X E D I T 1 File
Notable features of the screen layout:
- The top line provides details about line format where:
- MOHICANS is the filename
- SCRIPT is the filetype
- A1 is the filemode (default, indicating which disk the file is on)
- V is the RECFM (record format which can be Fixed or Variable)
- 132 length of the records (for V, the maximum length)
- Trunc=132 indicates changes beyound 132 columns will be ignored
- Size=10 denotes total number of lines in file
- Line=10 denotes the current line
- Col=1 denotes the current column
- Alt=10 indicates that ten changes have been made while XEDITing
- The equal signs at the beginning of the lines provide space for line numbers if desired, and a place to enter XEDIT prefix commands that may operate on blocks of lines.
- The next-to-bottom line is a command line for entering XEDIT commands (or macros).
- There is no mouse pointer because most IBM 3270 terminals did not have mice (a select few did and other models conforming to the 3270 data stream definition did).
- most IBM 3270 terminals had 12 or 24 function keys (and also program assist keys), to which XEDIT commands or macros could be assigned.
- XEDIT commands can be used to change the screen appearance. Some examples include:
- moving (or eliminating) the position of the command line
- moving (or eliminating) the TABS marker line
- moving (or eliminating) the position of the PREFIX lines
- moving (or eliminating) the current line indicator
- whether or not TAB characters are to be expanded
- define which lines to be displayed by scope *SELECT)
- showing the data on a display screen or typewriter mode
- specifing text(s) to be displayed on the screen (RESERVED)
- changing the prefix line from equal signs to line numbers (nnnnn)
- eliminating the TOFEOF lines (* * * Top of File * * * --and-- * * * End of File * * *)
- displaying (or eliminating) SHADOW lines (indications that lines are not being displayed)
- displaying (or eliminating) the SCALE lines (a scale or ruler to assist editing)
- changing the background and foreground colors used for the different portions of the screen
- defining what lines are to be displayed (RANGE)
- define what columns are to be displayed (and also, if in hexadecimal)
- define multiple XEDIT screens [sizes, location (over/under, side by side)]
Macro language
XEDIT macros (scripts) can be written in REXXREXX
REXX is an interpreted programming language that was developed at IBM. It is a structured high-level programming language that was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to read...
, EXEC2, or EXEC (CMS EXEC
CMS EXEC
CMS EXEC, or EXEC, is an interpreted, command procedure control, computer programming language used by the CMS EXEC Processor supplied with the IBM Virtual Machine/Conversational Monitor System operating system....
).
KEDIT 5 for DOS and OS/2 supports an external REXX interpreter (native OS/2 REXX or Quercus REXX, for DOS only Quercus REXX replacing the older Mansfield REXX) and its own rather limited KEXX subset. KEDITW 1.6.1 for Windows supports only its own internal KEXX 5.62 version of the REXX
REXX
REXX is an interpreted programming language that was developed at IBM. It is a structured high-level programming language that was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to read...
language.
History
XEDIT written by Xavier de Lamberterie was first released in 1980.Its predecessor was EDIT SP (SP is an acronym for System Product used by IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
). Other key influences was EDIT (the older editor for CMS), and EDGAR (a program product editor for CMS). XEDIT supported many of the EDGAR commands [SOS (Screen Output Simulation) being a major one]. XEDIT also supported EXEC2, the predecessor of REXX.
XEDIT is one of the text editors subject to holy wars; see also Emacs
Emacs
Emacs is a class of text editors, usually characterized by their extensibility. GNU Emacs has over 1,000 commands. It also allows the user to combine these commands into macros to automate work.Development began in the mid-1970s and continues actively...
and vi
Vi
vi is a screen-oriented text editor originally created for the Unix operating system. The portable subset of the behavior of vi and programs based on it, and the ex editor language supported within these programs, is described by the Single Unix Specification and POSIX.The original code for vi...
.
As of 2011 Mansfield Software Group announced that the support for KEDITW 1.6.1 will end in 2012. This last 32bit version works also in the 64bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista, but does not directly support Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
.
PC and Unix adaptations
When PCs and Unix computers began to supplant IBM 3270 terminals, some users wanted text editors that resembled the XEDIT they were accustomed to. To fill this need, several developers provided similar programs:- KEDIT by Mansfield Software Group, Inc., was the first XEDIT clone. Although originally released in 1983, the first major release was version 3.53 for DOSDOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, released in 1985. The last version for DOS and OS/2 was KEDIT 5.0p4. KeditW (for Windows) is at version 1.6 dated December 2007 (the latest previous release being 1.5 service level 3 dated January 1998). Kedit supports a built-in REXX-subset called KEXX. Mansfield Software created the first non-IBM implementation of REXX (Personal REXX) in 1985. - SEDIT (first released in 1989) is another implementation on both Windows and Unix, which supports a variant of REXX language called S/REXX (announced in 1994).
- The Hessling EditorThe Hessling EditorThe Hessling Editor is one of the older open source text editor projects...
THE, written with compatibility for both KEDIT and XEDIT in mind, uses Regina, an open source version of REXX. It was begun in 1990, first released in August 1992. THE can also be built with any of several implementations of REXX, including uni-REXX.
External links
- KEDIT, a Mansfield Software Group product, for DOS, OS/2, and Windows.
- KEDIT/KEXX summary by Rex Swain
- KEX macro collection includes x-wiki.kex
- PcXedit, a freewareFreewareFreeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
program for Windows. - SEDIT and S/REXX for UNIX and Windows product description
- THE, The Hessling EditorThe Hessling EditorThe Hessling Editor is one of the older open source text editor projects...
, open source using ReginaREXXREXX is an interpreted programming language that was developed at IBM. It is a structured high-level programming language that was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to read...
as its macro language - uni-XEDIT for UNIX product description (2003)