DTE(1L)

NAME
dte - full screen text editor

SYNOPSIS
dte [ filename ]

DESCRIPTION
dte is a simple full-screen text editor suitable for editing program source code. It was designed with goals including:
1.  To perform well over slow serial communication lines;
2.  To imitate the command keys used in WordStar / Turbo Pascal.

It is therefore expected that this editor will be particularly suitable for distance education students, who normally use Turbo Pascal (and hence are already familiar with the keystrokes required), and who also normally have to log in via 300/1200/2400 baud modems.

To edit a file called "test.p", use the command:
    dte test.p
If "test.p" already exists, it will be loaded ready to edit. If it does not yet exist, dte will create a new empty file.

If no file is specified, then dte will automatically display its on-line help (which contains most of the information included in this manual entry).

In the following commands, ^x is used to represent control-x (this means holding down the control key, and then typing x).

Cursor Movement Commands:
 ^X - line down
 ^E - line up
 ^D - character right
 ^S - character left
 ^F - word right
 ^A - word left
 ^C - screen down
 ^R - screen up
 ^QC - end of file
 ^QR - beginning of file
 ^QX - bottom of screen
 ^QE - top of screen
 ^QD - end of current line
 ^QS - beginning of current line
^QI -
    start of particular line in file (dte will prompt for line number)
 ^QB - beginning of marked block
 ^QK - end of marked block
 ^Q0 ... ^Q9 - move to marker 0 ... 9
^Q[ -
    match forwards - works with () {} [] '' "" /* */ begin end [if the cursor is on one of these characters, then it will be moved to the matched pair]
^Q] -
    match backwards - works with () {} [] '' "" /* */ begin end
^QF -
    find text in file [dte will prompt for text to find and for options - see below]
 ^QP - move to previous position

Screen Scrolling Commands:
 ^Z - scroll down one line
 ^W - scroll up one line
 ^C - scroll down one page
 ^R - scroll up one page

Search and Replace Commands:
 ^QF - find
 ^QA - replace
 ^L - repeat last find/replace

Find/Replace Options:
 U - ignore case
 B - search backwards
 G - scan entire file (global)
 L - scan marked block (local)
 N - replace without asking
 M - match original case when replacing
 W - match entire words only
 <n> - perform find/replace <n> times

Editing Search Strings (and file names):
 ^S - move cursor left
 ^D - move cursor right
 ^E - move to start of string
 ^X - move to end of string
 ^Y - delete all of string
 ^R - restore original string
 ^G - delete character under cursor
 <BackSpace> - delete character to left of cursor
 printable characters are inserted at the cursor

Block Commands:
 ^KB - mark start of block
 ^KK - mark end of block
 ^KH - hide/unhide block
 ^KC - copy marked block to cursor
 ^KV - move marked block to cursor
 ^KY - delete marked block
 ^KW - write block to file
 ^KR - read in file at cursor
 ^K@ - read in file at cursor, expanding tabs etc
 ^KP - print block or entire file
 ^KI - indent block by current tab size
 ^KU - unindent block by current tab size

File Commands:
 ^KD - save file, then exit editor
 ^KX - save file only if modified, then exit
 ^KS - save file, continue editing
 ^KT - save file under new name, continue editing
 ^KQ - exit editor without saving

Text Insertion:
^N  -
    insert new line at cursor, leave cursor on current line
<Enter> -
    insert new line at cursor, cursor moves to start of new line
^Px -
    insert x literally (used for entering control codes)
    printable characters are (in insert mode) inserted in front of the cursor

Text Deletion Commands:
<BackSpace> -
    delete character to left of cursor, move cursor left
^G  -
    delete character under cursor, do not move cursor
^Y  -
    delete current line
^QY -
    delete from cursor to end of line
 ^T - delete from cursor to end of word
 ^KY - delete marked block

Change Editing Modes:
^V  -
    insert character in front of cursor / overwrite character at cursor
^OI -
    indent new line to match previous / start new line at column 0
^OU -
    <BackSpace> matches earlier indentation / deletes just one character

Window Commands:
^OK -
    change to another window, or create a new window below cursor [the new window will start on the line immediately below the cursor, and continue down to the bottom line in the current window.]
^OM -
    change the size of the current window [the cursor line will become the new boundary between the current window and the one below (or above if the current window is the bottom window)]

Miscellaneous Commands:
 <ESC> - abort current command
 ^U - abort current command, or restore current line
 ^J - obtain on-screen help
 ^K0 ... ^K9 - set position marker 0 ... 9
 ^\ - redraw entire display (useful if screen gets garbled)
 ^OT - set tab stop interval
 ^OL - set left margin
 ^OR - set right margin
 ^B - reformat marked block, or mark paragraph if no block is defined
 ^KF - shell out to operating system
 ^QL - check document or marked block spelling

File Name Editing Commands:
 <TAB> - complete current partial filename

AUTHOR
Douglas Thomson, Monash University, Gippsland Campus.

BUG REPORTS TO
Douglas Thomson dougt@mugc.cc.monash.edu.au