VFP 6: Good Non-GUI Editor to Use

The editor that I have been happily using for ages (WordStar
2000, since 1988) will not work on the new system that I am using.
Apparently, it and Windows have issues.

I want to find a suitable replacement. My most important
criteria are:

Non-GUI: Selected text does not work well for me for block operations
as I frequently do find start of text, mark start of block, find end
of text, mark end of block, perform block operation. I need to be
able to search between defining the start and end of the block.

Inexpensive: shareware, freeware, public domain, or the like.

Configurable keys: This would be very useful though not mandatory.
Failing this, the editor should use control key combinations rather
than function keys.

If you use an editor like this, what is your choice? Why? Where
is it available from?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Olaf
Wed Jan 12 14:41:47 CST 2005

Hi Gene,

> If you use an editor like this, what is your choice? Why? Where
> is it available from?

vi(m) or Emacs are first choice editors on linux
and vi can be used via cygwin. From Emacs there
should be a windows version available.

These are editor you should like, as they are
supporting this type of working without the
mouse, block operations, regular expressions
for search/replace etc.

Sourceforge should be a source for vi and emacs
binaries or even sources.

Perhaps make a search at www.download.com
for the most popular (windows) editors.

Bye, Olaf.

Gene
Wed Jan 12 14:53:15 CST 2005

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 12:07:36 -0800, Gene Wirchenko
<genew@ucantrade.com.NOTHERE> wrote:

> The editor that I have been happily using for ages (WordStar
>2000, since 1988) will not work on the new system that I am using.
>Apparently, it and Windows have issues.
>
> I want to find a suitable replacement. My most important
>criteria are:
>
>Non-GUI: Selected text does not work well for me for block operations
>as I frequently do find start of text, mark start of block, find end
>of text, mark end of block, perform block operation. I need to be
>able to search between defining the start and end of the block.
>
>Inexpensive: shareware, freeware, public domain, or the like.
>
>Configurable keys: This would be very useful though not mandatory.
>Failing this, the editor should use control key combinations rather
>than function keys.

And let me add: the ability to edit more than one file at a time.

> If you use an editor like this, what is your choice? Why? Where
>is it available from?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Neil
Wed Jan 12 14:54:44 CST 2005

When you mentioned non-GUI editors I automatically thought of vi
(Linux/Unix). It takes a while to get acquainted properly, but it's a very
functional editor. There's a Windows emulator at

http://home.snafu.de/ramo/en/

Google might reveal some others.

Going years back (to my dBase III days) , there was a program called
Sidekick (Borland?) I used. I think the keystrokes were quite similar to
WordStar. Same goes for the old Turbo Pascal editor.

Got no idea if vi will meet your requirements, but good luck.

Neil

"Gene Wirchenko" <genew@ucantrade.com.NOTHERE> wrote in message
news:jb0bu0tf5o805lj77c7fqq3idpad0mb9pc@4ax.com...
> The editor that I have been happily using for ages (WordStar
> 2000, since 1988) will not work on the new system that I am using.
> Apparently, it and Windows have issues.
>
> I want to find a suitable replacement. My most important
> criteria are:
>
> Non-GUI: Selected text does not work well for me for block operations
> as I frequently do find start of text, mark start of block, find end
> of text, mark end of block, perform block operation. I need to be
> able to search between defining the start and end of the block.
>
> Inexpensive: shareware, freeware, public domain, or the like.
>
> Configurable keys: This would be very useful though not mandatory.
> Failing this, the editor should use control key combinations rather
> than function keys.
>
> If you use an editor like this, what is your choice? Why? Where
> is it available from?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Gene Wirchenko
>

Martin
Thu Jan 13 02:28:32 CST 2005

Olaf Doschke schrieb:
> Hi Gene,
>
>
>> If you use an editor like this, what is your choice? Why? Where
>>is it available from?
>
>
> vi(m) or Emacs are first choice editors on linux
> and vi can be used via cygwin. From Emacs there
> should be a windows version available.

You don't need Cygwin to use Vim, there's a generic version of GVim for
Windows which I use with VFP 6 all the time. It surely takes some time
to get used to it, but it can do all the stuff Gene is asking for, and
much more. Don't wanna miss it - once in you can do everything by keyboard.

Download here: <http://www.vim.org/download.php#pc>

To call GVim (or some other external editor) instead of the default
editor add this to your config.fpw file in the VFP dir:

TEDIT=/n c:\Programme\Vim\GVim.exe

This, of course, doesn't work for runtime errors where a window with the
failing code is popped up...

Martin

Andrew
Thu Jan 13 02:34:15 CST 2005

Gene Wirchenko wrote:
> The editor that I have been happily using for ages (WordStar
> 2000, since 1988) will not work on the new system that I am using.
> Apparently, it and Windows have issues.

Takes a while to configure, you may be interested in SCiTE

http://www.scintilla.org/SciTE.html


Sorry, I'm not too sure on the start / end block stuff but you can write LUA
scripts [or hack the source] to customise it if you can't do exactly what
you require.

--
HTH
Andrew Howell

Martin
Thu Jan 13 02:59:40 CST 2005

Gene Wirchenko schrieb:

>>Non-GUI: Selected text does not work well for me for block operations
>>as I frequently do find start of text, mark start of block, find end
>>of text, mark end of block, perform block operation. I need to be
>>able to search between defining the start and end of the block.

Easy in [G]Vim:

- Search begin: type "/begin_phrase"
- Mark start of block: type "v" (for visual mode - Vims term for a
marked section).
- Search end: type "/end_phrase" (or use any other keystroke/command for
moving around)
- Mark end of block: type "v" again
- Execute block operation (e. g. indenting according to your settings:
type ">")

>>Inexpensive: shareware, freeware, public domain, or the like.

Vim is free in both senses.

>>Configurable keys: This would be very useful though not mandatory.
>>Failing this, the editor should use control key combinations rather
>>than function keys.

Read about the map facility of Vim, esp. nmap (in Vim, just type ":help
nmap"). There's about nothing you can't map: automatic brackets, F3 for
continuing search, etc.

> And let me add: the ability to edit more than one file at a time.

Easy:

- Open GVim and type the command ":args the_files_you_want_to_edit", and
move between the buffers by ":n" and ":N"
- Alternatively, open another file with the split command ":sp
file_name" and move between the windows with CTRL-W UP|DOWN

>>Why?

Best text editor for Windows I could find :-)
Drawbacks: No Intellisense in VFP 8, and some minor catches with the
integration into the VFP IDE.

>>Where
>>is it available from?

See my previous post. And somewhere in the net there's a syntax file for
the highlighting; search for "foxpro.vim". You may also ask me, I've
added some missing terms to it so far.
Addendum: If you've never used Vim before, you want to read a tutorial
before even starting it. Look at the Vim site for one.

Martin

Martin
Thu Jan 13 03:10:26 CST 2005

Martin Gebert schrieb:

> - Search begin: type "/begin_phrase"
> - Mark start of block: type "v" (for visual mode - Vims term for a
> marked section).
> - Search end: type "/end_phrase" (or use any other keystroke/command for
> moving around)
> - Mark end of block: type "v" again

Ooops, my fault: skip the second "v", just do the block operation when
you placed the cursor at the end of the block.

> - Execute block operation (e. g. indenting according to your settings:
> type ">")

[...]

> - Open GVim and type the command ":args the_files_you_want_to_edit", and
> move between the buffers by ":n" and ":N"

Addendum: You can also do this and *then* split the window with ":sp"
and move between the buffers independently.

> - Alternatively, open another file with the split command ":sp
> file_name" and move between the windows with CTRL-W UP|DOWN

Martin

--
So much to code, so little time.

Andrew
Thu Jan 13 03:25:09 CST 2005

Andrew Howell wrote:
> Gene Wirchenko wrote:
>> The editor that I have been happily using for ages (WordStar
>> 2000, since 1988) will not work on the new system that I am using.
>> Apparently, it and Windows have issues.
>
> Takes a while to configure, you may be interested in SCiTE
>
> http://www.scintilla.org/SciTE.html
>
>
> Sorry, I'm not too sure on the start / end block stuff but you can
> write LUA scripts [or hack the source] to customise it if you can't
> do exactly what you require.

That said, I think you'll find gvim preferable, I just checked and SciTE
doesn't natively have the block functionality. vi and it's descendants were
built from the ground up for touch typists - if you want to do everything
without moving your hands from the home row then this is the editor.

There is a bit of interesting background to Wordstar development here
http://dba-oracle.com/oracle_news/2004_6_29_rittman.htm

--
Regards
Andrew Howell

Andrew
Thu Jan 13 03:20:49 CST 2005

Martin Gebert wrote:
>>> Inexpensive: shareware, freeware, public domain, or the like.
>
> Vim is free in both senses.

Vim is charityware if I remember correctly ;)

But I'm intrigued.. I wanted to integrate GVim with Foxpro a year or two ago
but my main frustration was that you can use TEDIT to specify an external
editor but it is not invoked for screen code snippets.

I guess you either don't use the screen editor at all or use it and enter
snippets that reference separate .PRG files or functions in a .PRG file.

Or does it integrate any better these days?

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/microsoft.public.fox.programmer.exchange
/browse_thread/thread/66dd33d173eec2/223485ae5e91eca7

--
Regards
Andrew Howell