Program SCIEDIT

The purpose of Program SCIEDIT is for text entry and editing. SCIEDIT is an acronym for Synergistic Consultants Incorporated EDIT program.

To execute Program SCIEDIT, after the >>? prompt type


  >>? RUN SCIEDIT [Enter]

Program SCIEDIT responds The SCI FILE EDIT PROGRAM, SCIEDIT ENTER THE FILE NAMES AND INITIAL TEXT, IF DESIRED ?

Program Sciedit accepts the three following responses after the ? prompt

1. Two file names ? [+input fn] [+output fn] [Enter]

2. Two file names plus initial text ? [+input fn] [+output fn] {"initial text"} [Enter]

3. Two file names, initial text, plus a 4th word (usually X) ? [input fn] [output fn] {"initial text"} {X} [Enter]

where +before the name of a file defines it. Since Program Sciedit will not accept an undefined file, the file may be defined by placing a + before the name of the undefined file with no space between the + and the first letter of the file name. Or, a file may be defined by using the operating system command, DEFINE.

The input file is the file which contains the information to be acted on. The contents of the input file are not changed even though changes to it are made on the screen. The changes made are sent to the output file only. The output file is the file which contains the information that was in the input file after it has been changes. The changes that were made on the screen will be in the output file, only. The input file remains unchanged. If the output is not empty, that is, if it contains information, the information will be destroyed and will be replaced by the information that was on the screen. Using a scratch file, a throw- away file, as the output file expedites editing.

The initial text specifying initial text allows the User to rapidly find a desired line deeply imbedded within the input file. The search is accomplished by specifying a sufficient number of characters from the desired line so that the line becomes uniquely identified and can, therefore, be found for display to the screen. The initial text must be at the beginning of the line.

The program will search through the entire file until it finds the first line starting with the "initial text" specified. All of the information preceding the initial text is first copied to the output file, then the line beginning with the specified initial text appears on the screen for editing.

XX tells Program Sciedit not to write the lines preceding the initial text to the output file. They are SKIPPED over. Therefore, the first line of the output file will be the line selected by the initial text and all lines after the initial text.

Using Program Sciedit

When Program Sciedit accepts the information placed after the ?, the first 20 lines of the input file are displayed on the screen. The default of 20 lines displayed at one time may be changed using F7. The contents of the first 20 lines of the file can then be altered in any manner that the User chooses utilizing the full capabilities of the keyboard including cursor positioning. Following completion of the editing, to save the contents of the screen, press F5 lightly but firmly, once. The contents of the screen are saved in the output file. The input file remains unchanged although it appears to have been changed.

The next 20 lines of the file appear ready for editing. Following completion of editing, pressing F5 saves the contents of the screen in the output file and brings the next 20 lines of the input file to the screen ready for editing. This procedure continues, 20 lines at a time, until editing has been completed on the entire input file which will have been written completely to the output file. In this program the contents of the input file remain unaltered on the disk. The contents of the output file are those which have been created by the editing procedure.

Lines which move off the bottom or top of the screen during the editing process are not lost. To return them to the screen for viewing or future editing press PgDn or PgUp key.

Custom tabs may be set and macrostrings may be defined for use in Program Sciedit using Program Readtabs.