ex(1) General Commands Manual ex(1)
NAME
ex, edit - extended line-oriented text editor
SYNOPSIS
tag] size] command] [file ...]
UNIX Standard Synopsis
command] tag] size] [file ...]
Obsolescent Options
command] tag] size] [file ...]
tag] size] command] [file ...]
Remarks
The program names and are separate personalities of the same program. This manual entry describes the behavior of the personality. On
many HP-UX and other similar systems, is a synonym for
DESCRIPTION
The program is the line-oriented personality of a text editor that also supports screen-oriented editing (see vi(1)).
(UNIX Standard only, see standards(5)) Certain block-mode terminals do not have all the capabilities necessary to support the complete def-
inition, such as the full-screen editing commands (mode or mode). When these commands cannot be supported on such terminals, this condi-
tion shall neither produce an error message such as "not an editor command" nor report a syntax error.
The program is identical to except that some editor option defaults are altered to make the editor somewhat friendlier for beginning and
casual users (see Editor Options below).
Options and Arguments
recognizes the following command-line options and arguments:
(Obsolescent) Suppress all interactive-user feedback. This is useful when editor commands are taken from scripts.
(UNIX Standard only, see
standards(5))
Suppress all interactive-user feedback. This is useful when editor commands are taken from scripts.
Ignore the value of the and any implementation terminal type and assume the terminal is a type incapable of supporting visual mode.
Suppress the use of the environment variable and the reading of the file.
Set the
editor option (see Editor Options below).
Recover the specified
files after an editor or system crash. If no file is specified, a list of all saved files is printed. You must be the owner of the
saved file in order to recover it (superuser cannot recover files owned by other users).
Set the
editor option to prevent overwriting a file inadvertently (see Editor Options below).
(UNIX Standard only, see
standards(5)) Edit the file containing the specified tag and proceed as if the first command were tag. The tags represented by the
tag and the command is optional. It shall be provided on any system that also provides a confirming implementation of Otherwise, the
use of the produces undefined results.
Execute the tag command to load and position a predefined file. See the command in Command Descriptions and the editor option in
Editor Options below.
Invoke visual mode
Set the value of the
editor option to size (see Editor Options below). If size is omitted, it defaults to
Set encryption mode.
You are prompted for a key to initiate the creation or editing of an encrypted file (see the command in Command Descriptions below).
Encryption option. Same as the
option, except that all text read in is assumed to have been encrypted.
(UNIX Standard only, see
standards(5))
(Obsolescent)
Begin editing by executing the specified search or positioning command.
file Specify the file or files to be edited. If more than one file is specified, they are processed in the order given. If the option
is also specified, the files are read from the recovery area.
(UNIX Standard only, see standards(5)) If both the tag and command options are given, the tag shall be processed first;i.e, the file con-
taining the tag is selected by the and then the command is executed.
Definitions
The name of the file being edited by is called the current file. Text from the current file is read into a work area, and all editing
changes are performed on this work area. Changes do not affect the original file until the work area is explicitly written back to the
file. If the character is used as a file name, it is replaced by the current file name.
The alternate file is the name of the last file mentioned in an editor command, or the previous current file name if the last file men-
tioned becomes the current file. If the character is used as a file name, it is replaced by the alternate file name.
Twenty-six buffers named through can be used for saving blocks of text during the edit. If the buffer name is specified in uppercase, text
is appended to the existing buffer contents rather than overwriting it.
The flag can be cleared from within the editor by setting the editor option (see Editor Options below). Writing to a different file is
allowed even when the flag is set. Also, a write can be forced to a file by using after the write command (see the command in Command
Descriptions below).
If an interrupt signal is received, and commands are being supplied from a keyboard, returns to command mode. If editor commands are com-
ing from a file, an interrupt signal causes to abort.
If the system crashes or aborts due to an internal error or unexpected signal, attempts to preserve the work area if any unwritten changes
were made. Use the command-line option to retrieve the saved changes.
starts up in command mode, as indicated by the colon prompt. switches to input mode whenever an or command is encountered. To terminate
input mode and return to command mode, type a period alone at the beginning of a line.
Command lines beginning with a quotation mark () are ignored (this is useful for placing comments in an editor script).
can be combined on a single line by separating them with a vertical bar character However, global commands, comments, and the shell escape
command must be the last command on a line because they cannot be terminated by a character.
Addressing
(UNIX Standard only, see standards(5)) Addressing in relates to the current line. In general, the current line shall be the last line
affected by the command; the exact effect on the current line is discussed under the description of each command. When the buffer contains
no lines, the current line shall be set to zero.
recognizes the following line address forms:
Dot or period refers to the current line. There is always a current line whose position can be the result of an explicit movement
command or the result of a command that affects multiple lines (in which case it is usually the last line affected).
n The nth line in the work area. Lines are numbered sequentially, starting at line 1.
The last line in the work area.
Abbreviation for
meaning the entire work area.
An offset relative to the current line or the preceding line specification.
means forward; means backward. For example, the forms and are equivalent.
The line containing the pattern
re, scanning forward or backward The trailing or can be omitted if the line is only being displayed. If re is omit-
ted, uses the more recently set of either the scanning string or the substitution string (see Regular Expressions
below).
Lines can be marked using single lowercase letters (see the
command in Command Descriptions below). refers to the line marked with x. In addition, the previous current line is
marked before each nonrelative motion. This line can be referred to by using for x (thus refers to the previous cur-
rent line).
(UNIX Standard only, see standards(5)) Commands require zero, one or two addresses. Commands that require zero
addresses shall regard the presence of an address as an error.
(UNIX Standard only, see standards(5)) Adjacent address in a shall be separated from each other by a comma (,) or a semicolon(;). In the
latter case, the current line(.) shall be set to the first address, and only then is the second address calculated. This feature can be ued
to determine the starting line for forwards and backwards searches. The second address of any two-address sequence shall correspond to the
first address. The first address shall be less than or equal to the second address. The first address shall be greater than or equal to the
first line of the editing buffer, and the last address shall be less than or equal to the last line of the editing buffer. Any other case
shall be an error.
Addresses for commands consist of a series of line addresses (specified as above), separated by a comma or semicolon Such address lists are
evaluated left-to-right. When the separator is a semicolon, the current line is set to the value of the previous address before the next
address is interpreted. If more addresses are given than the command requires, then all but the last one or two are ignored. Where a com-
mand requires two addresses, the first line addressed must precede the second one in the work area. A null (missing) address in a list
defaults to the current line.
Regular Expression
The editor maintains copies of two regular expression strings at all times: the substitution string, and the scanning string. The substi-
tute command sets the substitution string to the regular expression used. Both the global-command and the regular-expression form of line
addressing (see Addressing above) for all commands set the scanning string to the regular expression used. These strings are used as
default regular expressions as described under Addressing, the command, and the command.
The editor supports Basic Regular Expressions (see regexp(5)) with the following modifications:
The matches the beginning of a "word"; that is, the matched string must begin in a letter, digit, or underline, and must be
preceded by the beginning of the line or a character other than the above. This construct can only be used at the
beginning of a regular expression (as in <word), but not in the middle (word1 <word2).
The matches the end of a "word" (see previous paragraph). This construct can only be used at the end of a regular expres-
sion (as in word>), but not in the middle (word1> word2).
Match the replacement part of the last
command.
The positional quoting within bracket expressions defined by Basic
Regular Expressions is replaced by the use of the backslash to quote bracket-expression special characters.
When the editor option
is set, the only characters with special meanings are at the beginning of a pattern, at the end of a pattern, and .
The characters ., *, and lose their special meanings unless escaped by a
Replacement Strings
The character in the replacement string stands for the text matched by the pattern to be replaced. Use if the editor option is set.
The character is replaced by the replacement part of the previous command. Use if the editor option is set.
The sequence where n is an integer, is replaced by the text matched by the subpattern enclosed in the nth set of parentheses and
The sequence (causes the immediately following character in the replacement to be converted to uppercase (lowercase), if the character is a
letter. The sequence (turns case conversion on, until the sequence or is encountered, or the end of the replacement string is reached.
Command Names and Abbreviations
The following table summarizes the line-mode commands. The commands whose names are enclosed in parentheses are available only in their
abbreviated forms.
+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------+
|Command Abbr. | Command Abbr. | Command Abbr. |
+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------+
|abbreviate ab | next n | tag ta |
|append a | number nu # | unabbreviate una |
|args ar | open o | undo u |
|change c | pop | unmap unm |
|chdir chd cd | preserve pre | version ve |
+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------+
|copy co t | print p | visual vi |
|crypt cr X | put pu | write w wq |
|delete d | quit q | xit x |
|edit e ex | read r | yank ya |
|file f | recover rec | |
+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------+
|global g v | rewind rew | (execute buffer) * @ |
|insert i | set se | (line number) = |
|join j | shell sh | (left shift) < |
|list l | source so | (right shift) > |
|map | stop st ^Z | (scroll) ^D |
+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------+
|mark ma k | substitute s sr & ~ | (shell escape) ! |
|move m | suspend su ^Z | (window) z |
+--------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------+
Command Descriptions
In the following command descriptions, some arguments appear frequently. They are described below.
line A single line address, in any of the forms described in Addressing above. The default is the current line.
range A pair of line addresses separated by a comma or semicolon, as described in Addressing above. The default is the current
line
count A positive integer specifying the number of lines to be affected by the command. The default is 1 or the number of lines
in range.
When count is specified, range is ineffective. Instead, only a line number should be specified to indicate the first line
affected by the command. (If a range is given, the last line of the range is interpreted as the starting line for the
command.)
flags One or more of the characters and The corresponding command to print the line is executed after the command completes.
Any number of or characters can also be given with these flags. The default is no flags.
These modifiers are all optional.
When only a line or a range is specified (with a null command), the implied command is If a null line is entered, the next line is printed
(equivalent to
buffer (UNIX Standard only, see standards(5)) One of a number of named areas for saving text. The named buffers are specified by
the lowercase letters of the POSIX locale. Specifying shall cause the area of the text affected by the command to be
stored into the buffer as it was before the command took effect. This argument is also used on the command and the visual
mode "put" commands to specify the buffer that shall provide the text to insert.
If the buffer name is specified in uppercase, and the buffer is to be modified, the buffer shall be appended to rather
than being overwritten. If the buffer is not to be modified, the buffer name can be specified in lowercase or uppercase
with the same results. There shall be also one unnamed buffer, which is the repository for all text deleteed or yanked
when no buffer is specified.
There are also numbered buffers, 1 through 9, which shall be accessible only from visual mode. These buffers are special
in that, in the visual mode, when deleted text is placed in the unnamed buffer, it also shall be placed in buffer 1, the
previous contents buffer 1 shall be placed in buffer 2 and so on. Any text in the buffer 9 shall be lost. Text that is
yanked into the unnamed buffer shall not modify the numbered buffers. Text cannot be placed directly into the numbered
buffered, although it can be retrieved from them by using a visual mode "put" command with the buffer name given as s num-
ber. When the buffer modifier is not used in the commands below, the unnamed buffer shall be the default.
word (UNIX Standard only, see standards(5)) In the POSIX Locale, a consists of a maximal sequence of letters, digits and under-
scores, delimited at both ends by characters other than letters, digits, or underscores, or by the beginning or end of a
word or the file. A character that can be appended to the command to modify its operation, as detailed in the individual
command descriptions.
If both a and is specified for a command that uses them, the number of lines affected shall be taken from the value rather
than the The starting line for the command shall be taken to be the first line addressed by the range.
When only a or is specified with no command, the implied command shall be either or ( or The command selected shall be the
last of these three commands to be used. When no range or count is specified and the command line is a blank line, the
current line shall be written, and the current line shall be set to
Zero or mode <blank> characters can precede or follow the addresses, count or command name. Any object following a command
name (such as buffer, file etc) that begins with an alphabetic character shall be separated from the command name with at
least one <blank>.
For each of the commands listed below, the command can be entered as the abbreviation (those characters in the Synopsis command word pre-
ceding the [), the full command (all characters shown for the command word, omitting the [ and ]), or any subset of the characters of the
full command down to the abbreviation.
word replacement
Add the named abbreviation to the current list. In visual mode, if word is typed as a complete word during input, it is
replaced by the string replacement.
line
Enter input mode; the input text is placed after the specified line. If line 0 is specified, the text is placed at the
beginning of the work area. The last input line becomes the current line, or the target line if no lines are input.
Appending to the command toggles the editor option setting for this insert only.
Prints the argument, placing the current argument between
and
range count
Enter input mode; the input text replaces the specified lines. The last input line becomes the current line; if no lines
are input, the effect is the same as a delete.
Appending to the command toggles the editor option setting for this insert only.
directory]
directory]
Change the working directory to directory. If directory is omitted, the value of the environment variable is used. If
the work area has been modified since the last write and the name of the file being edited does not begin with a slash a
warning is issued and the working directory is not changed. To force a change of directory in this case, append the
character to the command.
range line flags
A copy of the specified lines (range) is placed after the specified destination line; line 0 specifies that the lines are
to be placed at the beginning of the work area. (The letter is an alternative abbreviation for the command.)
The user is prompted for a key with which to enter encryption mode.
This command can also be used to change the key entered from a previous command or the command line option. If no key is
supplied in response to the prompt (that is, only carriage return is pressed), encryption mode is canceled and the work
area is written out in plain-text form by subsequent write commands.
While in encryption mode, all file input is decrypted using the current key. However, while an input file is being pro-
cessed, if a block of text (approximately 1024 bytes) is encountered that contains only 7-bit ASCII characters, that
block of text is assumed to be plain-text and is not decrypted. All file output, except that piped via a shell escape to
another command, is encrypted using the current key.
The temporary file used by the editor to manage the work area is not encrypted until the current work area is discarded
(or written out) and editing begins on a new file. When creating a new file that requires encryption protection, ensure
that the work area file is also encrypted by specifying the option when invoking the editor.
Encryption option. Same as the command, except that all text read in is assumed to have been encrypted.
range buffer count
The specified lines are deleted from the work area. If a named buffer is specified, the deleted text is saved in it. If
no buffer is specified, the unnamed buffer is used (that is, the buffer where the most recently deleted or yanked text is
placed by default). The new current line is the line after the deleted lines or the last line of the file if the deleted
lines were at the end of the file.
line] file
line] file
Begin editing a new file is an alternative name for the command). If the current work area has been modified since the
last write, a warning is printed and the command is aborted. This action can be overridden by appending the character to
the command file). The current line is the last line of the work area unless it is executed from within vi, in which
case the current line is the first line of the work area. If the option is specified, the current line is set to the
specified position, where line can be a number (or or specified as or
Print the current file name and other information, including the number
of lines and the current position.
range command...
range command...
Perform command on lines within range (or on the entire work area if no range is given) that contain re. First mark the
lines within the given range that match the pattern re. If the pattern is omitted, the more recently set of either the
substitution string or the scanning string is used (see Regular Expressions above). Then the given commands are executed
with set to each marked line. Any character other than a letter or a digit can be used to delimit the pattern instead of
the
command can be specified on multiple lines by hiding new-lines with a backslash. If command is omitted, each line is
printed. and commands are allowed; the terminating dot can be omitted if it ends command or commands. The command is
also permitted (unless the command itself has been issued from visual mode), and takes input from the terminal. (If com-
mand contains a visual-mode command (that is, or the visual-mode command must be terminated by the visual-mode command in
order to proceed to the next marked line.)
The command itself and the command are not allowed in command. The editor options and are inhibited.
Appending a to the command (that is, or using the alternate name causes command to be run on the lines within range that
do not match the pattern.
line
Enter input mode; the input text is placed before the specified line. The last line input becomes the current line, or
the line before the target line, if no lines are input.
Appending to the command toggles the editor option setting for this insert only.
range count flags
Join together the text from the specified lines into one line. White space is adjusted to provide at least one blank
character (two if a period appears at the end of a line, or none if the first character of a line is a closing parenthe-
sis Extra white space at the beginning of a line is discarded.
Appending a to the command causes a simpler join with no white-space processing.
range ount flags
Print the specified lines with tabs displayed as and the end of each line marked with a trailing (The only useful flag is
for line numbers.) The last line printed becomes the current line.
key| n action
key|n action
The and commands define macros for use in visual mode. The first argument, key, can be a single character or a multi-
character sequence. In the special sequence, n is a digit referring to the function key n. Special characters, white-
space, and newline must be escaped with a to be entered in the arguments. The key argument cannot contain a colon as its
first character, nor can a multicharacter sequence begin with an alphabetic character.
Macros defined by are effective in visual command mode. Macros defined by are effective in visual input mode. When key
or the function key corresponding to is entered, the editor interprets the operation as though action were typed.
The or command without options displays the corresponding current list of macros.
See also the editor options and in Editor Options below.
x
The specified line is given the specified mark x, which must be a single lowercase letter x must be preceded by a space
or tab. The current line position is not affected. is an alternate name for
range line
Move the specified lines (range) to follow the target line. The first line moved becomes the current line.
file ...]
The next file from the command line argument list is edited. Appending a to the command overrides the warning about the
work area having been modified since the last write (and discards any changes unless the editor option is set). The
argument list can be replaced by specifying a new one on this command line.
range count flags
(The character is an alternative abbreviation for the command.) Print the lines, each preceded by its line number (the
only useful flag is The last line printed becomes the current line.
line flags
Enter open mode, which is similar to visual mode with a one-line window. All the visual-mode commands are available. If
a match is found in line for the optional regular expression, the cursor is placed at the start of the matching pattern.
Use the visual mode command to exit from open mode. For more information, see vi(1).
Load the file whose name is stored at the top of the tag stack
and set the current line to the stored location. The top entry of the tag stack is deleted. (The current file name is
placed on the stack when you execute the line mode command or the visual mode command.)
overrides the warning about the work area having been modified since the last write; any changes are discarded unless the
editor option is set).
The current editor work area is saved as if the system had just crashed.
Use this command in emergencies, for example when a write does not work and the work area cannot be saved in any other
way. Use the command-line option to recover the file. After the file has been preserved, a mail message shall be sent to
the user. The message shall contain the name of the file, the time of preservation and an command that could be used to
recover the file. Additional information may be included in the mail message.
count
Print the specified lines, with non-printing characters printed as control characters in the form DEL is represented as
The last line printed becomes the current line.
line buffer
Place deleted or "yanked" lines after line. A buffer can be specified; otherwise, the text in the unnamed buffer (that
is, the buffer in which deleted or yanked text is placed by default) is restored. The current line indicator shall be set
to the first line put back.
Terminate the edit.
If the work area has been modified since the last write, a warning is printed and the command fails. To force termina-
tion without preserving changes, append to the command.
line file
Place a copy of the specified file in the work area after the target line (which can be line 0 to place text at the
beginning). If no file is named, the current file is the default. If no current file exists, file becomes the current
file. The last line read becomes the current line except in visual mode where the first line read becomes the current
line.
If is given as string is interpreted as a system command and passed to the command interpreter; the resultant output is
read into the work area. A blank or tab must precede the
file
Recover file from the save area, after an accidental hangup or a system crash. If the current work area has been modi-
fied since the last write, a warning is printed and the command is aborted. This action can be overridden by appending
the character to the command file).
The argument list is rewound,
and the first file in the list is edited. This shall be equivalent to a command with the current argument list as its op-
erands. If the current buffer has been modified since the last write, a warning shall be written and the command shall be
aborted. Any warnings can be overridden by appending a The current indicator line shall be affected by the editor
options, and
boolean-option
Set and display the values of the editor options (see Editor Options below).
With no arguments, the command prints those editor options whose values have been changed from the default settings. If
is specified, it prints all current option values.
The second and third forms display the current value of the specified option. The is necessary only for Boolean options.
The fourth form turns a Boolean option on. The fifth form turns a Boolean option off.
The sixth form assigns values to string and numeric options. Spaces and tabs in strings must be escaped with a leading
backslash
The last five forms can be combined; interpretation is left-to-right.
Execute the command interpreter specified by the
editor option (see Editor Options below). Editing is resumed when you exit from the command interpreter.
file
Read and execute commands from the specified file. commands can be nested. The maximum supported nesting depths is
implementation defined, but shall be at least one.
range options count flags
On each specified line, the first instance of the pattern re is replaced by the string repl. (See Regular Expressions
and Replacement Strings above.) Any character other than a letter or a digit can be used to delimit the pattern instead
of the
If you include the (global) option, all instances of the pattern in the line are substituted.
If you include the (confirm) option, you are queried about whether to perform each individual substitution, as follows:
Before each substitution the line is displayed with the pattern to be replaced marked underneath with carets Type to
cause the substitution to be performed; any other input to abort it. The last line substituted becomes the current line.
If the substitution pattern re is omitted the more recently set of either the substitution string or the scanning string
is used (see Regular Expressions above).
If the or forms of the command are used, the substitution pattern defaults to the previous substitution string and the
replacement string defaults to the previous replacement string used.
If the or forms of the command are used, the substitution pattern defaults to the more recently set of either the substi-
tution string or the scanning string and the replacement string defaults to the previous replacement string used.
The form is equivalent to where scan-re is the previous scanning string.
The form is equivalent to where subs-re is the previous substitution string.
susp
Suspend the editor job and return to the calling shell. and susp are equivalent to susp is the user process control sus-
pend character, which is typically the character (ASCII SUB) (see stty(1)). This command is disabled if the calling
shell does not support job control or has disabled it.
The work area is written to the current file before the editor is suspended if the editor option is set, the editor
option is not set, and the work area has been modified since the last write. To override this action, append the charac-
ter to the or command.
tag
Search the files specified by the editor option (see Editor Options below) sequentially until a tag definition for tag is
found. If tag is found, load the associated file into the work area and set the current position to the address speci-
fied in the tag definition.
The work area is written to the current file before the new file is loaded if the new file is different from the current
file, the editor option is set, the editor option is not set, and the work area has been modified since the last write.
To override this action, append the character to the command.
If the editor option is set, the current file name and line number is pushed onto the tag stack for later recall with the
line mode command or the visual mode command.
word
Delete word from the list of abbreviations (see the command above).
Reverse the changes made by the previous editing command.
For this purpose, and are considered single commands. Commands that affect the external environment, such as and cannot
be undone. An can itself be reversed.
key
The macro definition for key is removed (see the command above).
Print the current version information for the editor.
line type count flags
Enter visual mode at the specified line.
The type can be one of the characters or as in the (window) command, to specify the position of the specified line on the
screen window The default is to place the line at the top of the screen window.
A count specifies an initial window size; the default is the value of the editor option
The flags and (ell) cause the lines in the visual window to be displayed in the corresponding mode (see the and com-
mands).
Use the command to exit visual mode. For more information, see vi(1).
[range] file
[range] file
Write the specified lines (or the entire work area, if no range is given) out to file, printing the number of lines and
characters written. If file is not specified, the default is the current file (the command fails with an error message
if there is no current file and no file is specified).
If an alternate file is specified and the file exists, the write fails, but can be forced by appending to the command.
To append to an existing file, append to the command. If the file does not exist, an error is reported.
If the file is specified as string is interpreted as a system command, the command interpreter is invoked, and the speci-
fied lines are passed as standard input to the command.
The command is equivalent to a followed by a is equivalent to followed by is equivalent to followed by
file
If changes have been made to the work area, a command is executed with any options (such as or file) used by the command.
Then (in any case) the command is executed.
range buffer count
Place the specified lines in the named buffer. If no buffer is specified, the unnamed buffer is used (that is, the buf-
fer where the most recently deleted or yanked text is placed by default).
(execute buffer) [buffer]
[buffer]
Execute the contents of buffer as an editor command. buffer can be the letter of a named buffer or or The and the forms
of this command are equivalent. If a buffer is not specified or buffer is or the buffer last named in a or command is
executed.
(line number)
Print the line number of the specified line. The default is the last line. The current line position is not affected.
(scroll)
Print the next n lines, where n is the value of the editor option.
(shell escape)
Pass the remainder of the line after the to the system command interpreter for execution. A warning is issued if the
work area has been changed since the last write. A single is printed when the command completes. The current line posi-
tion is not affected.
Within the text of command, and are expanded as file names, and is replaced with the text of the previous command. Thus,
repeats the previous command. When such expansion is performed, the expanded line is echoed.
If you specify range, the specified lines are passed to the command interpreter as standard input. The output from the
command replaces the specified lines.
(shift left)
Shift the specified lines to the left. The number of spaces to be deleted is determined by the editor option Only white-
space (blanks and tabs) is lost in shifting; other characters are not affected. The last line changed becomes the cur-
rent line.
(shift right)
Shift the specified lines to the right by inserting whitespace The number of spaces inserted is determined by the editor
option The last line changed becomes the current line.
(window)
The number of lines specified by count are displayed. The default for count is the value of the editor option
If type is omitted, count lines following the specified line are printed.
If type is specified, it must be one of the following characters:
Display a window of lines following the addressed line.
Place the addressed line
at the bottom of the window of displayed lines.
Place the addressed line at the center of the window.
Display a window of lines
that is two windows prior to the addressed line.
Display the addressed line at the center of the window
with a line of dashes above and below the addressed line.
The last line printed becomes the current line, except for the where the addressed line becomes the current line.
Editor Options
The command has a number of options that modify its behavior. These options have default settings, which can be changed using the command
(see above). Options can also be set at startup by putting a command string in the environment variable or in the file in the directory,
or in in the current directory. If exists, the file in the directory is not executed. If the current directory is not the directory and
the editor option is set (see below), the file in the current directory is executed after or the directory
The editor obtains the horizontal and vertical size of the terminal screen from the database (see terminfo(4)). These values can be over-
ridden by setting the and environment variables. See the editor option below for more information. These values can also be changed to
adhere to the UNIX Standard environment (see standards(5)).
The following table shows the defaults that differ for the various editor personalities:
|
Name | Default Editor Options
------+---------------------------------------------------------
edit | nomagic novice noreadonly report=1 showmode
ex | magic nonovice noreadonly report=5 noshowmode
vedit | nomagic novice noreadonly report=1 showmode
vi | magic nonovice noreadonly report=5 noshowmode
view | magic nonovice readonly report=5 noshowmode
Editor options are Boolean unless otherwise specified. Abbreviations are shown in parentheses.
Indent each line in input mode
(using blanks and tabs) to align with the previous line. Indentation begins after the line appended, or before the
line inserted or the first line changed. Additional indentation can be provided as usual. Succeeding lines are auto-
matically indented to the new alignment.
Reducing the indent is achieved by typing one or more times: the cursor is moved back to the next multiple of spaces
for each A followed by a removes all indentation temporarily for the current line. A followed by a removes all inden-
tation.
Reversed by The default is
The current line is printed after each command that changes work area text.
Autoprint is suppressed in commands. Reversed by The default is
The work area is written out to the current file
if the work area has been modified and a or command is given. Reversed by The default is
Cause all control characters other than tab,
newline, and formfeed to be discarded from the input text. Reversed by The default is
Specify the directory in which the editor work area should be placed.
This option only takes effect when a new work area is created. It should be set in or to affect the location of the
work area file for the edit file specified on the command line. The default is
If the specified directory is set from or a file and is not writable by the user, the editor quits; if set interac-
tively by the user, the editor issues an error message.
When set, two consecutive ESC (escape) characters
are required to leave input mode. In input mode, a single ESC character followed by a different character causes to
issue an audible or visual warning (see the editor option) and insert both characters into the work area. Reversed by
The default is
The character sequences transmitted by the keyboard editing keys of some terminals are identical to some sequences of
user commands. If the mapping of these keys is enabled (see the and options), might not be able to reliably distin-
guish between the character sequence transmitted by an editing key and the same character sequence typed by a user.
This problem is most likely to occur when the user types ESC to terminate input mode immediately followed by another
command. If you set the option, the ambiguity of this case is removed.
Cause the presence of
and suffixes on substitute commands to be remembered, and toggled by repeating the suffixes. Reversed by The default
is
When set, error messages are preceded with a bell
only on terminals that do not support a standout or highlighting mode such as inverse video. If the terminal supports
highlighting, the bell is never used prior to error messages and this option has no effect. Note that visual-mode
errors are signaled by the bell (regardless of the setting of this option) without an accompanying error message.
Reversed by The default is
When set, the file in the current directory is processed during editor initialization if the current directory is not the directory.
This option is not set by default and must be set in the environment variable or the directory file to have any effect.
See the Editor Options introductory text above. Reversed by The default is
When set, the screen flashes instead of beeping,
provided an appropriate entry is present in the database for the terminal being used. Reversed by The default is
Define the spacing between hardware tab settings
and the number of spaces used by the system when expanding tab characters. Tab stops are placed in each column number
(starting at the left edge of the screen) that corresponds to an integer multiple of number. The default is
All uppercase characters in the text
are mapped to lowercase in regular expression matching. Also, all uppercase characters in regular expressions are
mapped to lowercase, except in character class specifications. Reversed by The default is
When set, any keyboard editing key mappings
that are loaded automatically at initialization for command-mode use are enabled. If not set, these mappings are dis-
abled (but not deleted). Use the command to get a list of the currently enabled command-mode mappings. Reversed by
The default is
When set, the keyboard editing key mappings
automatically loaded at initialization for input mode use are enabled. If not set, these mappings are disabled (but
not deleted). Use the command to list the currently enabled input-mode mappings. Reversed by The default is for ter-
minals whose keyboard editing keys send HP-style escape sequences (an ESC followed by a single letter). The default is
for all other terminals.
Modify mode and the and commands in visual mode for source code. Reversed by The default is
Display all printed lines with tabs shown as
and the end of line marked by a Reversed by The default is
Affect the interpretation of characters in regular expressions
and substitution replacement strings (see Regular Expressions and Replacement Strings above). Reversed by The and
default is The and default is
Allows other users to use the
command (see write(1)) to send messages to your terminal, possibly disrupting the screen display. Unsetting this
option blocks write permission to your terminal from other system users while you are using the editor. Reversed by
The default is
If set when the editor reads in a file, any
commands embedded in the first five and last five lines of the file are executed after and commands are processed but
before editing control is given to the user. The commands must be prefixed by or and terminated by in a single line.
Any number of other characters with the exception of the colon can precede or follow the embedded command. Reversed by
The default is
Use the version of the editor available for novices, known as
or Reversed by The and default is The and default is
Cause lines to be printed with line numbers.
Reversed by The default is
Suppress automatic carriage returns on terminals
that do not support direct cursor addressing. This streamlines text output in certain situations such as when printing
multiple lines that contain leading whitespace. Reversed by The default is
The value of this option is a string
whose successive pairs of characters specify the names of text-processing macros that begin paragraphs. (A macro
appears in the text in the form where the is the first character in the line.)
If any macros have a single-character name, use a space character to substitute for the missing second character in the
name. To type a space character in such situations, precede the space with a backslash to prevent the editor from
interpreting it as a delimiter.
The default is
When set, command mode input is prompted for with a colon
when unset, no prompt is displayed. Reversed by The default is
Set the flag for the file being edited, thus preventing accidental overwriting at the end of the session. This option is
equivalent to invoking or with the option or using the command. Reversed by The and default is The default is
Simulate an intelligent terminal on a dumb terminal.
During input mode, lines are continuously reprinted as text is entered. Since this is likely to require a large amount
of output to the terminal, it is useful only at high transmission speeds. If is set, lines are reprinted only when
input mode is terminated and deleted lines are marked with an in the left margin. Reversed by The default is
If set, macro translation allows for macros defined in terms of
other macros; translation continues until the final product is obtained. If unset, a one-step translation only is
done. Reversed by The default is
The value of n gives the number of lines that must be changed by a command before a report is displayed on the number of lines
affected. If n is 5, then changes are reported for 6 or more lines. The and default is The and default is
The value of n determines the number of lines scrolled by a command and the number of lines displayed by the command (twice the
value of scroll). The default is half the value of the option.
The value of this option is a string,
in that successive pairs of characters specify the names of text-processing macros that begin sections. See the editor
option above. The default is
Set the file name of the shell to be used for the
shell escape and the command. It defaults to the value of your environment variable, if set, and otherwise to
Sets the indentation step value used by
and the shift and commands. The default is
In visual mode, jump momentarily to the matching
or when you type a or if the match is still on the screen. Reversed by The default is
Display the current editor mode (such as
in the lower right-hand corner of the screen during visual and open mode. Reversed by The and default is The and
default is
In visual mode, prevents screen updates during input to improve throughput on unintelligent terminals. Reversed by The default is
Sets the spacing of the software tab stops
used by the editor to expand tabs in the input file. The default is
Set the maximum number of characters
that should be treated as significant in a tag. Characters beyond the limit are ignored. A value of zero means that
all characters in the tag are significant. The default is
Specify the tags files to be used by the
command and the command-line option. The default is specifying the file in the current directory and the file File
names are separated by whitespace.
Each line of a tags file contains the following three fields separated by whitespace: the tag name, the name of the
file to be edited, and an address specification (see Addressing above). A file must be sorted in order by tag name.
The command (see ctags(1)) creates tags files from C, Pascal and FORTRAN source files.
Enable the pushdown stack of activated tags.
Reversed by The default is
When you enter a line mode command or visual mode command, the current line number and file name are stored on the tag
stack. A future line mode command or visual mode command will return to the stored file name at the stored line num-
ber.
If the tag stack is disabled and then reenabled again, the stack continues where it left off. The command does not
work when the tag stack is disabled.
Define the type of terminal being used with the editor.
The default value is obtained from the environment variable. If is unset or null, is set to There is no difference
between the and editor options. Setting either one results in both being changed.
Use shorter error messages.
Reversed by The default is
If set, require that all the characters of a multicharacter macro name
(the first argument in a command) must be received within the amount of time specified by the option in order to be
accepted as a match for the macro name. If not set, no limit is placed on how long to wait for the completion of a
macro name. Reversed by The default is
Set, in milliseconds (ms),
the length of the macro timeout period (see the editor option). This option has no effect unless is set. The value of
n must be at least 1. The default is (half a second).
Define the type of terminal being used with the editor.
See the editor option for details. There is no difference between the and editor options. Setting either one results
in both being changed.
Before executing a or command escape, display the message if the work area has been modified since it was last loaded or fully written to
a file. Reversed by The default is
Set the number of lines in a text window in visual mode.
The default value is one less than the size of your terminal screen (as defined by the environment variable, if set, or
the entry for your terminal in the terminfo(4) data base otherwise). However, if the terminal baud rate (see stty(1)
is set to less than 1200 or 2400, the default value is reduced to a maximum of 8 or 16 lines, respectively. The
startup value can be specified with the command-line option.
If the terminal baud rate is less than 1200, set the
editor option to the value specified.
If the terminal baud rate is greater than or equal to 1200
but less than 2400, set the editor option to the value specified.
If the terminal baud rate is greater than or equal to 2400, set the
editor option to the value specified.
In visual mode only, if
n is greater than zero, a newline is automatically inserted in an input line at a word boundary, so that lines end at
least n spaces from the right margin of the terminal screen. The default is
When set, editor searches using
(or continue silently from the beginning (or end) of the file upon reaching the end (or beginning) of the file (that
is, the scan "wraps around"). When unset, editor searches stop at the beginning or the end of the file, as appropri-
ate. Reversed by The default is
Inhibits the checks otherwise made before write commands,
allowing a write to any file (provided the system allows it). Reversed by The default is
EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
Environment Variables
This variable shall override the system-selected horizontal screen size.
overrides the system-selected vertical screen size, used as the number of lines in a screenful and as the vertical screen size in visual
mode.
determines the search path for the shell command specified in the editor commands, and
is variable that shall be interpreted as the preferred command-line interpreter for use in and other commands with an operand of the form
For the command, the program shall be invoked with the single argument For all others, it shall be invoked with the two arguments and
string. If no environment variable is set, or it is set to a null string, the utility shall be used.
is a variable that shall be interpreted as the name of the terminal type. If this variable is unset or null, an unspecified default termi-
nal type shall be used.
is a variable that shall be interpreted to contain a list of commands that are executed on editor startup, before reading the first file.
The list can contain multiple commands by separating then using a vertical line (|) character.
shall be interpreted as a pathname of a directory that shall be searched for an editor startup file name
determines the collating sequence used in evaluating regular expressions and in processing the file. If it is not specified or is null, it
defaults to the value of
determines the interpretation of text as single and/or multibyte characters, the classification of characters as uppercase or lowercase
letters, the shifting of the case of letters, and the characters matched by character class expressions in regular expressions. If it is
not specified or is null, it defaults to the value of
determines the language in which messages are displayed. If it is not specified or is null, it defaults to "C" (see lang(5)).
determines the locale to be used to override any values for locale categories specified by the setting of or any environment variable
(beginning with ).
determines the processing of affirmative responses and the language in which messages should be written.
If any internationalization variable contains an invalid setting, all internationalization variables default to "C" (see environ(5)).
When set, the environment variable specifies a directory to be used for temporary files, overriding the default directory
International Code Set Support
Single- and multibyte character code sets are supported.
ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS (UNIX Standard Only)
For information about the UNIX standard environment, see standards(5).
The following actions shall be taken upon receipt of signals:
When an interrupt occurs,
shall alert the terminal and write a message. The current editor command shall be aborted, and shall return to the command level and
prompt for another command. If the standard input is not a terminal device, shall exit at the interrupt and return a nonzero exit
status.
The screen shall be refreshed.
If the current buffer has changed since the last
or command, shall attempt to save the current file in a state such that it can be recovered later by an command.
The action taken for all other signals is unspecified.
EXTENDED DESCRIPTION (UNIX Standard Only)
For information about the UNIX standard environment, see standards(5).
The pathname of the file being edited by is referred to as the file. The text of the file shall be read into a working version of the file
(called in this clause), and all editing changes shall be performed on that version; the changes shall have no effect on the original file
until an command causes the file to be written out. Lines in the buffer may be limited to 4096 characters including 2-3 bytes for overhead.
Thus a line length up to 4092 characters should cause no problem. An error message may be written if the limit is exceeded during editing.
The pathname is the name of the last file mentioned in an editor command, or the previous current pathname if the last file mentioned
became the current file. When the appears in a pathname entered as part of a command argument, it shall be replaced by the altername path-
name. Any character, including and shall retain its literal value when preceded by a backslash.
When an error occurs, shall alert ther terminal and write a message.
If the system crashes, shall attempt to preserve the buffer if any unwritten changes were made. The command-line option can be used to
retrieve the saved changes.
During initialization (before the first file is read or any user commands from the terminal are processed), if the environment variable is
set, the editor shall execute commands contained in that variable. If the variable is not set, shall attempt to read commands from the If
and only if or sets the editor option exrc, ex finally shall attempt to read commands from a file in the current directory. In the event
that is not set and the current directory is the home directory of the user, any file shall only be processed once. No shall be read unless
it is owned by the same user ID as the effective user ID of the process. After any files are processed, any commands specified by the
option shall be processed.
By default, shall start in the command mode, which shall be indicated by the ":" prompt. The input mode can be entered by or commands.
There is one other mode, visual mode, in which full screen editing is available. This is described more fully under the command. The com-
mand line can consist of multiple commands separated by vertical-line characters(|). The use of commands that enter input or visual modes
in this manner, unless they are the final command on the line, produces undefined results.
Command lines beginning with the double-quote character (") shall be ignored. This can be used for comments in an editor script.
WARNINGS
The command causes all marks to be lost on lines that are changed and then restored.
The command prints a number of logical rather than physical lines. More than a screenful of output can result if long lines are present.
Null characters are discarded in input files and cannot appear in resultant files.
On some systems, the recovery of an edit file with the option is possible only if certain system-dependent actions are taken when the sys-
tem is restarted.
Edit preserve files can only be recovered on systems running the same HP-UX release in which they were preserved. Preserve files are not
recoverable across different releases.
On HP terminals, the attribute field of any function key specified by a command should be set to rather than to the default of
Do not use the option to edit unencrypted files. The option is meant to be used only on files that are already encrypted. If the option is
used on files which are not yet encrypted, a write in the edit session is likely to corrupt the file.
For information about line length limits, file size limits, etc., see the WARNINGS section of vi(1).
EXIT STATUS (UNIX Standard Only)
For information about the UNIX standard environment, see standards(5).
The utility shall exit with one of the following values:
Successful completion.
An error occurred.
AUTHOR
was developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The 16-bit extensions to are based in part on software of the Toshiba Corpora-
tion.
FILES
Primary editor initialization file
Secondary editor initialization file
Preserve command
Recover command
Description of terminal capabilities
Preservation directory
Editor temporary file
Named buffer temporary file
SEE ALSO
ctags(1), ed(1), stty(1), vi(1), write(1), terminfo(4), environ(5), lang(5), regexp(5), standards(5).
Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc., ISBN 0-8053-4460-8, HP part number 97005-90015.
STANDARDS COMPLIANCE
ex(1)