TEACH QUICKVED Jeremy Wyatt Jan 1998
Updated Aaron Sloman Oct 1998
Updated 3 Nov 2011
This file gives a compact introduction to the essentials of VED, the
Poplog text editor, and XVed its multi-window version.
-- INTRODUCTION -------------------------------------------------------
This file introduces only the basic commands you need in order to start
editing and creating files, and running pop11 commands in the editor.
For a longer introduction look at
TEACH * TEACH,
TEACH * VED,
TEACH * SWITCHWINDOW,
TEACH * BUFFERS,
and TEACH * MARK.
Some parts of this file assume that you are using Ved or XVED and also
the the Poplog "menu" system. For this you must be using either
a linux/unix system with a graphical interface, or else using a Windows
PC with Xming and PuTTY installed or using a virtual linux on a Windows
PC or mac, as described in
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/poplog/ova
If you are logged in remotely via SSH or PuTTY without the ability to
handle remote graphical commands (as provided by XMing) then you can
still use most of the commands below. However the <ENTER> menu commands,
will not work, and you will not have available any menu buttons.
That's a minor limitation, for now.
-- KEYBOARD REQUIRED --------------------------------------------------
It is also assumed that you are using a standard UK PC keyboard with
function keys F1 to F12 along the top, a key marked ENTER on the numeric
keypad (far right), and another key marked ENTER (which should be called
RETURN) just below the backspace key. In VED those two keys have
different functions, though the ENTER key on far right can be simulated
by typing CTRL+g (hold CTRL down and tap the 'G' key).
Make sure you can read to the end of the next paragraph before
continuing. (use the 'Down' Arrow key to scroll down).
Try the ENTER key (or CTRL+g) now. Your editor cursor (usually a white
square on a black background, or black square on a white background,
depending on your display settings) should jump up to the editor's
'command'+'status' line, to the right of the line number. You can then
type a Unix/Linux command to show who is logged in:
Type: 'unix who' then press 'RETURN'
The output will appear in another editor window, in a temporary file,
that will not be saved. You can quit that window, while the editor is
showing it by typing
ENTER q RETURN
or CTRL+g q RETURN
You have now learnt that you can move the editor cursor around using
arrow keys, that you can put it on the command line, that you can give a
linux command on the command line and see the output in the editor, that
you can quit a file by means of ENTER q
Now read on.
-- DISPLAY VED'S MENUS ------------------------------------------------
These menu commands assume you are running a linux system or have Xming
available or some other local X window display program. The menu
examples can be skipped if you are not in a position to use them.
If you have accessed this machine via an interface that allows graphical
interaction you can now turn on Ved's 'Menu' mechanism, by giving this
command using '<....>' to indicate using a special key.
<ENTER> menu <RETURN>
or
CTRL+g menu <RETURN>
That will display a vertical menu, with label 'Toplevel'. Move it to a
convenient location using the mouse on the 'title bar'. (It should
appear near the bottom right of your screen, but that depends on your
window manager.) You may wish to try clicking on some of the buttons to
see what happens, before coming back here. Not all the facilities
invoked by menu buttons are available on all machines. E.g. mail
transmission may or may not have been set up on this machine.
Words surrounded by the "<" and ">" signs in this TEACH FILE and other
poplog documentation files normally refer to single keys on your
keyboard, e.g. <ENTER> <RETURN> <F3> <PageUP> <DownArrow>. CTRL and ESC
are sometimes also put in those brackets: <CTRL> <ESC>. The files were
produced by different people at different times and are not always
totally consistent.
-- READING THIS FILE ---------------------------------------------------
In addition to small moves using the arrow keys you can make larger
jumps through the file. To move up and down press the <PageUp> or
<PageDown> key on your keyboard. You can also use the "PageUp" and
"PageDown" buttons on the Toplevel menu (if you have it displayed).
If neither of those works, you can try using the <ESC> button followed
by the <UpArrow> or <DownArrow> keyboard keys to get medium sized jumps
up or down.
-- WHAT ARE VED AND POPLOG? --------------------------------------------
VED is part of a powerful programming environment called Poplog. Poplog
is based around an AI programming language called Pop-11, often written
without the hyphen, and sometimes in lower case, "pop11" because that is
the command used to start it. Poplog also includes other languages
(Prolog, Common Lisp and Standard ML).
Pop-11 is a language that allows you to write and test complex AI
programs relatively quickly. In order to write programs you need a text
editor. VED is Poplog's text editor. It can be used to write, save, and
modify programs. It can also be used to produce documentation, such as
the file you are now reading, and also to read and send email messages
and even to compose essays and reports. (There are text formatting
facilities, which you can learn about separately.)
You can also run the programs and debug them from within the editor.
For example, here's a tiny program to calculate a sum
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9 =>
put your editor cursor on that line and do <ESC> d. The result should be
printed in another window. Use <ESC> x to come back here, if necessary.
Here is another command to create a list and print it out. Use <ESC> d
vars list; [a b] -> list; list =>
and now create a bigger list from that one and print it out (<ESC> d):
list <> list <> list <> rev(list) <> rev(list) =>
See if you can work out what's going on. Rev takes in a list and creates
another with the same elements in reverse order.
Those few examples illustrate the way the editor interacts with the
compiler: it can take a line (or more) or program text, from inside the
text buffer, hand it to the pop11 compiler, which compiles and runs the
program, after which any output is displayed by the editor, by default
in the 'output.p' file.
XVED is a version of VED that works with the X-window system. If you are
using a linux or unix system, the X-window system is the program that
controls the graphical display you are now looking at, and allows you to
create multiple windows and use the mouse. This can be simulated on
Microsoft Windows using the program XMing.
XVed gives more flexibility than Ved because you can have several text
buffers visible at the same time. However, even if XVed cannot be run
because you are not using XMing or a linux desktop, Ved can still handle
multiple files, and can show you up to two of them at a time, by
default. (It can be made to split its window into more than two
sections, but that will not be explained here.)
-- DOCUMENTATION FACILITIES -------------------------------------------
One important feature of Poplog is that it has an extensive on-line help
system. This file is called a TEACH FILE. It and the other TEACH FILES
and HELP FILES explain how to write simple programs in Pop-11; the
syntax of the language; and some of the fundamental ideas in AI. Some
of them also explain how to use the editor.
TEACH files are tutorial in style; HELP files are more advanced. REF
files provide 'reference' documentation for experts. There are also LIB
files containing program libraries which the editor can find and display
or compile. In this teach file we'll look at how to open and use the
online documentation facilties, and how to create, edit and save your
own files.
Poplog was originally developed at Sussex University and for a while was
Marketed worldwide by Integral Solutions Ltd (ISL), who also used Poplog
to develop software for use by customers, including a very successful
datamining package called Clementine. ISL were later bought by SPSS, who
were subsequently bought by IBM Clementine is now part of IBM's business
software. Pop-11 has also been used for research in AI and cognitive
science. If you wish to find out more about Poplog, information is
available at these internet sites:
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/poplog/freepoplog.html
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/poplog/isl-docs
-- WAYS OF MOVING ABOUT ------------------------------------------------
When you use VED (or XVED) there is always a "current line" and a
"current location" within the current line. This location is usually
represented on the screen by the "text cursor", a rectangular block
which moves if you press one of the arrow keys on your keyboard.
If you type something, e.g. "hello" the characters will be inserted at
the text cursor location. If you press the <DEL> or <BACKSPACE> key a
character will be deleted to the left of where the text cursor is.
(For historical reasons, in Ved the delete and backspace key by default
do the same thing. Users can, however, alter the functions associated
with keys.)
There is also a mouse cursor, which moves when you move the mouse. Its
appearance is different in different contexts. If you are using XVED it
may look like an 'I' when it is in the XVED window, otherwise a small
arrow. In XVed the mouse cursor can be used to select text and to invoke
menus. In Ved everything has to be done using the keyboard keys, but the
same overall functionality is available.
While reading or editing text you need to move the text cursor, to
change the "current location" in the file. There are lots of ways of
moving the current location. One of the simplest is to use the arrow
keys on your keyboard. Try using these to move it about now. See what
happens when you move far to the left or the right, or a long way up or
down.
In XVed the second way to move the current editing location is to use
the mouse. Move the mouse cursor to a point in this window and click the
left mouse button. The text cursor should jump to the same place as the
mouse cursor. Note: the current text cursor location changes ONLY when
you click, not whenever you move the mouse.
Another way to move about if you are using XVed is to use the mouse on
the "scroll bar" normally at the right hand side of the window.
Yet another is to use the PageUp and PageDown keys in the central
keypad. Some people who type quickly like to keep their hands over the
alphabetic part of the keypad. You can use CTRL-v to move down and ESC v
to move up, a window at a time.
Try several different ways of moving the edit location about now. Then
find your way back here!
-- THE COMMAND LINE ----------------------------------------------------
At the top of the current Ved window you will see a number and the name
of this file. The number is the line you are at in this file (i.e. the
current line number). You can see it change as you move the cursor up
and down the file. That line is called the COMMAND LINE, since you can
type commands there. It is also sometimes called the STATUS line since
it shows (some aspects of) the current state of the editor.
You can perform all sorts of useful operations using it the command
line. To get the text cursor there you can click on it with your mouse,
or press the <ENTER> key on your keyboard -- usually at the extreme
right of the keyboard. (Don't confuse it with the <RETURN> key, which
does other things.) If for some reason your ENTER key does not work you
can use CTRL-g .
You can also move round the file by typing in line numbers to the
command line. First memorise the current line number. Now type in a new
number, then press the <RETURN> key. e.g.
<ENTER> 200 <RETURN>
Use the same mechanism to come back here. If you mistakenly hit <ENTER>
and want to leave the command line, press the + key on the numeric
keypad to the far right of your keyboard. Notice what happens when you
press that key repeatedly. It is called the STATUSSWITCH key in VED. If
you don't have a numeric keypad you can get the same effect by using the
combination <ESC> followed by CTRL-g.
-- CREATING A NEW FILE OF YOUR OWN ------------------------------------
How can you open a file of your own to write in? The answer is to use
the command line. Don't carry out the following instructions right away.
Wait until you reach the end of this section.
Go to the command line, and type VED MYNOTES. You should not type in
capital letters. They have simply been used to distinguish the commands
you must use from the rest of the text. If you make a mistake then use
the <DELETE> or <BACKSPACE> keys to correct it. The <BACKSPACE> key may
be marked as a lefthand arrow <--.
When you have finished typing the "ved mynotes" command on the command
line, press the <RETURN> key to tell VED that the command is ready to be
obeyed. Then another XVED or VED window will appear. It will be empty
(unless you had previously created a file called 'mynotes').
You should see the characters '(EDITING: mynotes)' on the command line.
To come back to this Teach file go to the command line in that window
and give the "<ENTER> teach quickved" command.
Or use <ESC> x to swap back to the previous file you were editing.
Although VED can have many files in its buffers, not all need be visible
on the screen.
You can call up any TEACH file in the entire Poplog system by typing on
the command line "teach" followed by the filename then <RETURN>, e.g.
<ENTER> teach buffers <RETURN>
You can open your own files (or create new ones) for editing by typing
"ved" followed by the filename on the command line.
<ENTER> ved myfile.p <RETURN>
(If you end a file name with '.p' Ved will treat it as a pop11 file.
-- SWITCHING BETWEEN WINDOWS USING THE MOUSE --------------------------
If using XVed, you can switch between existing windows using the mouse.
If the window you want is fully visible, just move the mouse into it.
You can then type in the window (unless your window manager has been set
to "click to change focus").
If the window is partly covered you can bring it to the "front" by
clicking on the title bar. The title bar is a horizontal bar at the top
of the window which includes the name of the window and maybe some
icons. It will change colour as you move the mouse cursor in and out of
the window. Precise behaviour will depend on which Window Manager you
are using.
Move the mouse to the title bar at the top of the window you want to
use, and click on that bar with the LEFT mouse button. It will come to
the "front". Experiment with left button clicks on title bars of various
windows to see what happens.
(NB: whether all this works as described will depend on which window
manager you are using and how it has been set up. If you change your
window manager things will work differently.)
You can also switch between Ved windows by tapping the <ESC> key,
letting go, and typing X. Normally this command sequence would be
written <ESC> x or ESC x. (This invokes VED's SWAPFILES function, which
enables you to switch back and forth between the last two VED windows.
(NB do NOT try hitting the two keys <ESC> and X simultaneously. The
<ESC> key sends a separate signal to the computer which must be received
first. It is not like the <SHIFT> and <CONTROL> keys which send no
separate signal but modify the signals sent by other keys.)
-- MOVING AND RESIZING WINDOWS ----------------------------------------
VED windows (and others) take up a lot of space, so switching between
them can be awkward if you wish to be able to see both windows at the
same time.
If using XVed you can resize windows and move them using the mouse.
Exactly how to do that depends on the window manager and how it has been
set up. If you are not using XVed but you are using an xterm window,
then you can tell VED to check the current size of the window by typing
CTRL-L which is equivalent to <ENTER> vedxrefresh <RETURN>
This file used to include information on moving and resizing windows,
but there are now so many different window managers, with different
behaviours, that there's no point giving instructions here.
If using XVed try resizing your VED windows and moving them and the MENU
panel until you can easily see and switch between them all.
-- EDITING AND SAVING FILES --------------------------------------------
Now you can start to edit your file. Switch to the window containing
your file called 'mynotes', and type some text.
You should write a brief summary of what you have learned about how to
use VED and the window manager. This will help you review what you
already know. You can use the <DELETE> or <BACKSPACE> keys to correct
typing mistakes.
You may find it useful to include notes on how to start a new file in
VED, how to give VED commands, how to move the VED text cursor, how to
move or resize a window. If you're confused or have questions about any
of this, now is a good time to ask. You can compare your notes with
those written by other students.
-- SAVING YOUR FILE ---------------------------------------------------
How can you "save" your file so that it is stored on a hard disk?
Go to the command line (press <ENTER>), type W (lower case) and press
<RETURN>. The <ENTER> w command tells VED to "write" all your files
to the magnetic disk where they will be saved until you next need them.
Now let's "quit" the file: type <ENTER> q <RETURN>. The window
containing 'mynotes' will disappear, and the text cursor will end up
back in this window.
To view your file once more give the command "<ENTER> ved mynotes" as
previously. If you make some changes and then try to quit without saving
first, VED will ask you if you would like to save the changes you made.
You should select the "save" option so that you don't lose work.
Remember that if you quit a file without saving you will lose all your
changes. It is sensible to save your files whenever you have made
significant changes, about every 15 minutes is a good guide.
Depending on the operating system you are using there may be
restrictions on the filenames you can use. A good rule of thumb is to
use only alphabetic and numeric characters and the '_' underscore
character. Do not try using punctuation characters, spaces, or "*" or
"?" in a file name.
(If you use spaces in file names on a unix system that can cause serious
problems later on because unix commands use spaces as delimiters.)
If you create a Pop-11 program file as described below, make sure that
its name ends in '.p', as in 'myfile.p'. That will tell VED to treat the
file as containing Pop-11, rather than just plain text. But don't use
the '.p' suffix for files that are not program files, since then VED
will not format them nicely for you.
-- MARKING TEXT --------------------------------------------------------
VED allows you to manipulate sections of text as well as individual
characters. To perform any operation on a section of text you must
select it. To do this you need to use the row of function keys at the
top of the keyboard. These are marked <F1>, <F2>, <F3> etc. If you don't
have such function keys on your keyboard you will need to ask for help.
You may find that other keys will do, or you may be able to get by using
VED's Menu panels.
If you wish to mark a range of text, prior to copying it, deleting it,
formatting it, or compiling it you must first decide which is the first
(top) line of the range. Move the text cursor onto that line then press
the <F1> function key. A vertical line will appear next to this line on
the left hand side of the window. If you are using a colour screen it
will be red.
Now move the text cursor down to the last line in the range and press
<F2>. and you will see the line on the left extend to the line the
cursor is now on. This is called marking a range. The lines of text you
have marked are called the MARKED RANGE.
Try marking one of the visible paragraphs in the file you are reading.
Then extend the range to include a paragraph above it. (You will need to
use the UpArrow key and <F1>. Then extend the range down to include the
next paragraph after the marked range. You will have to use the
DownArrow key and <F2>.
Another way to mark a range in XVED is to use the mouse cursor and the
Control key on the keyboard. Move the mouse cursor to the top of the
previous paragraph. Then press the Control key, and while holding it
down "drag" the mouse cursor holding button 1 down. The red mark on the
left will appear as soon as you move the cursor. Release the buttons
when you have finished.
But how can you perform useful operations with this marked range?
First of all let's copy some text within the same window. Mark one of
the paragraphs visible above, then move the text cursor cursor to the
empty space below this paragraph and press <F9>.
The entire marked range will be copied to that space. Notice that the
line on the left showing which range is marked stays where it is. An
alternative to pressing the <F9> key, which will work even if your
keyboard has not been set up correctly is to give the VED "<ENTER> t"
command. ("t" is short for "transcribe").
You can also move a marked range around. This time mark the copied text,
and move the cursor below this paragraph. Now press <F8>. The block of
text will move. If the F8 does not have the desired effect you can give
the "<ENTER> m" command to move text. The line on the left moves with
the marked text.
You can delete a marked range by giving the <ENTER> d command.
Try that now and the marked paragraph will disappear. If you
accidentally delete a range you can retrieve it using the command
<ENTER> y, where "y" stands for "Yanking" the deleted text back into the
file.
Finally you can unmark a marked range with <ENTER> crm. This is short
for "Clear Range Mark"). You may wish to clear the range mark to prevent
unwanted deletion, copying or moving. You can read about marking ranges
in more detail in TEACH * MARK. There is a summary available in the file
HELP * MARK. To read it give the command <ENTER> help mark. There is
also a "marking" menu available via the "toplevel" menu panel.
Incidentally, don't worry about any changes you make to this file. All
Teach files are "write protected". This Teach file doesn't change on
disk when you change your on screen copy of it, and you cannot save your
changes to a Teach or Help file, unless you first rename the file to
make it one of yours. You'll learn how to do that later.
-- COMPILING A MARKED RANGE -------------------------------------------
The editor is part of the poplog system and has the ability to
communicate with the pop11 compiler (and other poplog compilers), as
illustrated briefly above.
Here is a Pop11 command to multiply two numbers and print out the
result.
99 * 9 =>
Using what you have learnt above, mark that line (using F1 and/or F2).
You can give the 'Load Marked Range' command to ved by doing
<ENTER> lmr
That should start up a new editor buffer called 'output.p' and print
this into it:
** 891
A slightly faster method to load (compile) a marked range is to use
<CTRL> D instead of the lmr command.
Try marking the next two lines, then type the CTRL d command:
[This is a list containing words and
3 4 5 6 99 some numbers] =>
That should print the whole list in the output.p file.
The LMR and CTRL-d commands assume you have already marked a range.
You can give a single pop11 command, expressed on one line, by moving
the cursor onto that line, and typing <ESC> d (I.e. press and release
the ESC key then tap on the D key).
Try it with each of these lines:
sqrt(100) =>
rev( [a list can be reversed] ) =>
length( [a list can be reversed] ) =>
islist( [a list can be reversed] ) =>
isnumber( [a list can be reversed] ) =>
sqrt( [a list can be reversed] ) =>
The last one should produce an error message beginning:
;;; MISHAP - NUMBER NEEDED
Try varying the above pop11 commands and using ESC d on the new
versions.
Also try it on this one:
vars x; [% for x from 1 to 20 do x endfor %] =>
and
vars x; [% for x from 1 to 20 do sqrt(x) endfor %] =>
The first creates and prints out a list of numbers from 1 to 20. The
second computes their square roots and puts them in a list, which is
printed out.
Try varying those commands.
The use of marked ranges in programming will become increasingly
important as your programming skills develop.
You can quit the output file by going into it by typing these two keys:
<ESC> x
and then quit by doing
<ENTER> q <RETURN>
or, more briefly
<ESC> q
It will ask if you really want to quit. Type 'y'. Otherwise it will save
the file onto a hard drive before quitting.
-- COPYING RANGES BETWEEN FILES ----------------------------------------
It may be useful sometimes to copy a portion of a teach file into your
own program file where you can then edit it. This section explains the
techniques involved, in cases where you are using two VED buffers.
Depending on the interface you are using you may also be able to use
more familiar mechanisms using a mouse with 'copy' and 'paste'
mechanisms.
Before proceeding, make sure you have a file called 'mynotes' which has
been opened in VED as described above. Move the text cursor to the end
of that file (e.g. using the <End> function key or the "<ENTER> @z"
command. Then come back to this file.
We've just seen how to copy or move a marked range between different
parts of the same file. It is often useful to be able to copy text
blocks from one file to another. How can you do this? Simply mark a
paragraph in this file, then switch to the other window using <ESC> x.
That should take you to your file mynotes.
To copy (or "transcribe") the marked range from the teach file into
the mynotes file, First move the text cursor to where you want the text
to appear, then give the command "ENTER ti". (Transcribe In). This will
copy (transcribe) the marked range from the previous file to the current
file. (A slightly quicker alternative is to use the key sequence
<ESC> <F9>
You can also MOVE text between windows. Mark a new block in 'mynotes',
and switch back to this file. Then give the command "<ENTER> mi"
(where "mi" stands for "Move In"). That will move the marked range from
the previous file to the current file. Alternatively you can use the key
sequence: <ESC> <f8>
(The <F8> and <F9> keys will work on terminals set up in the school of
computer science in Birmingham. Terminals elsewhere may work
differently.)
When you use the <ENTER> mi, or <ESC> <F8>, command you should see the
block of text disappear from one file and reappear wherever the cursor
is in the other file. Now mark the moved block and delete it. You may
want to practice this several times.
-- JUSTIFYING TEXT -----------------------------------------------------
When you make lots of changes to a piece of text, it often becomes
untidy. To make it flow neatly down the page you can try the key
sequence <ESC> j. This will "justify" the paragraph that the cursor is
currently in. Try it out on the paragraph below.
This paragraph is very untidy.
The lines
of text sometimes
finish halfway
across the screen. But the <ESC> j key sequence
will
justify it. However it will not be exactly
right-justified with lines exactly the same length
as that
would require inserting some extra
spaces. I.e. it will be justified with "ragged right"
format.
-- FORMATTING POP11 CODE ----------------------------------------------
-- LOGGING OUT ---------------------------------------------------------
Before logging out you should make sure you finish your XVED session.
You will want to save all the files you have created and leave Poplog
altogether. You can perform both these functions with one command:
<ENTER> bye. If you have any changed files that will save them on the
disk. (Though not TEACH files.)
Try leaving Poplog like that now, and then restart using the VED or XVED
unix command followed by <ENTER> teach quickved.
You will then need to reopen your notes file 'mynotes' from the command
line. Remove any junk from that file and add to the notes a summary of
how to mark ranges, move or copy them, and delete them.
If you have been working on a program file you can open it the same way,
e.g. giving the linux command
ved myfile.p
or, if XVed is available,
xved myfile.p
-- SUMMARY -------------------------------------------------------------
You have now met a number of VED commands and key sequences:
Four arrow keys (Up Down Left Right)
<PageUp>
<PageDown>
<ENTER> q (or <ESC> q)
<ENTER> w
<ESC> x
<ESC> j
<ENTER> bye
<F8> (or <ENTER> m)
<F9> (or <ENTER> t)
<ESC> <F8> (or <ENTER> mi)
<ESC> <F9> (or <ENTER> ti)
<Delete>
<Backspace>
<F1>
<F2>
<ENTER> ved 'filename'
<ENTER> teach 'filename'
<ENTER> d
<ENTER> crm
<ENTER> y
Copy this list into your file mynotes and write a one line explanation
for each one. You have also seen how to use the mouse to
move the text cursor
use the menu
use the scrollbar
Finally you have learned the following skills
on-line TEACH and HELP files
creating, editing and saving your own files to disk
moving around and between windows
marking ranges
moving, deleting, and copying marked ranges
how to use the command line
Make sure that you understand and practice these by writing a summary in
your file 'mynotes' before moving on.
-- MOVING A WORD (OR TEXT ITEM) AT A TIME -----------------------------
Although you now know several ways of moving around there are several
other useful shortcuts. You can move word by word across the screen.
<ESC> F moves the cursor to the right, and <ESC> B moves to the left, in
both cases a word at a time.
You can also move to the beginning and end of a line of text. <CTRL> A
moves to the beginning of a line of text, and <CRTL> E to the end.
-- USING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS IN A DOCUMENTATION FILE ----------------
Another really useful way of moving around is to use tables of contents
provided in TEACH files. First you can do this using Ved commands that
work with both ordinary Ved and XVed.
To go to the table of contents for the file you are reading give the
command <ENTER> g <RETURN> (use lower case "g", for GO).
This may take you to a portion of the file that looks like this, but not
indented so much.
-- INTRODUCTION
-- KEYBOARD REQUIRED
-- DISPLAY VED'S MENUS
-- READING THIS FILE
-- WHAT ARE VED AND POPLOG?
-- DOCUMENTATION FACILITIES
etc
etc
You can select a section by moving the editor cursor up or down. When
you have selected a section e.g.
-- USING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS IN A DOCUMENTATION FILE
Put the editor cursor on the item, and repeate the <ENTER> g command.
If you use the command repeatedly, it keeps taking you to the next
section.
Summary:
If the Ved cursor is not on the index, ENTER g takes you to the index.
If it is on the index it takes you to the section with the header you
have selected.
If your display allows you to use the Menu mechanism, you can use the
mouse to click on the "GoSection" button in the menu. Then place the
cursor on the line of the topic you would like to jump to. Then click
again on GoSection. The cursor will automatically jump to that section.
You can jump back to the table of contents at any time by clicking on
GoSection. Try doing this now.
Some people prefer to do everything using ony the Keyboard, without
touching the mouse. For that reason such people are willing to memorise
commands Others prefer the mouse and menu interface, which relies less
on memory.
-- JUMPING BETWEEN BUFFERS ---------------------------------------------
Ved/XVed allows you to have two windows with separate files shown in
them. But you might open many more files than that. When you open an
file it is placed in what is called a buffer. A buffer is just a piece
of memory that stores the text, and the changes you make to that text.
Each window can displays the contents of one buffer. So you can display
the contents of up to two buffers at once. When you type <ENTER> W you
save the contents of all the current buffers to disk; and when you type
<ENTER> Q you close a buffer, so that the only version of that file left
is the one on disk.
-- USING ESC e TO SELECT A BUFFER -------------------------------------
You may of course have many buffers open, but using <ESC> X you can only
jump between the buffers currently visible in your two windows. The
other buffers are hidden. To view a list of the other opened buffers
type <ESC> E. This will give a numbered list of buffers with their
associated filenames. To go a buffer simply type the corresponding
number. You can do this even if you only have two buffers open. Try this
now.
-- SUMMARY -------------------------------------------------------------
This Teach file has given a very brief overview of some of the most
commonly used commands required to perform simple editing, and to test
short programming commands, in Ved/XVED . To help remember these you
should complete your summary in 'mynotes' before moving on to other
Teach files that tell you about Pop-11.
-- INTRODUCTORY TEACH FILES --------------------------------------------
This Teach File covers only the rudiments of VED, leaving out many
details.
There is a lot more information in the following files.
TEACH * ESSENTIALKEYS
Getting by if your function keys are not all usable.
How to use normal printing keys plus CTRL and ESC to
do everything.
TEACH * MINIVED
Reminder of basic Ved operations (using function keys where
appropriate)
TEACH * TEACH
A longer tutorial introduction to text editing in VED
TEACH * RHYME
Gives you practice with VED - unscrambling a scrambled poem.
TEACH * VED
More information and practice on creating your own files
TEACH * SWITCHWINDOW
Revision on the use of "ESC x" to switch between files
TEACH * BUFFERS
How to deal with several different files at once.
TEACH * MARK
Revision on the use of marked ranges in a file.
TEACH * INDEX
Takes you to a possibly incomplete list of teach files.
TEACH * RIVER
For absolute beginner programmers: provides an introduction to
programming via a familiar river crossing puzzle.
TEACH * RESPOND
Provides an introduction to developing a simple Chatbot in Pop11
TEACH * ARITH
Proves that Pop11 can handle numbers, like most other
programming languages.
TEACH * GSTART
For use if you have graphical facilities available. Shows how to
use pop11 programming commands usign the RC_GRAPHIC (Relative
Coordinate Graphic) system to make pictures. It's also a good
way to learn some geometry/
TEACH
TEACH * POPCORE
A summary of some of the most commonly used Pop11 programming
constructs
TEACH * PRIMER
A lengthy introduction to a large subset of Pop11, including
examples you can run in the editor. There is also a printable
PDF version and an online version
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/poplog/primer/
Note: In VED's online documentation you will often see an asterisk after
a word like TEACH or HELP. If the VED text cursor is higher up you can
use the key sequence <ESC> n to move it to the NEXT asterisk. Then to
get the help or teach file into VED use <ESC h>. This can be quicker
than typing a full help or teach command.
-- WHAT TO READ NEXT ---------------------------------------------------
You should now move on to the Teach files which introduce the most basic
ideas of programming in Pop-11. Your course tutor may suggest one or
more of these.
TEACH * FACES
A very rapid introduction to graphics programming in Pop-11
using Ved as a development environment. Make some smiling and
sad faces.
TEACH * LMR
How to mark and compile part of a Pop-11 program file. It
explains some of the types of error messages that can occur and
how to learn from them.
TEACH * VEDPOP
More practice with basic Pop-11 instructions in the VED
environment.
TEACH * VEDPROC
A sequel to TEACH * VEDPOP, showing how to define Pop-11
procedures in VED.
HELP * VEDNOTES
A summary of the most frequently used subset of VED commands.
HELP * XTERMKEYS
Maps of the keyboard function keys, showing what they do in
VED and XVED
HELP * VEDKEYS
A reminder of most of the things that can be done in VED using
key sequences.
For more advanced users only:
TEACH * TEACHFILES
- overview of TEACH documentation in the Poplog system
TEACH * LOCALINDEX
- List of teach files available in this department.
HELP * HELPFILES
- overview of HELP documentation
HELP * LOCALINDEX
- List of help files available in this department.
TEACH * PRIMER
- A lengthy overview of the main features of Pop-11. A printed
version of this can be bought from the librarian in the School
of Computer Science at the University of Birmingham.
-- TABLE OF CONTENTS ---------------------------------------------------
CONTENTS
========
This table of contents is at the end of the file. The contents list can
appear anywhere in a file. In some teach and help files the table is
near the top of the file.
To go to a section move the text cursor to the line in the table of
contents and give the command <ENTER> g,
Alternatively you can bring up VED's Toplevel menu if it is not already
visible, using the command <ENTER> menu, and then on the GoSection
button in the menu panel.
If the text cursor is not already in the table of contents the above
commands will make it jump to the table of contents and select the line
after the last one on which you gave the "g" command.
-- INTRODUCTION
-- KEYBOARD REQUIRED
-- DISPLAY VED'S MENUS
-- READING THIS FILE
-- WHAT ARE VED AND POPLOG?
-- DOCUMENTATION FACILITIES
-- WAYS OF MOVING ABOUT
-- THE COMMAND LINE
-- CREATING A NEW FILE OF YOUR OWN
-- SWITCHING BETWEEN WINDOWS USING THE MOUSE
-- MOVING AND RESIZING WINDOWS
-- EDITING AND SAVING FILES
-- SAVING YOUR FILE
-- MARKING TEXT
-- COMPILING A MARKED RANGE
-- COPYING RANGES BETWEEN FILES
-- JUSTIFYING TEXT
-- FORMATTING POP11 CODE
-- LOGGING OUT
-- SUMMARY
-- MOVING A WORD (OR TEXT ITEM) AT A TIME
-- USING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS IN A DOCUMENTATION FILE
-- JUMPING BETWEEN BUFFERS
-- USING ESC e TO SELECT A BUFFER
-- SUMMARY
-- INTRODUCTORY TEACH FILES
-- WHAT TO READ NEXT
-- TABLE OF CONTENTS
--- $usepop/pop/teach/quickved
--- Copyright University of Birmingham 2011. All rights reserved. ------Author: Jeremy Wyatt Jan 1998