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Beginning to Use EVE

Contents

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What is EVE?

EVE is an editor that allows you to create and modify files on a VAX/VMS system. These files can be computer programs, documents, or data files.

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Opening a File

You can enter EVE by opening a file. Let's open a file called SAMPLE.TXT. The extension txt means that this file is a text file.

  1. At the $ prompt, type: edit sample.txt
  2. Press: return

After doing this, your screen should look something like the following:

 ____________________________________________________________________________   
 |[End of file]                                                             |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |                                                                          |
 |__________________________________________________________________________|
 |__Buffer:__SAMPLE.TXT____________________________Write___Insert__Forward__|
 |                                                                          |
 | Editing new file.  Could not find:  SAMPLE.TXT                           |
 |                                                                          |
 |__________________________________________________________________________|

The [End of file] marker is not part of your file; it is visible only on your screen and moves down as you add text to your file. The first line at the bottom of your screen provides information about the file you are editing. The second line, in the message window, indicates that EVE looked for a file called SAMPLE.TXT and didn't find one.

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Typing

Now that we have opened a file, let's enter some text. Don't worry if you make mistakes; we'll fix them later. It is not necessary to press return at the end of each line; EVE will automatically wrap the text to the beginning of a new line. Type the following text:

  1. Type:
    This is an introduction to using the EVE editor. In this sample file, you are going to learn how to move the cursor. Also, you will learn how to delete a character.
  2. Press: return twice. This will create a blank line.
  3. Type:
    The extra return that you pressed allowed you to skip a line. When you finish entering this text, you will save it by using the keypad located on the right hand side of your keyboard.
  4. Press: return

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Exit and Save

Ready to exit? Good, let's exit and save this file using the following steps:

  1. Press: do
    The DO key is located on the numeric keypad to the right of the main keyboard (see the diagram at the end of this document). It is labelled as PF4 on VT100- series terminals.
  2. At the Command: prompt, type: exit
  3. Press: return

Congratulations! You have saved your first file. The VAX will display a message telling you that your file is saved and the number of lines in your file. (Note: If pressing do does not give a Command: prompt, contact Academic Computing Support for help with your terminal emulation package. Exit EVE by pressing the CTRL key and typing z simultaneously).

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Directory

You have a personal directory that lists all of your files. Let's check to see if your file is really there. Follow the steps below:

  1. At the $ prompt, type: dir
  2. Press: return

You will have the SAMPLE.TXT file and a line telling you how many files are in your directory.

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Modifying a File

To make changes in a file, you must use an editor. First, open your SAMPLE.TXT file using EVE.

  1. At the $ prompt, type: edit sample.txt
  2. Press: return

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Cursor Movements

You will need to learn some cursor movements. You can move the cursor using the arrow keys located to the right of the main keyboard. The following are the four basic cursor movements:

Practice moving around in your file using the arrow keys.

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Deletion

To erase a letter or word, you use a delete key which deletes one character at a time. Different keyboards have different types of delete keys. Your keyboard may have a rubout key or a special arrow key. If your terminal doesn't have one of the following keys, experiment to determine which key deletes the character to the left of the cursor.

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Practice Deleting

When we want you to delete the character to the left of the cursor, we will use the delete symbol. The following steps will help you become more familiar deleting text with the EVE editor:

  1. Use the cursor keys to move to the space after the word "sample" in the first line.
  2. Press: delete repeatedly until you have erased the word " sample".
  3. Use the cursor keys to move to the space after the word "move" in the second sentence of the second paragraph.
  4. Press: delete repeatedly until you have erased the word " move".
  5. Type in the word "use" as a replacement.
  6. Move to the beginning of the word "The" in the second paragraph.
  7. Press: delete. This will delete the blank line between the first and second paragraphs.

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Exit and Cancel

You have made a lot of changes in your file. Let's exit EVE without saving the changes you made. Follow the steps listed below:

  1. Press: do
    Press the DO key on the keypad.
  2. At the Command: prompt, type: quit
  3. Press: return
  4. The computer will ask you a question similar to this one:
    Buffer modifications will not be saved, continue quitting [Yes]?
  5. Press: return

You have cancelled the file with the changes. However, the file that you first typed is still available. If you would like to check and see, do a directory.

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Help

Let's edit your file one more time, so you can learn about the special functions that are available via the EVE keypad and other EVE commands.

  1. At the $ prompt, type: edit sample.txt
  2. Press: return

The HELP command can be used to obtain more information about using EVE. To see a list of available commands, follow the steps below:

  1. Press: do
  2. At the Command: prompt, type: help
  3. Press: return
  4. You can scroll up or down in HELP by pressing the PREV SCREEN and NEXT SCREEN keys. On some keyboards, these are labelled instead as PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN.
  5. Type the topic on which you want help to see more information.
  6. Press: return to exit HELP.

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Typing EVE Commands

To use an EVE command, type that command at the Command: prompt. For example, to center a line of text, do the following:

  1. Move the cursor to the last line of the first paragraph.
  2. Press: do
  3. At the Command: prompt, type: center line
  4. Press: return

You can abbreviate EVE commands. For example, instead of typing center line you could have typed cen l instead. See the bottom of this document for a list of commonly used EVE commands.

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EVE Keypad

In addition to typing commands, you can also use the keypad located to the right of the main keyboard. These keys have special functions when used in an EVE session. To see the function of each key displayed on your screen, follow the steps below:

  1. Press: PF2
    This is the HELP key. On PCs it is the keypad key labelled as a /; on Macintosh computers it is the = on the keypad. A diagram of the keypad, like the one shown at the end of this document, should be on your screen.
  2. Press any keypad key for more information on that key.
  3. When you are ready to return to your document, press: return

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Exit

If you want to correct any typing errors you might have made, do so now using the delete key. Otherwise, exit your file by pressing do and typing either exit to save your file or quit to cancel it.

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For More Information

If you would like to learn more, an advanced guide to using EVE is also available. It will show you how to define your own keys and write short TPU procedures to customize EVE.

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EVE Keypad and Summary of Common EVE Commands

Listed below are some of the commands you can type at the Command prompt; EVE keypad equivalents are in parentheses. 

    CURSOR MOVEMENT                               
                                                                   
    top                     - Move to top of file.                 
    bottom                  - Move to bottom of file.              
    forward                 - Set forward direction.               
    reverse                 - Set reverse direction.               
    end of line                                                    
    shift right N           - Shift right N columns.               
    shift left N            - Shift left N columns.                
    line N                  - Move to line N.                      
                                                                   
    CUT, PASTE & DELETE                           
                                                                   
    copy                    - Copy selected text to buffer.        
    cut         (8)         - Cut selected text to buffer.         
    erase line              - Erase to end of current line.        
    paste       (9)         - Paste buffer.                        
    select      (7)         - Select (use arrow keys).             
    select all              - Select entire text.                  
    set box select          - Make box behavior active.            
                                                                   
                                                                   
    FORMATTING                                    
                                                                   
    fill                    - Reformat selected text to fill       
                              current margin settings.             
    set left margin N       - Set left margin to column N.
    set right margin N      - Set right margin to column N.

    SEARCH & REPLACE

    find        (PF1)       - Find specified string of text.
    find next   (PF1-PF1)   - Find next occurrence.
    replace STR1 STR2       - Replace STR1 by STR2.
    wildcard find           - Use VMS or Ultrix wildcards in search string.

    EXIT              
                                                  
    exit                    - Exit with save.                    
    quit                    - Exit without save.                 
    spawn                   - Exit to DCL; type                  
                              LO to resume editing               
                              session.                           
                                                   
    MULTIPLE WINDOWS                
                                                  
    two windows             - Make two windows.     
    next window             - Move to next window.               
    one window              - Make one window.                   
                                                  
    MISCELLANEOUS                   
                                                  
    change mode             - Toggle between insert              
                              and overstrike mode.               
    include                 - Include specified                  
                              file at current cursor             
                              position.                          
    write                   - Save without exiting.

The following layout is for VT100s and Rainbow 100s only. The illustration represents the special functions available through the EVE keypad. 

                _________________________________________________
                | PF1       | PF2   /   | PF3  *    | PF4  -    |
                |           |           |           |           |
                |           |           | CHANGE    |           |
                |__FIND_____|_____HELP__|_DIRECTION_|_______DO__|
                |  7        |  8        |  9        |  -        |
                |           |           |           |           |
                |  SELECT   |   REMOVE  |    INSERT |  MOVE BY  |
                |___________|___________|______HERE_|_____LINE__|
                |  4        |  5        |  6        |  ,        |
                |           |     MOVE  |           |    ERASE  |
                |___________|_______UP__|___________|_____WORD__|
                |  1        |  2        |  3        |    Enter  |
                |  MOVE     |     MOVE  |      MOVE |           |
                |__LEFT_____|_____DOWN__|_____RIGHT_|   CHANGE  |
                |  0                    |  .        |     MODE  |
                |        NEXT           |     PREV  |           |
                |________SCREEN_________|___SCREEN__|___________|

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Revised November, 1996