|
Text Editors
Text editors are used to create and change files containing text of
any sort. A text editor is the single most important application program that
you will use on a Unix machine. You will need to
use one for everything from sending e-mail messages to writing
programs. There are quite a few available on Milk,
and it may be worth your while to try several to see which one suits
you best.
This page describes most of the
editors available on Milk:
But first, some general notes:
Starting an editor:
The editors can be started simply by typing the their name as a
command. You can then create a new file, or ask to edit an old one.
Alternatively, you can give the name of a file to edit or create
when you start the editor. For example, the command
pico fred
starts up the pico editor in order to edit the
file fred.
Types of editors:
There are two ways to interact with an editor. Some editors will
create their own window in which to run, and they will typically have
some facility for mouse input in addition to keystroke input. Other
editors will simply use up the window in which the editor was started,
use only keystroke input, and do not allow for mouse input.
Graphical editors with mouse input:
emacs, gvim, xemacs, nedit
Non-graphical editors without mouse input:
emacs -nw, vim, vi, jove, pico
Many people prefer to used an editor with mouse input. However,
even you're one of these people, you should note that if you are using
the department computer over a slow connection to the internet, a
graphical editor with mouse input could take a long time to appear on
your screen and may respond so slowly that it affects your work. It
might also be possible that your connection does not permit the use of
graphical programs. In either case you will want to use one of the
non-graphical editors that just uses the window in which you started
the program.
Line editing: Some of the editors (emacs, xemacs, pico, jove)
use the same set of "emacs" style commands for moving around in the
file. These line editing commands are
also used in several other programs. (A few programs use a different
set of "vi" style commands.)
Text editors vs. word processors: A text editor should not
be confused with a word processor. A word processor is typically a
large program with a built in typesetter that will attempt to display
on the screen exactly what will be printed and therefore suitable for
workstations rather then servers. Examples of popular word
processors are Microsoft Word, Staroffice and Openoffice.
Word processors were not designed to
handle lengthy mathematical documents, nor were they designed for
writing programs.
Detailed information
- How to start
- vi filename
- How to quit
- :q (you might have to press ESC
first)
- Description
- vi is a popular
editor that uses keystroke input and a full-screen display, but not
the mouse. vi runs in the window where you start it,
or on an ordinary terminal. It has two modes, "edit" and "command",
which some people find very irritating. It starts very quickly and
can be used very efficiently, if you know what you're doing. If you
like vi then you should consider one of its enhanced
versions vim.
- Getting help
-
- man vi
- There are books on how to use vi. Almost every
general Unix book has a section on vi as well.
- How to start
- emacs
filename will run the X-windows version.
- emacs -nw filename will run in the current window (no
mouse input).
- How to quit
- Control/X Control/C
- Description
- emacs is a very
elaborate program with many capabilities. It has special modes for
editing source code for almost all programming languages (such as C,
R, Perl, (La)TeX, etc.).
It is also possible to run interactive
programs like R and Splus within emacs.
- emacs comes with built-in spell checking, an
email client, a Usenet news reader, a web browser, and much more,
including a phychotherapist.
- Special help on using emacs with (La)TeX,
Splus, and R is available on a separate web page.
- Getting help
-
- man emacs gives mostly information on starting emacs
and running it under X-windows.
- info emacs gives extensive online help.
- Within emacs, pressing the function key F1 followed by t
will start a beginner's tutorial
- There are books on how to use emacs. Almost every
general Unix book has a section on emacs as well.
- Main emacs
web page. You can find extensive help here, and you can also get
emacs for just about any type of computer that you
use.
- How to start
- vim filename
- gvim filename
- How to quit
- :q
- Description
- vim is an enhanced vi
clone that is also available on most platforms. gvim
is exactly like vim except that is runs in its own
X-window and accepts mouse input.
- Getting help
-
- man vim
- Click Help
- vimtutor
starts a tutorial for beginners.
- man gvim
- Main vim web page
You can
find extensive help here, and you can also get vim
for just about any type of computer that you use.
- How to start
- jove filename
- How to quit
- Control/X Control/C
- Description
- jove is a small
version of emacs that always runs in the window in which it was
started. Starts much more quickly than emacs -nw
- Getting help
-
- man jove
- teachjove starts a tutorial for beginners.
- How to start
- nedit filename
- How to quit
- Control/Q
- Description
- nedit uses the mouse
and arrow keys to move around the file. Advertizes itself as being a
good editor for writing programs. Also advertizes itself as being a
good editor for people used to MS Windows and Mac
environments. Designed from the ground up to be a mouse-based
editor. If you hate emacs and vi, nedit might be for you.
- Getting help
-
- How to start
- pico filename
- How to quit
- Control/X
- Description
- pico is a small,
keystroke-based editor. It was designed to be used with the mail and
news client pine. It is very simple to use, in no small part
because it has very few capabilities. Uses "emacs" style
line editing commands
.
- Getting help
-
- man pico
- When using pico press Control/G for some very
limited online help.
|
