[Info-vax] EDTINI.EDT Issues

Mon Jun 27 23:46:35 EDT 2016

Paul Richards wrote:

> Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> 
> > On 2016-06-28 00:25:34 +0000, Paul Richards said:
> > 
> > > Tony: I'm new to OpenvMS so please bear wth me.
> > 
> > Welcome to OpenVMS.
> > 
> > Please read the user's manual; the introductory guide to OpenVMS.
> > If you don't read the user manual, please expect a very long and
> > very confusing slog as you sort out how things work.  OpenVMS is
> > almost certainly not like any other system you've used before, and
> > it has different tools, different commands and different
> > terminology.  Trying to port over knowledge of Windows or Unix will
> > not end well, in general — OpenVMS is different.
> > 
> > Here is the User's Manual:
> > 
> > http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/731final/6489/6489pro.html  (HTML)
> >
http://h20565.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c04623
> > 190  (PDF)
> > 
> > Also see the OpenVMS Beginner's FAQ:
> > 
> > http://saf.bio.caltech.edu/vms_beginners_faq.html
> > 
> > In this FAQ, see the section on EDT initialization files.  (That
> > section shows using a logical name that EDT will use when invoked,
> > too.  That avoids needing to explicitly reference the initialization
> > file when you invoke the editor.  More on this later.)
> > 
> > > It is not clear to me which variant of EDT (TPU/EDT/EVE) is loaded
> > > when  EDIT is invoked.
> > 
> > You are not invoking EDT.
> > 
> > Micro-history: EDT is effectively deprecated and is a very limited
> > editor, with the main goal of that was command-level and source code
> > compatibility with the EDT editor on RSX-11M — an operating system
> > from the 1970s — and on some other and similarly-old text editors
> > from that era.    While there are folks that will certainly never be
> > dragged off of EDT, EDIT /TPU (the so-called EVE text editor) was
> > supposed to replace most uses of EDT many years ago (starting back
> > around 1993), though other text editors are optionally available for
> > OpenVMS including ports of vim, emacs, microemacs and some others,
> > and commercial packages including DECset LSEDIT.
> > 
> > If you want to explicitly invoke EDT, then the command is EDIT/EDT.
> > 
> > If you want to pass EDT commands to a text editor, then that editor
> > must be EDT or EDT-compatible.  Passing EDT commands to a different
> > editor doesn't work, as you've discovered.   In your case, you're
> > invoking the EDIT /TPU editor known as EVE.
> > 
> > Here's an overview of the EDIT command, from the system help
> > library.  If you're at all familiar with Unix man pages, the help
> > library is similar, but rather more limited in terms of navigation
> > commands, searching and related.
> > 
> > ++++++++++ ++++++++++
> > $ help edit
> > 
> > EDIT
> > 
> >    The EDIT commands perform the following functions:
> > 
> >    o  Invoke the Access Control List Editor to create or modify an
> >       access control list for an object (see /ACL).
> > 
> >    o  Invoke the EDT screen-oriented editor (see /EDT).
> > 
> >    o  Invoke the FDL editor to create and modify File Definition
> >       Language files (see /FDL).
> > 
> >    o  Invoke the SUMSLP batch-oriented editor to update a single
> > input       file with multiple files of edit commands (see /SUM).
> > 
> >    o  Invoke the TECO editor (see /TECO).
> > 
> >    o  Invoke the TPU editor (see /TPU).
> > 
> > 
> >  Additional information available:
> > 
> >  /ACL       /EDT       /FDL       /SUM       /TECO      /TPU
> > 
> > EDIT Subtopic?
> > ++++++++++ ++++++++++
> > 
> > > Is this defined somewhere? Where?
> > 
> > You were previously pointed to DCL commands similar to the following
> > two commands, which set up a symbol (E) that invokes the EDT text
> > editor.   These symbols are usually set up in your LOGIN.COM login
> > command procedure, so you'll have these available each time you log
> > into OpenVMS.   Invoke them live at the DCL $ prompt if you want,
> > that works too.   If you want to pass those EDTINI commands to the
> > EDT editor, then you will want to use the second command shown, with
> > that second command assuming that your EDT initialization file is
> > located in your SYS$LOGIN login directory and named EDTINI.EDT.   If
> > it's not, you'll have to change that part of the command to reflect
> > the location and name of the file.   You can also set up a logical
> > name EDTINI, which will work automatically with the first command
> > below.  See the EDT documentation or the OpenVMS beginner's FAQ
> > mentioned earlier for details on that.
> > 
> > $ E :== EDIT/EDT
> > 
> > $ E :== EDIT/EDT/COMMAND=sys$login:EDTINI.EDT
> > 
> > > I tried $ EDIT /TPU /INIT=EDTINI.EDT NESTTEST.COB. I get a message
> > > 'Did  not finish execution of initialization file:
> > > sys$common:[sysmgr]edtini.edt'. There were a couple of messages
> > > before  this but they disappeared before I could read them.
> > 
> > Passing commands for EDT into the EDIT /TPU (the EVE editor) won't
> > work.
> > 
> > > I've stripped edtini.edt down to contain only the Function key
> > > definitions and this seems to have worked but I still get the
> > > error message.
> > 
> > You could add a shakespearean sonnet in there, and EDIT /TPU (EVE)
> > will return errors.
> > 
> > > As far as a keyboard is concerned I'm running on a PC laptop with
> > > a numeric keypad and PuTTy so I get, for example 'Num Lock' = PF1
> > > (Find),  '/' = PF2 (Help), '*' = PF3 (Change Direction), '-' = PF4
> > > (Command) and the text editing control keys all work e.g. Ctrl-B,
> > > Ctrl-E etc.
> > 
> > We've just been discussing that mess in another thread; OpenVMS
> > doesn't do well with other keyboards (it works, but the users get to
> > figure that part out), and the documentation and even some of the
> > developers persist in using DEC LK-series keyboards that just aren't
> > available (new) anymore rather than using and documenting what is
> > available for keyboards.   You'll have to determine the mapping for
> > the PC keyboard and the particular terminal emulator you're using.
> > (I don't have Microsoft Windows around and use a terminal emulator
> > other than PuTTY, and a different keyboard layout than you're likely
> > using.)
> > 
> > > I have a document which shows all these keys and it appears to be
> > > an  EVE document.
> > 
> > EVE is the name of a text editor on OpenVMS, not a document type or
> > document format.
> > 
> > http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/73final/6021/6021pro.html (HTML)
> >
http://h20565.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c04623
> > 112 (PDF)
> > 
> > > So I'm happy (mostly) with the key definitions but I want to find
> > > out  why I'm getting the error messages. Also, based on the
> > > previous  paragraph, what keypad am I emulating? (I said I was a
> > > newbie :-))
> > 
> > Again: please read the user manual.  Your experience with other
> > systems will not serve you well with learning OpenVMS, as OpenVMS is
> > quite different from most other systems.  The user's manual will get
> > you the terms and concepts, which will also avoid confusion here —
> > such as what I'm referring to with my use of "symbol" and "logical
> > name" here.   Those don't work the same as on some other systems,
> > either.
> > 
> > After the user manual, either the Programming Concepts Manual or the
> > System Managers' manuals, depending on which direction you're
> > interested in heading with OpenVMS.
> > 
> > More documentation:
> > 
> > The OpenVMS documentation from HPE:
> > 
> > http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/os84_index.html
> > 
> > The archived EDT documentation:
> > 
> >
http://h20565.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c04623
> > 261 (PDF)
> > 
> > http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/os84_index.html
> > 
> > Other HPE OpenVMS products:
> > 
> > http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/servers/openvms/documents.html
> 
> Stephen: thanks you for the reply. Believe me, I have the various
> OpenVMS HTNL documents permanently set up in tabs in my browser.
> 
> So if EDT is deprecated and I want to use EVE/TPU is there a mechanism
> (similar to EDTINI.EDT) for passing things like function key
> definitions into EDIt/EVE/TPU?
> 
> > EVE is the name of a text editor on OpenVMS, not a document type or
> > document format.
> 
> I realise that. What I meant was that the document makes reference to
> EVE. Now it also mentions an EVE$INIT.EVE file - maybe this is what
> I'm looking for (answering my own question) and I should create this
> file and put my definitions into it.
> 
> My confusion stems from not really knowing the difference between EDT
> and EVE.
> 
> Just for the record I am familiar with several operating systems apart
> from Windows e.g. Unix, Linux, OS/2, OpenSTEP, HP's MPE/ix, these last
> three I have running in VMs.

Well, it seems creating an EVE$INIT.EVE file has solved my problem. It
loads automatically on initiating EDIT and sets the function key
definitions correctly. (phew!!)

Thanks to all who responded.

-- 
Paul
Melbourne, Australia

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