PROGRAMMED COMMANDS

   This section describes facilities for constructing more powerful
commands from simple commands.  So far, the only form of compound
command structure introduced has been the facility to type more than one
command in a single command line, with the consequential capability of
repeating the complete sequence by subsequently typing a repetition
number instead of another command.



Caution

    The structuring facilities described in the following paragraphs can
 be used to carry out some quite complicated operations, but commands
 making heavy use of them tend to become rather difficult to understand.
 It is not sensible to try to devise a programmed command of any
 significant complexity while working at the terminal.  Contemplation in
 tranquillity is required.  Some users note in a log-book those which
 they have found useful in the past.


Command sequences

    Any sequence of commands may be enclosed in parentheses and treated
 as a single command.  In particular this permits a repetition count to
 be attached to a sequence of commands.  For example, the command
 "(F.integer.I.%.)3" has the effect of inserting a percent sign in front
 of the next three occurrences of "integer".  Compare "F.integer. i.%.3"
 which inserts three percent signs in front of the first occurrence of
 "integer" only, and "F.integer.3 i.%.3" which does the same in front of
 the third occurrence only.  For this simple case, it would be almost as
 convenient to type the pair of commands as one command line, and then
 type a 2 to repeat it twice more, but that option would not cover cases
 where the bracketed sequence is just part of a complete command line.

    A command sequence fails when any component of it fails, so that an
 asterisk attached to a bracketed command sequence specifies indefinite
 repetition until one of the contained commands fails.  As a check
 against infinite looping, a limit of 10,000 iterations is applied to
 the repetition of bracketed commands.


Alternative command sequences

    Another form of compound command is one providing a number of
 alternatives.  This consists of two or more individual commands or
 command sequences separated by commas.  Execution starts with the first
 command and if that alternative is completed without failure, the other
 alternatives are ignored.  If any of the commands making up the first
 alternative fails, then the second alternative (following the first
 comma) is executed, and so forth.  Only if a failure occurs on the last
 alternative is the whole compound command considered to have failed.
 For example, it might be required to include, as a component of a more
 complex command, an instruction to position the pointer at the next
 space on the line, or at the end of the line if there is no space to
 the right of the pointer.  The command "(F1/ /, R*)" could be used for
 the purpose.



    Consider also the problem of interchanging two text strings, say
 "basically" and "actually", throughout a complete file.  Obviously, the
 commands
     (F/basically/S/actually/)*
     M-*
     (F/actually/S/basically/)*
 would end up with all occurrences of both words converted to
 "basically".  One solution would be to convert all occurrences of the
 word "basically" to some unique sequence of characters, make the other
 change through the file, and finally convert the unique character
 sequences to "actually".  A preferable approach, using alternative
 sequences, permits this kind of edit to be made progressively on a
 single pass through the file.


 First consider the sequence "(R,M)".  Right-shift fails only when the
 pointer is at the end of a line, so that this sequence performs a
 Right-shift except at the end of a line, when it performs a Move.  The
 Move, and hence the compound command, fails only at the end of the
 file.  Accordingly this is a command which makes it possible to 'inch'
 through a file on a character by character basis.  The case under
 consideration can be handled by expanding this sequence to include
 alternatives to test for the two text strings and make the necessary
 change, leading to:
    (V/basically/S/actually/, V/actually/S/basically/, R, M)*
 This framework, using a set of Verify commands together with the
 'inching' sequence "R,M", is one that can be used for a variety of
 different requirements.


Inverted failure condition

    If a command, simple or bracketed, is followed by the symbol '\',
 the failure condition for the command is inverted so that successful
 execution causes a failure and unsuccessful execution does not.  This
 in no way alters what the Editor attempts to do by way of carrying out
 the command, which has its customary effect, if any, except that it is
 deemed to have failed when it has not, and conversely.  This curious
 effect is sometimes useful, most obviously with the Verify command.
 For example, "V.+." makes it possible (in effect) to make the following
 command conditional on there being a plus-sign immediately to the right
 of the pointer; "V.+.\" to make the following command conditional on
 there not being a plus-sign immediately to the right of the pointer.


Cancelled failure condition

    If a command, simple or bracketed, is followed by the symbol '?',
 any failure condition arising in the execution of the command is
 cancelled, that is, any further action is taken on the basis that the
 command succeeded.  As with inversion, this in no way alters the effect
 of the command itself.  For example, suppose it was required to insert
 an ampersand in front of each line in a file which started with a
 exclamation-mark.  The sequence "(V/!/ I/&/ M)*" is not adequate since
 the part within brackets will fail on any line not starting with an
 exclamation mark and cause termination of the whole sequence.  It is
 only the failure of the Move which should cause failure of the
 sequence.  Bracketing the Verify and the Insert and appending a
 question-mark achieves the desired effect:
     ( (V/!/ I/&/)? M)*


Further examples

    The examples which follow either might be useful in themselves or
 illustrate general techniques.  Many such commands are not rigorous,
 but depend on the originator of the document maintaining a consistency
 of style in terms of such matters as the inclusion or omission of
 spaces.


(a)   (MR)*              Find first blank line
      (MR\)*             Find first non-blank line

    The command Right-shift fails at the end of the line.  Immediately
 after a Move, it will fail only if the line is blank.  Hence (MR)*
 causes Moves to be executed until either the end of the file or a blank
 line is reached.  Inverting the failure condition on R locates the
 first non-blank line, but note that a final L is required if the
 pointer is to end up at the start of the line.


 (b) (RI. .)* E- Double-space a line

    This sequence inserts a space to the right of each existing
 character (including spaces) on the line.  The final E- removes the
 last space inserted, because trailing spaces can be a source of
 confusion.


(c)  (R* (L D/ /)* M)*   Delete trailing spaces

    This command will eliminate any trailing spaces that may have crept
 into the file.  On each line, the pointer is moved to the end and then
 successive attempts are made to Left-shift and Delete a space.


(d)  ( (RLI/ /4)? M)0    Create left margin (of 4 spaces)

    The obvious command would be simply "(I/ /4M)0", but that would add
 spaces to blank lines, which is undesirable.  Hence the "RL" to check
 that the line is not blank.


 (e) F.sin.(V.sin(.,S.evil.) Replace selected occurrences

    The form of this command illustrates the case where it is required
 to pick out certain occurrences of a word for alteration but not
 others.  A programmer has inadvertently employed "sin" as a variable in
 a program which also makes use of the mathematical function "sin(...)".
 The command sequence locates an occurrence of "sin", then verifies that
 it is followed by a left parenthesis by "V.sin(." or else changes it to
 "evil".