![Original XEDIT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Original_XEDIT.png)
XEDIT is a
visual editor
A visual editor is computer software for editing text files using a textual or graphical user interface that normally renders the content (text) in accordance with embedded markup code, e.g., HTML, Wikitext, rather than displaying the raw text. ...
for
VM/CMS
VM (often: VM/CMS) is a family of IBM virtual machine operating systems used on IBM mainframes System/370, System/390, zSeries, System z and compatible systems, including the Hercules emulator for personal computers.
The following versions ...
using
block mode IBM 3270
The IBM 3270 is a family of block oriented display and printer computer terminals introduced by IBM in 1971
and normally used to communicate with IBM mainframes. The 3270 was the successor to the IBM 2260 display terminal. Due to the text ...
terminals. (Line-mode terminals are also supported.)
XEDIT is much more line-oriented than modern
PC and
Unix
Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...
editors. For example, XEDIT supports automatic line numbers, and many of the commands operate on blocks of lines. A pair of features allows selective line and column editing. The ''ALL'' command, for example, hides all lines not matching the described pattern, and the COL (Column) command allows hiding those columns not specified. Hence changing, for example, the word NO as it appears only in columns 24 thru 28, to YES, and only on lines with the word FLEXIBLE, is doable.
Another feature is a ''command line'' which allows the user to type arbitrary editor commands. Because IBM 3270 terminals do not transmit data to the computer until certain special keys are pressed
uch as , a program function key (PFK), or a program access key (PAK) XEDIT is less interactive than many PC and Unix editors. For example, continuous spell-checking as the user types is problematic.
Typical screen layout
MOHICANS SCRIPT A1 V 132 Trunc=132 Size=10 Line=10 Col=1 Alt=10
XEDIT:
= Last of the Mohicans
= .sp
= It was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars of North America,
= that the toils and dangers of the wilderness were to be encountered
= before the adverse hosts could meet.
= A wide and apparently an impervious boundary of forests severed
= the possessions of the hostile provinces of France and England.
= The hardy colonist, and the trained European who fought at his
= side, frequently expended months in struggling against the rapids
= of the streams, or in effecting the rugged passes of the mountains
, ...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7...
= * * * End of File * * *
>
X E D I T 1 File
![Input mode on newer XEDIT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Input_mode_on_newer_XEDIT.png)
Notable features of the screen layout:
*The top line provides details about line format where:
**MOHICANS is the filename
**SCRIPT is the filetype
**A1 is the filemode (default, indicating which disk the file is on)
**V is the record format (RECFM) which can be Fixed or Variable
**132 is the length of the records (for V, maximum length is 65535)
**Trunc=132 indicates changes beyond 132 columns will be ignored
**Size=10 denotes total number of lines in file
**Line=10 denotes the current line
**Col=1 denotes the current column
**Alt=10 indicates that ten changes have been made while XEDITing
*The
equal sign
The equals sign (British English, Unicode) or equal sign (American English), also known as the equality sign, is the mathematical symbol , which is used to indicate equality in some well-defined sense. In an equation, it is placed between two ...
s = at the beginning of the lines provide space for line numbers if desired, and a place to enter XEDIT prefix commands that may operate on blocks of lines.
*The line beginning , ...+ is a ruler that e.g. might show tabulator positions.
*The following line marks end-of-file, appearing in XEDIT as if it followed the last actual line of the file.
*The next-to-bottom line showing > is a
command line
A command-line interpreter or command-line processor uses a command-line interface (CLI) to receive commands from a user in the form of lines of text. This provides a means of setting parameters for the environment, invoking executables and pro ...
for entering XEDIT or system (CP/CMS) commands or macros.
*There is no mouse pointer because most IBM 3270 terminals did not have mice.
*Most IBM 3270 terminals had 12 or 24
program function keys (PFKs) (and also two or three program assist keys), to which XEDIT commands or macros could be assigned.
*XEDIT commands can be used to change the screen appearance. Some examples include:
**Moving the position of (or eliminating) the command line
**Moving the position of (or eliminating) the TABS marker line
**Moving the position of (or eliminating) the PREFIX lines
**Changing the prefix line from equal signs (=) to line numbers (nnnnn)
**Defining whether or not TAB characters are to be expanded
**Defining which lines are to be displayed by scope (SELECT)
**Showing the data on a display screen or in typewriter mode
**Specifying text line(s) to be displayed on the screen (RESERVED)
**Eliminating the TOFEOF lines (* * * Top of File * * * --and-- * * * End of File * * *)
**Displaying (or eliminating) SHADOW lines (indications that lines are not being displayed)
**Displaying (or eliminating) the SCALE line (a scale or ruler to assist editing)
**Changing the background and foreground colors used for the different portions of the screen
**Defining what lines are to be displayed (RANGE)
**Defining what columns are to be displayed (and also, if in hexadecimal, text, or both)
**Defining multiple XEDIT screens
izes, location (over/under, side by side, combinations)
Macro language
XEDIT macros (scripts) can be written in
Rexx
Rexx (Restructured Extended Executor) is a programming language that can be interpreted or compiled. It was developed at IBM by Mike Cowlishaw. It is a structured, high-level programming language designed for ease of learning and reading. ...
,
EXEC 2
EXEC 2 is an interpreted, command procedure control, computer scripting language used by the EXEC 2 Processor originally supplied with the CMS component of the IBM Virtual Machine/System Product ( VM/SP) operating system.
Relation to EXEC
EXEC 2 ...
, or
EXEC Exec or EXEC may refer to:
* Executive officer, a person responsible for running an organization
* Executive producer, provides finance and guidance for the making of a commercial entertainment product
* A family of kit helicopters produced by Rot ...
.
XEDIT exposes the majority of its internal state to the macro environment, allowing macros to easily read and set internal variables that control its operation.
KEXX
KEDIT 5 for DOS and OS/2 supports an external Rexx interpreter (native OS/2 Rexx or Quercus Rexx, for DOS only Quercus Rexx replacing the older Mansfield Rexx) and its own rather limited KEXX subset. KEDITW 1.6.1 for Windows supports only its own internal KEXX 5.62 version of the
Rexx
Rexx (Restructured Extended Executor) is a programming language that can be interpreted or compiled. It was developed at IBM by Mike Cowlishaw. It is a structured, high-level programming language designed for ease of learning and reading. ...
language.
Macros can be arranged in the
.kml
file format.
History
XEDIT was written by IBM employee Xavier de Lamberterie and was first released in 1980.
Its predecessor was EDIT SP (SP is an initialism for ''System Product'' used by
IBM). Other key influences were EDIT, the older editor for CMS, and EDGAR, an IBM Program Product editor for CMS. XEDIT supported many of the EDGAR commands, SOS (Screen Output Simulation) being a major one. XEDIT also supported
EXEC 2
EXEC 2 is an interpreted, command procedure control, computer scripting language used by the EXEC 2 Processor originally supplied with the CMS component of the IBM Virtual Machine/System Product ( VM/SP) operating system.
Relation to EXEC
EXEC 2 ...
, the predecessor of Rexx.
PC and Unix adaptations
![KeditW 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/KeditW_1.6.1.png)
When PCs and Unix computers began to supplant IBM 3270 terminals, some users wanted text editors that resembled the XEDIT they were accustomed to. To fill this need, several developers provided similar programs:
KEDIT
KEDIT by Mansfield Software Group, Inc., was the first XEDIT clone. Although originally released in 1983, the first major release was version 3.53 for
DOS
DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems.
DOS may also refer to:
Computing
* Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel
* Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicat ...
, released in 1985.
By 1990, KEDIT 4.0 had a version supporting
OS/2
OS/2 (Operating System/2) is a series of computer operating systems, initially created by Microsoft and IBM under the leadership of IBM software designer Ed Iacobucci. As a result of a feud between the two companies over how to position OS/2 ...
, and included the ALL command.
The last version for DOS and OS/2 was KEDIT 5.0p4. KeditW (for Windows) is at version 1.6.1 dated December 2012.
Some earlier Windows versions were:
* Release being 1.5 service level 3, dated January 1998
* Version 1.6, dated December 2007
KEDIT 1.6 supports
syntax highlighting
Syntax highlighting is a feature of text editors that are used for programming, scripting, or markup languages, such as HTML. The feature displays text, especially source code, in different colours and fonts according to the category of terms ...
for various languages including
C#,
COBOL
COBOL (; an acronym for "common business-oriented language") is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use. It is an imperative, procedural and, since 2002, object-oriented language. COBOL is primarily us ...
,
FORTRAN,
HTML
The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScri ...
,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
,
Pascal
Pascal, Pascal's or PASCAL may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Pascal (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Pascal (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
** Blaise Pascal, Fren ...
, and
xBase
xBase is the generic term for all programming languages that derive from the original dBASE ( Ashton-Tate) programming language and database formats. These are sometimes informally known as dBASE "clones". While there was a non-commercial predec ...
defined in the
.kld
file format.
KEDIT supports a built-in Rexx-subset called
KEXX. Mansfield Software created the first non-IBM implementation of Rexx (''Personal Rexx'') in 1985.
In December 2012 Mansfield Software released 1.6.1 to provide compatibility with Windows 8 and extended support to at least June . These 32bit versions work also in the 64bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista, but do not directly support
Unicode
Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology Technical standard, standard for the consistent character encoding, encoding, representation, and handling of Character (computing), text expre ...
. As of December 2022, Kedit supports Windows 10 and 11 too, and Mansfield promises email support until at least June 2024.
SEDIT
SEDIT (first released in 1989) is another implementation on both Windows and Unix, which supports a variant of Rexx language called S/REXX (announced in 1994).
[ ]
THE (The Hessling Editor)
![The_Hessling_Editor_-_twin_session](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/The_Hessling_Editor_-_twin_session.png)
The Hessling Editor (THE) is an open source
text editor
A text editor is a type of computer program that edits plain text. Such programs are sometimes known as "notepad" software (e.g. Windows Notepad). Text editors are provided with operating systems and software development packages, and can be us ...
first released in ,
released under the
GPL-2.0-or-later license,
and available for many operating systems including
QNX
QNX ( or ) is a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market. QNX was one of the first commercially successful microkernel operating systems.
The product was originally developed in the early ...
,
OS/2
OS/2 (Operating System/2) is a series of computer operating systems, initially created by Microsoft and IBM under the leadership of IBM software designer Ed Iacobucci. As a result of a feud between the two companies over how to position OS/2 ...
,
DOS
DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems.
DOS may also refer to:
Computing
* Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel
* Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicat ...
,
BeOS
BeOS is an operating system for personal computers first developed by Be Inc. in 1990. It was first written to run on BeBox hardware.
BeOS was positioned as a multimedia platform that could be used by a substantial population of desktop users a ...
,
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
,
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP and most or all
POSIX
The Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) is a family of standards specified by the IEEE Computer Society for maintaining compatibility between operating systems. POSIX defines both the system- and user-level application programming interf ...
Unix
Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...
platforms (as a program for text-mode or native
X11
The X Window System (X11, or simply X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays, common on Unix-like operating systems.
X provides the basic framework for a GUI environment: drawing and moving windows on the display device and interacting wi ...
).
THE is a derivation of the IBM Mainframe VM/CMS editor XEDIT that includes support for versions of the REXX scripting language,
and takes some features from
KEDIT
XEDIT is a visual editor for VM (operating system), VM/CMS using block-oriented terminal, block mode IBM 3270 Computer terminal, terminals. (Line-mode terminals are also supported.)
XEDIT is much more line-oriented than modern Personal compute ...
.
THE was written in
C with
PDCurses
PDCurses is a public domain software programming library for DOS, OS/2, Windows, X11 and SDL2. It is a continuation of the original curses system - while development of curses ended in the mid-1990s, work on ncurses and PDCurses continued. PDCurs ...
also required for some platforms.
A
REXX
Rexx (Restructured Extended Executor) is a programming language that can be interpreted or compiled. It was developed at IBM by Mike Cowlishaw. It is a structured, high-level programming language designed for ease of learning and reading. ...
interpreter such as Regina is also required for THE's REXX macro capability.
THE's author, Mark Hessling, discussed at the 1993 REXX conference in
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
, California why he created a new multi-platform text editor.
References
External links
KEDIT a Mansfield Software Group product, for DOS, OS/2, and Windows.
by Rex Swain
*{{webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522122634/http://omniplex.om.funpic.de/xedit.htm , date=May 22, 2013 , title=KEXX Macros macro collection
a
freeware
Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the f ...
program for Windows.
SEDIT and S/REXXfor Unix and Windows product description
THE The Hessling Editor
XEDIT is a visual editor for VM/CMS using block mode IBM 3270 terminals. (Line-mode terminals are also supported.)
XEDIT is much more line-oriented than modern PC and Unix editors. For example, XEDIT supports automatic line numbers, and ma ...
, open source using
Regina as its macro language
uni-XEDITfor Unix product description (2003)
XEDIT
XEDIT is a visual editor for VM/CMS using block mode IBM 3270 terminals. (Line-mode terminals are also supported.)
XEDIT is much more line-oriented than modern PC and Unix editors. For example, XEDIT supports automatic line numbers, and ma ...
THE
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
IBM mainframe software
Command shells
IBM software
Rexx
VM (operating system)