diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'miralib/manual/4')
| -rw-r--r-- | miralib/manual/4 | 147 |
1 files changed, 147 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/miralib/manual/4 b/miralib/manual/4 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8fa4c83 --- /dev/null +++ b/miralib/manual/4 @@ -0,0 +1,147 @@ +_T_h_e_ _M_i_r_a_n_d_a_ _c_o_m_m_a_n_d_ _i_n_t_e_r_p_r_e_t_e_r + +The Miranda system is invoked from unix by the command + mira [script] +where `script' (optional parameter) is the pathname of a file containing +a set of Miranda definitions. If no script is specified a default name +`script.m' is assumed. The named script (script.m by default) becomes +your _c_u_r_r_e_n_t _s_c_r_i_p_t, during the ensuing Miranda session. You can change +your "current script" during a session, but at any time there is a +unique filename which is current. + +Note that a file containing a Miranda script is expected to have a name +ending in `.m' and the `mira' command will add this extension if +missing. So `mira stuff' will be interpreted as `mira stuff.m'. It is +a convenient and widely used convention that files containing program +sources should have names indicating which language they are written in. + +The set of names in scope at any time are those of the current script, +together with the names of any scripts which it `includes' (see library +directives) plus the names of the _s_t_a_n_d_a_r_d _e_n_v_i_r_o_n_m_e_n_t, which is always +in scope. The current script may be an empty or non-existent file if +you have not yet put any definitions in it. In this case just the names +of the standard environment will be in scope. + +The prompt `Miranda' indicates that you are talking to the Miranda +interpreter. This activity is called a Miranda ``session''. Each +command should be typed on a single line, following the prompt, and is +entered by hitting return. Any command not beginning with one of the +special characters `/', `?', or `!' is assumed to be an expression to be +evaluated. The following commands are available during a session. + +exp + Any Miranda expression typed on a line by itself is evaluated, and the +value is printed on the screen. If the value is of type [char] it is +printed literally, otherwise the special function `_s_h_o_w' is applied to +it to convert it to printable form. Example + Miranda sum[1..100] + 5050 (response) + +There is a special symbol $$ which is always set to the last expression +evaluated. So after the above command $$ will have the value 5050, and +this can be used in the next expression - e.g. `$$/2' will produce the +response 2525 (and the value of `$$' is now 2525). + +exp &> pathname + A background process is set up to evaluate exp, and the resulting +output (including error messages, if any) sent to the designated file. + +exp &>> pathname + As above, except that the output is appended to the designated file, +instead of replacing its previous contents. + +exp :: + Print the type of the expression (instead of the value). Useful for +investigating the type structure of a script. + +? + Lists all identifiers currently in scope, grouped by file of origin, +starting with the standard environment. + +?identifier(s) + Gives more information about any identifier defined in the current +environment (namely its type and the name of the file in which it is +defined). This command will also accept a list of identifiers, +separated by spaces. + +??identifier + Opens the relevant source file at the definition of identifier, which +may be any currently in scope. Try for example ??map + For this and several other features to work Miranda must be configured +to use an appropriate editor - the default is vi, but you can change +this. See section 31 subheading 5 of this manual ("How to change the +default editor"). + +!command + Execute any UNIX shell command. + +!! + Repeat last shell command. + +Note that the character `%' can be used in any Miranda session command, +including a `!' command, as an abbreviation for the pathname of the +current script. So for example + !wc % +does a word count on the current script. (If for some reason you need +to include a literal % character in a command, you can escape it with a +preceding backslash.) + +All the remaining commands begin with `/'. Each of the following +commands can be abbreviated to its first letter. + +/edit (also /e) + Edit the current script. Calls up the currently installed editor +(default _v_i, to change this see remark under ?? above). On quitting the +editor, if changes have been made to any relevant source file, the +Miranda system automatically recompiles the current script and any other +scripts on which it depends and which have been updated. + +/edit pathname (also /e pathname) + Edit arbitrary script. Note that the pathname should end in `.m' and +that this will be added if missing. + +Note by the way that (on most UNIX-like systems) Miranda understands the +commonly used `~' convention in pathnames. That is ~/file means file in +your home directory, and ~jack/file means file in jack's home directory. + +/file (also /f) + Print the name of file containing the current script. + +/file pathname (also /f pathname) + Change to new current script. Equivalent to quitting the Miranda +system and reinvoking it with a new sourcefile. Like /e, /f adds ".m" +to the end of the filename if missing. + +Important special case - reselecting the current script, eg by saying + /f % +forces the current script to be RECOMPILED - this is useful if script +has errors and you wish to see the error messages again. + +/help (also /h) + Display summary of main available commands. There are a few less used +auxiliary commands, not covered here /aux (or /a) will summarise these. + +/man (also /m) + Enter online manual system. + +/quit (also /q) + Quit the Miranda system. Typing the end of file character (control-D) +also has this effect. + +Finally note that $- and $+ are allowed as notations for the standard +input in Miranda expressions. The standard input as a list of +characters is denoted by `$-'. As a simple example, evaluating the +expression + reverse $- +causes everything typed at the keyboard upto the next control-D to be +echoed backwards. + +The notation `$+' also denotes the standard input, but as a sequence of +Miranda expressions (one per line), and returns their values as a list. +For example + sum $+ +reads a sequence of numeric expressions from the standard input, and +returns the sum of their values. See the manual section on reading with +interpretation (under UNIX/Miranda system interface) for further +information. + |