_H_o_w_ _t_o_ _c_h_a_n_g_e_ _t_h_e_ _d_e_f_a_u_l_t_ _e_d_i_t_o_r The Miranda /edit or /e command (see manual page on Miranda command interpreter) invokes an editor. By default this is the screen editor "vi", but if you wish to use another editor, this is easily changed. The Miranda command /editor reports the editor currently in use by the Miranda system. To change it to (for example) pico, say /editor pico Alternatively, when next invoking the miranda system from UNIX you can supply it with a flag requesting a specific editor by name, as follows: mira -editor pico In either case it is only necessary to do this once since the Miranda system stores this and other information in a file called ".mirarc" in your home directory - you should not remove or try to edit this file. You can select any editor that is installed on your system. If you are unfamiliar with vi and haven't an editor in mind, the editor pico (if installed) is particularly easy to use - it has instructions on screen. Similar are nano (an open source clone of pico) and joe. Other editors include emacs and gvim - these both open a separate editor window. The editor you select will be used by both the /e command and by ??identifier which opens the relevant source file at the definition of identifier. _M_o_r_e_ _a_d_v_a_n_c_e_d_ _i_n_f_o_r_m_a_t_i_o_n The Miranda system is designed to work with an editor which can open a file at a specified line number. For example to make the editor `vi' open `file' at line 13, the UNIX command is vi +13 file the Miranda system has built in knowledge of this, so if the installed editor is `vi' and the compiler has found a syntax error in the script, the `/e' command will open the script at the line containing the error. To retain this ability when substituting another editor, the `/editor' command requires a template for invoking the chosen editor at a given line number. In this template the line number is represented by the character `!' and the filename by `%'. For example the full template for `vi' would be supplied as follows /editor vi +! % If the `%' character does not occur in the template, Miranda will add the name of the file at the end of the command. So the template for `vi' could equally well be given as /editor vi +! The same formula works for pico, nano, joe. If the editor is one that starts up its own window, separate from the Miranda session window (gvim and emacs do this), you will want to make the editor run as a concurrent process by putting "&" at the end of the command, thus /editor emacs +! % & Note that in this case you must include % where the filename goes, because adding it after the "&" would not make sense. In fact Miranda has built in knowledge of vi, pico, nano, joe, emacs and gvim, so just giving the name of the editor will generate the correct template in these cases. If you install an editor without the capability to be opened at a specified line number (i.e. you cannot give a template for it containing the `!' character), the /e command loses its ability to go to the right place after an error, and the `??' command will be disabled. The Miranda system will work without either of these features, but there is a significant loss of power in the user interface. If the installed editor lacks the `open at line number' feature, you may find it convenient to have the script listed to the screen during compilation (this feature of the compiler can be switched on and off by the commands `/list', `/nolist'). As an assistance to naive users, the Miranda system turns on `/list' for you if the `/editor' command is used to install an editor without the `open at line number' feature. [Pathological case: if the editor command you wish to install contains a literal `!' or `%' that you don't want replaced, place a backslash before the relevant ! or %. This protects it from being expanded.] _C_h_e_c_k_i_n_g_ _f_o_r_ _s_o_u_r_c_e_ _u_p_d_a_t_e_s If during a session changes have been made to any relevant source file, the Miranda system automatically recompiles the current script and any other scripts which it directly or indirectly `%includes' and which have been changed. At a minimum this check is performed after each /edit command and after each shell escape. A mode of operation possible on a windowing system is to keep an editor window and Miranda session window both open. In this case more frequent checking is appropriate and you should say /recheck (see 6 "Summary of remaining commands"). This sets a flag which tells the Miranda interpreter to check for source file updates before each evaluation, instead of only after /e and ! commands. But remember that you will need to save any edits to file before the `mira' session can see them. As an assistance to naive users /recheck is automatically turned on if /editor is used to install an editor template which includes "&", the symbol used in UNIX shell commands to start a concurrent process. Say /norecheck to revert to the default behaviour.