museoa/e3editor: Tiny text editor written in assembly. Retrieved from Web Archive backups of http://sites.google.com/site/e3editor/ - Codeberg.org

1. OVERVIEW
===========
e3 is a micro text editor with an executable code size between 
3800 and 35000 bytes, depending on used assembler options,
platform and self compressor.
Except for 'syntax highlighting', the e3 binary supports all of the basic
functions one expects plus built in arithmetic calculations. If you have 
installed the stream editor 'sed' you can use these tools as sub-processes,
getting the full power of regular expressions.
e3 can use Wordstar-, EMACS-, Pico, Nedit or vi-like key bindings,
whichever the user chooses.
Also the user can calculate arithmetics inside the text.
e3's assembler version is available on 9 important OS,
using 16/32/64 bit CPUs.
Beginning in version 2.6.0 e3 does support UTF-8 coding of unicode
characters like this: α ( <---should be a greek alpha )
2. BUILD on Linux, *BSD
================================================
Also the Makefile destinations are reduced to:
	make		# same as make 32 (needs NASM)
	make 32		# e3 of 32 bit
	make 64		# e3 of 64 bit
	make install
	make clean
Some other options exist by editing the Makefile:
DEBUG=false 		# or true
NASM_OR_YASM=nasm	# or yasm
Editing e3.h opens some other choices, most important
the choice between default UTF-8 and 7bit-only support.
About more changes, see top of ChangeLog file.
3. BUILD on Win/DOS
===================
A. For assembling of e3 you need NASM assembler nasm-0.99.05 
 and ALINK (Anthony's Linker) and Win32 Import Library (win32.lib)
 Both are available for free on the net.
B. Type 'make' , i.e. run make.bat, and move e3.exe, e3-16.com 
 and e3*.bat wherever you want.
C. Optional: some more editable options are on top of e3.h: 
 for example, if you don't like WS mode, choice an other default mode 
 by setting DEFAULT_MODE to one of EM, NE, PI or VI . In this
 case you would not need to call one of the batches to run
 your favourite mode.
4. BASIC USAGE
==============
* All versions of e3 accept a filename as argument; see the man page.
* There is a status and input line, where you can enter filenames, 
 find-texts, line numbers etc. In the lower right corner you will find
 a code like "WS" showing the selected editor mode and a help
 pointer (EXCEPT vi).
* e3 changes the appearance of the cursor (to reverse) depending on 
 insert/overwrite mode (on Linux text console only). 
* For details on key bindings read each e3xx's initial page or 
 type Alt-H during edit (for vi use ESC:h). 
 
* On some computers (BeOS, QNX etc.) Alt-key combinations won't work: 
 press <ESC> followed by the key, e.g. press ESC and H instead of Alt-H.
* e3 shows a dot for characters below ASCII 20h and greater 7Fh
 (except on win9x and except on UTF-8 version).
* At the end of an edit cycle, e3 asks you something like "SAVE? Ynl". Press
 "n" to NOT save, "l" for SAVE and LOAD new, any other for SAVE and EXIT.
5. ARITHMETICS
==============
You can do some simple arithmetic calculations inside your text. 
For example:
 1234+56*78=
place cursor here^ and press one of:
 ^KN for WSTAR mode
 ^QC for PICO mode
 ^X^N for EMACS mode
 # for VI command mode
 ^K for NEDIT mode
This should insert the result of 5602 into text.
Use values -999999999999.999999 ... -0.000001, 0, 0.000001 up to
999999999999.999999 and operators +-*/ and ( ) .
Some more examples:
 2+4*8=34
 2/3*3=2
 -4*-3--5*-4=わ-ひく8
 4-ひく3-ひく-ひく4-ひく3=わ2
 -ひく5*-(13+-2*(3+4))+2=-3
 (7*(((((6+2+(((((1)))))))))))=63
 (13120-9972)/9972=0.315684
 100000000+0.000001=100000000.000001
 10000000000+たす1=わ10000000001
 1+たす1*2*3*4*5*6*7*8*9*10=3628801
 7.627891*2.643189=20.161958
 10000000000/8=1250000000
Some problems:
 100000000000+1.00001=99999997953.00001	<--loss of precision!
 8/0=					<--not possible. You know.
 					 (e3 says "beep")
 100000000*100000000=			<--overflow 
Two specials: 
 12*p=37.699112				<--p is PI 3.14.....
 r+20=57.699112				<--r is result of last calculation
 
This arithmetic calculator is the smallest and simplest I could write.
It takes only some hundred byte in the executable because it does NOT use 
precise BCD arithmetics, but built in x87-coprocessor features. So please 
do NOT expect very high precision. 
6. MIXED HINTS
==============
* The emacs-mode version has currently a kill buffer but no kill ring,
 so be careful about that. I'm sure, inside some 1000 byte you won't 
 expect a complete Emacs key set, but IMHO you get the most important part.
* The Pico mode is both: extended and incomplete compared to some Pico options,
 new are some ^J (delete) and ^Q (quick_move) keys.
* The win9x version does no accept any filename on the command line if this 
 filename contains blank spaces.
* You can choose inside the edit session (w/o leaving e3) between the 
 different edit modes, for example:
	-start e3em <filename>
		---> now using Emacs style keys.
	-type altX
	-type	e3vi
		---> welcome in the land of vi!
	-type <ESC>;
	-type e3ws
		---> you are entering Wordstar emulation sector!
	....etc....
 This VERY hot keys are ^KM (for WS), ^QM (for Pico), altX (for Emacs),
 ^E (for Nedit) and <ESC>; (for vi-mode).
 
 Note: on some computers press ESC X instead of altX.
* Everytime if e3vi does not recognize a vi-mode ex command, e3vi will pipe
 the whole editor text buffer through /bin/sed or /bin/ex. I.e. you can use 
 pure sed or ex commands like:
	1,6 s/foo/bar/
	2,$ d
	8,$ w filecopy
	/remove_me/d
 ***TAKE CARE***: "sed" or "ex" won't know your current cursor position in e3!
 What call to subprogram (either ex or sed) is compiled in
 you can find in helptext:
	"pipe buffer through /bin/sed" 
	vs. 
	"pipe buffer through /bin/ex"
 You should know this because the syntax is not equal:
	s/./\./		<--sed syntax
	1,$ s/./\./g	<-- ex syntax
 Also you should know what "sed" version you have installed,
 because sed 2.x and sed 3.x are quite different.
 You can use this new buffer pipe features also from WS-, Pico- and Emacs modes
 by pressing ^KP (Wordstar), or ^JP (Pico), or ^X^P (Emacs).
* There is no predefined UNDO level count. You can expect to UNDO at least
 one last insert-, delete-, overwrite- or sed_pipe-operation, but in most 
 cases there are lots of UNDO stages available. e3 has a fixed size undo buffer
 and will use an external helper file if some deleted data is bigger sized 
 than the undo buffer. This buffer is organized as a ring, overwriting 
 older UNDO information if neccessary. So one never can say exactly 
 how many UNDO operations are possible. 
 For using the UNDO press one of:
 ^U for WSTAR mode
 ^QU for PICO mode
 ^_ for EMACS mode
 u for VI command mode
 ^U for NEDIT mode