Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!apple!oliveb!amdahl!pacbell!pbhyf!rob From: rob@PacBell.COM (Rob Bernardo) Newsgroups: comp.mail.elm Subject: Re: Strangeness in builtin mail editor Message-ID: <6201@pbhyf.PacBell.COM> Date: 7 Oct 89 21:28:24 GMT References: Reply-To: rob@PacBell.COM (Rob Bernardo) Distribution: na Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA Lines: 34 In article abair@turbinia.oakhill.uucp (Alan Bair) writes: +At this point I am using the builtin [editor] that behaves like +the Berkley mail command. I have tried using the 'TAB' to +format various lists, but it just beeps and does nothing. +I have used 'TAB' in the regular mail command without +problems, I just checked :). Is there a problem with Elm +or am I doing soemthing wrong? Explanation: This is a consequence of a simplicity in elm. Elm uses the same function for obtaining string input from the user in response to a prompt as for line input in the builtin editor. When soliciting string input after a prompt, tab characters (and other non-printing characters) should not be permitted, and that's why the function behaves the way it does, beeping when the user inputs an inadmissible character. Information to elm developers: Perhaps the function ought to be made a bit more complex, by adding a flag argument, so that when the function is used to accept input lines for the builtin editor, it will accept tab (and perhaps someother control characters) that it shouldn't accept in other cases. I forget the details of this function (I once worked on it), but this change might be more complex than it seems, e.g. erasing the previous character from the screen when it's a tab is different from erasing a "normal" character (upon input of the erase character). -- Rob Bernardo ...![backbone]!pacbell!pbhyf!rob -or- rob@pbhyf.PacBell.COM Product engineer, UNIX/C Reusable Code Library Editor, "Go `C' UNIX" Office: (415) 823-2417 Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, California Residence: (415) 827-4301 R BAR JB, Concord, California