Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!munnari.oz.au!bruce!monu1!monu6!edp367s
From: edp367s@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au (Rik Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: vi question
Message-ID: <1990Oct1.013643.21202@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au>
Date: 1 Oct 90 01:36:43 GMT
References: <9009271633.AA05170@lilac.berkeley.edu>
Organization: Monash University, Caulfield Campus
Lines: 42

lwv27@CAS.BITNET writes:

>I am using the showmode option on my vi (from SunOS 4.1).  I have found
>a pecularity that I wondered if was typical.  If I am in command mode and
>type an i, I get a 'mode line' msg that I am in insert mode.  BUT, if I
>have a map which puts me into insert mode, I do NOT get the mode line msg.
>That seems to me to defeat the purpose of showmode - sometimes I end up in
>insert mode and vi doesn't tell me.

You probably won't like this, but my suggestion is to use 'vi' enough so
that you don't need showmode.  There are very few people I know, who are
'vi regulars/experts', still use showmode...it slows down screen updates :-)

Once you've used vi enough, most of the time you are typing ahead of the
screen anyway :-)

>Also, I know that some of you folks out there are so talented that you
>write things like turning machines in vi macros :-), so I am wondering
>if anyone has written a utility which could read a .exrc type file and
>describe, in english, what vi actions the maps translate into?

I suppose so, but I don't think anyone would bother.

>Seems like it should not be TOO hard, and would make trying to remember
>        rather cryptic mappings like:

>map ^[[225z 0mzi-^[}:'z,.s/-/^B/g^M`zxO.pl 1^M.ll 6i^M.na^M.nh^M.tr ^B^M.eo^M.c2

>        a little easier to figure out later...
ever heard of comments.  The version I have accepts " (double quotes) as a
begin comment, and everything else on the line is ignored.

rik.

ps.   to reddy@lion.austin.ibm.com...
I can't seem to send mail to you...just wanted to say thanks for the fix
for "no tail recursion" it works fine!
-- 
Rik Harris - edp367s@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au           | Build a system that
Faculty of Computing and Information Technology,      | even a fool can use,
Monash University, Caulfield Campus, Australia        | and only a fool will 
    (say that with your mouth full!)                  | want to use it.