Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sdcsvax!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!pixar!unicom!daniel
From: daniel@unicom.UUCP (Dan "I want to Ski Tam!" Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: VI Interactive Help
Summary: macros can be used for this
Message-ID: <237@unicom.UUCP>
Date: 15 Jan 88 19:04:55 GMT
References: <2956@zeus.TEK.COM> <189100003@uiucdcsb>
Reply-To: daniel@unicom.UUCP (Dan "I want to Ski Tam!" Smith)
Organization: Science Computer Center, MCC, Kentfield, CA
Lines: 45

In article <189100003@uiucdcsb> wsmith@uiucdcsb.cs.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>I've never seen a decent help card for Vi.  There are lots of things
>that won't fit in a small piece of documentation like a couple of sheets
>of paper.
>
>Plus they usually don't explain :map, :%! and other powerful and 
>infrequently used commands or how entirely orthogonal the commands and 
>addressing modes are.
>
>Bill Smith
>pur-ee!uiucdcs!wsmith
>wsmith@a.cs.uiuc.edu



	Hmm... quick answer. In your .exrc (you can have completely
different .exrc's in every directory, to suit the needs of programming
vs. text, etc.), put a few lines like:

"
"	help key macro
map ]h :!more .vi_help^M

	The " is a comment character in your .exrc, which is helpful
for documenting complicated macros. The ^M should be typed as a control
M. Now, make a help file of whatever length you want, and call it
something like .vi_help. It should "more .vi_help" whenever you press
 ']' and then 'h' (I like to use ]x sequences, because it is handy for
setting up macros on a wyse 50). A vi summary has been posted recently,
if you need one, mail me a request. I have a vi summary, and an
article/tutorial on writing macros. If there sufficient interest I will
post to the net, etc...

		hope this helps,

			dan

p.s. This was originally posted to comp.editors, which we don't have at our
site (!?), I saw it in junk, and feel comp.unix.questions is a good place
for a followup.

dan smith, island graphics, marin co., ca  | "My opinions: you can borrow them,
uucp: ..!ucbvax!ucbcad!island!daniel       |  but don't take them out bowling"
uucp: ..!ptsfa!unicom!daniel !well!daniels |  (415) 332 FAST (h) 491 1000 (w)