Z Quickref

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Getting Started with the Z Editor

Tulane Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

The Z editor is available on the UNIX computer systems in the department and at TCS. It originated at Yale, but the current version was redesigned and implemented by Tulane computer science students.

Introduction to Z

To run a tutorial that will introduce you to the basic commands of Z, use the following command.

	    z  /usr/local/doc/z/zintro

How to use Z

To use Z on a file, just type z followed by the file name. For example, to edit the file named myfile, use the following command.

	    z  myfile

If you wish to resume editing the last file you were working on, just type z. It will then reenter that file at the place you left off. (Z uses a file .ztmp to keep track of this, so do not delete .ztmp.)

Control keys and other special keys

Commands in Z are given by using a combination of keys, usually called control keys. In documentation, a control key is denoted in the form ^C or CTRL/C. And, for example, the key ^C is called CONTROL-C or control C. There are 32 control keys, one for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet plus 6 others.

To enter a control key, you must hold down the key labeled CONTROL or CTRL and type another key. For example, to enter ^A, hold down the CONTROL key and type the A key.

There is a special key labeled ESC or ESCAPE. The ESCAPE key will usually be referred to as <ESC> in documentation.

Another special key that is used in Z is PF1, the upper left function key on the keypad of the VT100 terminal. It is used to provide arguments to Z. If you are using a terminal or PC without a PF1 key, you can use <ESC><ESC> in its place; i.e., strike the ESCAPE key twice. In the Z documentation, this particular special key is referred to as <ARG> because it is used to precede arguments to Z commands. (Note that when you type PF1 or <ESC><ESC> in Z, a $ will appear on your screen marking the spot where your cursor is. That $ has not been inserted into your text; it will vanish when the command is executed.)

Z COMMANDS

The commands marked with * are basic and beginning users need only learn to use these.

	    Common name             formal name         key strokes
	    ___________             ___________         ___________

    *       advance                 plines                  ^A
    *       backup                  mlines                  ^B
	    balance                 balance                 ^]
    *       cancel                  cancel                  ^C
	    carriagereturn          softcr                  ^M or ^J
	    center                  center                  <ESC>c
	    setswitch               setswitch               ^^
    *       delete  (backspace)     bdelete                 ^H or DEL
    *       deletechar              sdelete                 ^D
    *       deleteline              ldelete                 ^U
    *       exit                    exit                    ^Z
	    filechange              chgbuf                  ^F
	    fill                    fill                    <ESC>f
	    flushleft               flushl                  <ESC>L
	    flushright              flusher                 <ESC>R
    *       get                     put                     ^G
	    home                    home                    ^Y
	    justify                 justify                 <ESC>j
    *       insertspace             sinsert                 ^V
    *       lineinsert              linsert                 ^L
	    lowercase               lower                   <ESC>1
    *       newpage                 ppaes                   ^N
    *       oldpage                 mpages                  ^O
    *       put                     pick                    ^P
	    position                position                ^K
	    queryreplace            qreplace                <ESC>^R
	    quotechar               quotechar               ^\
    *       readarg                 readarg                 <ESC><ESC> or PF1
	    replace                 replace                 ^R
	    resetkeys               resetkeys               <ESC>s
	    rotatepickbuffers       rotate                  <ESC>r
    *       search                  psearch                 ^X
	    setline                 setline                 <ESC>S
	    showmap                 showmap                 <ESC>~
	    splitscreen             split                   <ESC>a
	    tab                     softtab                 ^I
	    toggle                  toggle                  ^T
	    uppercase               upper                   <ESC>u
    *       upsearch                msearch                 ^E
	    window                  setwind                 ^W

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