VAXLISP/VMS Editor Programming Guide

This document, the VAX LISP/VMS Editor Programming Guide (May 1986), is intended for LISP language programmers who wish to extend and customize the VAX LISP Editor's capabilities on VAX/VMS Version 4.2 and VAX LISP/VMS Version 2.0. Readers are expected to have a working knowledge of LISP programming and familiarity with the VAX LISP Editor as provided.

Key updates and features introduced in this Version 2.0 documentation include:

• Improved editor operation speed.
• Support for pointing devices on AI VAXstations.
• Revised display architecture to support VAXstation windowing.
• Recursive use of the ED function.
• A permanently displayed window for all editor prompting.
• New features like right-margin text wrapping, text overstrike mode, and the ability to specify anchored windows and default buffers.

The manual is organized into three main parts and several appendices:

1. Part I: Guide to Editor Programming introduces the techniques for extending the editor in a task-oriented fashion. It covers common editor extensions (e.g., changing checkpoint frequency, display windows, default styles, key bindings), the editor's core components and data types, methods for referencing editor objects, creating new editor commands, binding commands to keys and pointer actions, text operations, window and display operations, and operations on styles.
2. Part II: Concepts in Editor Programming serves as an "encyclopedia" for quick reference, providing alphabetically arranged articles on major concepts and data types used in editor programming (e.g., Attributes, Buffers, Commands, Context, Errors, Hooks, Windows).
3. Part III: Editor Object Descriptions details individual functions, variables, and other objects provided with the Editor, arranged alphabetically by object name.
4. Appendices provide reference lists, including editor objects by category, editor commands and their default key/pointer bindings, and character sequences generated by function and keypad keys.