TECO Pocket Guide

This document is a "pocket guide" for TECO (Text Editor and Corrector), a powerful and complex text editor. It serves as a comprehensive reference for users across various DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) operating systems and TECO versions (TECO-8, TECO-10, TECO-11).

Key aspects of the document include:

1. Scope and Versions: It details commands common to all TECO versions, as well as features specific to TECO-10 (red text) and TECO-11 (blue text). It covers invocation methods for TECO on OS/8, RT-11, RSTS/E, RSX-11, and TOPS-10.
2. Novice Subset: A dedicated section introduces essential commands for common editing tasks, making it accessible for new users.
3. Command Categories: The guide systematically lists commands by function, including:
   • File Management: Creating, editing, opening, saving, and exiting files (e.g., MAKE, TECO, EX, EF, ERfilespec$).
   • Buffer Navigation: Moving the text pointer within the buffer (e.g., J for beginning, nL for n lines, nC for n characters).
   • Text Manipulation: Inserting (Itext$), deleting (D, K), typing/displaying (T, HT, OTT).
   • Search and Replace: Commands for finding (Stext$, Ntext$) and replacing (FStext1$text2$) text, including bounded and modified searches.
   • Program Control: Commands for iteration, flow control, and conditional execution (n"commands', !tag!, Otag$).
   • Q-Registers: Features for storing and retrieving text or numeric values (nUq, nXq, Qq, Gq, Mq).
   • Immediate Mode/Aids: Quick commands for interactive editing and debugging ($$, ?, /).
4. Advanced Features: It delves into arithmetic operations, radix control, mode control flags, and specific characters used for building search and insert strings (e.g., match control constructs).
5. Reference Data: Includes a table of Octal and Decimal ASCII codes, a list of common error messages, and detailed notes explaining nuances and version-specific behaviors of various commands.
6. Notation & Color Coding: Explains the symbols used (e.g., $ for ESCAPE, ^x for control characters) and the color-coding system that differentiates universal commands from those specific to TECO-10 or TECO-11.

In essence, the "TECO pocket guide" is a concise yet comprehensive manual for proficiently using the TECO text editor across its different versions and operating environments, designed for quick command lookup and understanding.