---------------------------------------------------
*** Welcome to The Aurora Editor version 3.0! ***
(C) Copyright 1993-1996 nuText Systems
All rights reserved worldwide.
---------------------------------------------------
This file highlights the New Features available in Aurora version 3.0.
There's something new for everyone in version 3! For more information,
see the User's Guide, Language Reference, and Function Reference.
New Features in Aurora version 3.0 include:
-------------------------------------------
* Directory Tree:
A new interactive Directory Tree lets you visually explore your
computer. Just select 'Tree' from the File menu.
* Hex View/Edit Mode:
Edit windows can now be displayed and edited in Hex mode. You can turn
on the Hex View setting on the Set menu to split the window into
normal text and the Hex View. Use the <tab> and <shift tab> keys to
switch the editing focus between normal text and the Hex View.
The Hex View will be Syntax Highlighted and marked just like your
normal text!
* Windows/95 long file names are now supported throughout the editor!
* Tired of Uppercase filenames? Filenames throughout the editor can now
be displayed Capitalized, in Lowercase, in Uppercase, or As-is. This
new option can be set from Miscellaneous Options dialog box.
* Color Syntax Highlighting for over 20 new languages is now provided,
including Syntax Highlighting for HTML Web pages and Java!
Syntax Highlighting is now automatic. No need to configure Syntax.aml
for these languages - just open the file.
* Real Tab Support
Aurora now provides support for automatically displaying real tabs
(Ascii 9) as spaces. The Margins and Tabs configuration dialog box
contains new options which allow tab characters to be displayed as-is,
displayed as spaces, or displayed as spaces only if found in a quick
search when the file is opened (the new default).
The Margins and Tabs dialog box also contains a new option 'Use Real
Tabs' which configures the tabright command to enter real tabs into
your text (when tabs are displayed as spaces).
* Global Multi-file Search and Replace
A sophisticated new global search/replace macro allows you to search
for and replace strings in multiple files on disk, with optional
verification. It can be started from the Macro List on the Set menu.
* International Configuration
A new International Options dialog box can now be displayed from the
main Configuration box, allowing International settings throughout the
editor to be easily configured. Pre-defined date/time formats and
day/month names for 11 languages are included.
* Numerous File Manager enhancements:
ù Directories can now be displayed in a new 'Variable' format as well
as the old 'Fixed' format. You can turn variable format On or Off
from the file manager configuration dialog box.
In Variable format, file names are displayed on the right side of
the listing, allowing long or fully qualified names to be displayed.
Under Windows/95, long file names will now be displayed!
ù File Lists can now be displayed in the file manager. A File List is
simply a file containing a list of filenames or filespecs which may
be located in various drives and directories on your computer. File
lists are always displayed in Variable format, with each filename or
directory fully-qualified.
You can open, save, and edit file lists with new commands on the
File and Command menus.
ù New commands were added to the Command menu:
Open File List - open a file list
Remove Line - remove lines without deleting files/directories
Statistics - show statistics for a file or directory
ù Entire Directories and Subdirectories can now be copied, moved, and
deleted.
ù The file manager Run command will now also run macro language
executable (.X) files.
ù The Attributes command now displays a dialog box if prompts are
configured as dialog boxes
ù Dashes are now displayed for file attributes which are turned off.
ù The file manager Scan Files command menu now only scans files listed
in the file manager. This is handy when used with File Lists, the
Remove Line command, or file manager listings generated from macros
such as Where. The <shift i> key has now been assigned to Scan
Files.
ù The entire file manager is no longer refreshed after executing a
file manager command - only the affected files are updated.
ù The Free Space is now displayed in megabytes (MB) when greater than
10MB.
* Powerful New Macros:
ù Alarm - Set up to four alarms to execute commands
ù Bookauto - Save and restores bookmarks automatically
ù Capital - Capitalize words
ù Clipview - View clipboard contents
ù Clock - Display a clock with large digits and long format date
ù Fattr - Change file attributes
ù Fcopy - Copy or move files
ù Filestat - Display file or directory statistics
ù Fillnum - Fill a block with a numeric sequence
ù Findo - Find occurrences (previously in Ext.aml)
ù Globrepl - Global multi-file search and replace
ù Hilitewd - Highlight a word (previously in Ext.aml)
ù Installs - Lite installation to a floppy drive
ù Logevent - Log editor events
ù Machine - Examples for calling 80x86 machine code
ù Paragprh - Find next/prev paragraph
ù Projopen - Open a project
ù Projsave - Save a project
ù Ruler - Insert a ruler line above the current line
ù Saveall - Save all open files
ù Scan - Scan files for a string (previously in Ext.aml)
ù Sieve - Sieve of Eratosthenes Demo
ù Sortstr - Sort a string
ù Status - Custom status line example
ù Stopwtch - Stopwatch and command timer
ù Synch - Synchronized scrolling
ù Tabauto - Expand tabs automatically when opening files
ù Tree - Directory tree
ù Trimline - Trim trailing blanks and tabs
ù Vcursor - Vertical cursor line
ù Winclock - Window border clock install/remove
ù Zapem - Shoot'em-up game
Other Enhancements include:
---------------------------
* The Scan Files command and the Scan2 macro will now search
subdirectories when the new option 'u' is specified. Subdirectories
will not be searched if these commands are invoked from the file
manager.
* The Find Occurrences command and the Scan2 macro now both display
found occurrences in a persistent window, allowing you to goto an
occurrence and then return back to the occurrences window.
A new menu is also displayed, allowing you to:
ù Goto an occurrence and exit
ù Goto an occurrence
ù Edit all occurrences
ù Print all occurrences
If prompts are displayed as dialog boxes, both the Find Occurrences
command and the Scan2 macro will now display a dialog box prompt.
* Macro Help can now be displayed for each Macro by pressing <f1> from
the Macro List, and can also be displayed from within most macros by
pressing <f1>.
* Pasting text from Windows now assumes that the text was marked as a
'stream' mark. Both stream and character marks are now copied
correctly to the Windows clipboard.
* The new ClipLine setting on the Edit Options 2 dialog box specifies
whether or not the clipboard cut and copy commands should use the
current line when no marked block exists.
* Sorting is nearly twice as fast as in v2.x.
* Popup windows are now resizable.
* The cursor position is now highlighted before displaying a prompt.
* The new Command Line Option -d forces the editor to use short file
names under Windows/95.
* The new Command Line Option -r runs external macros from the command
line after A.x is loaded and all files are opened.
Enhancements to Previous Macros include:
----------------------------------------
* Changes to Maclist (the Macro List):
- a menu is now displayed, allowing you to:
ù Run a macro
ù Display macro help
ù Add a new macro to the list
ù Remove a macro from the list
ù Change the description for a macro
- Deskopen and Desksave were moved from the Macro List to separate
macro files.
- The actual macro list data was moved from Maclist.aml to
Maclist.dat.
- The Macro List was updated to show new macros in this version.
* The Install macro now uses files and directories listed in one of the
following file list files in the main Aurora directory:
Install.dat - full installation
Installs.dat - lite installation
A Lite Installation can be performed by running the Installs macro
from the Macro List. Lite installation allows you to install Aurora on
a 1.4MB floppy disk, since the total size of all files will be less
than 1.4MB. Nearly all editor features will be retained in a Lite
Installation. However, macro language documentation and most external
macro source files will not be available.
The Install macro now also displays a progress bar at the bottom of
the main install window.
* The Where macro has been completely rewritten to display output in a
file manger window, allowing the full range of file manager commands
to be used on the located files. The Where macro is also much faster.
* The Booklist macro now displays a menu, allowing you to:
ù Goto a bookmark
ù Delete a bookmark
ù Delete all bookmarks
* The Fulldate macro was renamed to Longdate.
* The following macros now use the options specified on the new
International Options dialog box: Calen4, Calendar, Clock, Filestat,
and Longdate.
* The Drawbox macro now uses the current LineStyle to draw boxes,
without prompting the user.
* The Hilitewd macro now uses the color chart macro (Clrchart) for color
selection.
* The Template macro will no longer prompt for instructions on
installation and uses a better template keyword search pattern.
* New macro language features were added to most macros.
New Macros for Internal Use:
----------------------------
The following new macros are for internal use only by other macros:
Erroraml - get an error message for an AML error code
Flopen - Open/replace a file list (fmgr only)
Flsave - Save/edit a file list (fmgr only)
Helpmac - Display .Dox help for a macro
Scandlg - Scan dialog box/prompt
Sweep - Traverse subdirectories
Configuration File Changes:
---------------------------
Config.aml:
ù Variable assignment statements now use the new 'public' variable
assignment syntax (see 'Public vs. Private' below).
ù The following options were added to FmgrOpt:
f - show files
v - displays file names on the right side of the directory listing
ù The new TabOpt variable specifies how real tabs (Ascii 9) should be
displayed, and configures the behaviour of tabright/tableft
commands. The following options can be specified:
display real tabs as:
a - ascii 9
o - spaces, if found on open
s - spaces
tableft/tabright options:
h - shift text in insert mode
r - use real tabs
ù TabShift has been removed (replaced by TabOpt option 'h').
ù The new ClipLine variable specifies whether or not the clipboard cut
and copy commands should use the current line when no marked block
exists.
ù FormatOpt now includes option 'e' by default (format from cursor to
end-of-paragraph only).
ù The new option 't' (directory tree) is now available for BootOpt.
ù The new NameStyle variable specifies the format to be used for
displaying filenames and filespecs throughout the editor, including
window title bars, window and file lists, file manager windows, and
macros. One of the following options can be specified:
c - capitalize
l - lower case
u - upper case
null - as-is
ù The following new International variables were added to Config.aml
(see the end of Config.aml):
Language - language
DateOpt - date format
DateSep - date separator
LDateOpt - long date format
TimeOpt - time format
TimeSep - time separator
ThousandSep - thousands separator
Cfg\Cfgdesk.aml:
ù Modified to accomodate BootOpt 't' (directory tree).
Cfg\Cfgedit2.aml:
ù The TabShift option has been removed (replaced by Tab Left/Right
options on the Margins and Tabs dialog box).
ù The ClipLine option was added.
Cfg\Cfgfmgr.aml:
ù Modified to accomodate the new FmgrOpt options 'f' and 'v', and to
include settings from the old Confirmations dialog box (which has
now been removed).
Cfg\Cfgintnl.aml:
ù This is the new International Options dialog box. Several macros
call Cfgintnl.x: Calen4, Calendar, Clock, Filestat, and Longdate.
Cfg\Cfgmarg.aml:
ù Modified to accomodate the new TabOpt variable (real tab support).
Cfg\Cfgmisc.aml:
ù Modified to accomodate the new NameStyle variable.
Cfg\Cfgupd.aml:
ù Modified to accomodate the new public assignment syntax in
Config.aml.
Default.prj
ù History.dat has been renamed to Default.prj
Define.aml:
ù The old define-end definitions have been changed to the new
'constant' statements (see 'Constant Statement' below).
Ext.aml:
ù Numerous minor changes were made to this file. The hiliteword,
findo, and askscan/searchfile functions were moved to the external
macros Hilitewd, Findo, and Scan in the Macro directory.
Install.aml:
ù Modified to accomodate the new Syn\ subdirectory, syntax
highlighting files, new macros, Install.dat/Installs.dat, and the
progress bar.
Kbd.aml, Menu.aml (all emulation styles):
ù Minor changes were made to these files.
Main.aml:
ù Tran.aml is no longer included by Main.aml. Tran.aml is now compiled
independently and loaded on-demand by Ext.aml.
Mouse.aml:
ù Minor changes were made to this file.
Startup.aml
ù The new file Startup.aml is included in Main.aml, if it exists.
Startup.aml is not shipped with the editor - it is an optional macro
source file which can be be used to automatically run external
macros when the editor is started. For example, the following lines
could be added to Startup.aml:
runmacro2 "tabauto"
// run Tabauto before any files are opened
queue "runmacro2" "calendar"
// run Calendar after all files are opened
Syn\ subdirectory:
ù A new Syn\ subdirectory is added at installation. This directory
contains all syntax highlighting objects used by the editor.
ù The following syntax objects are included:
Xada.aml - ADA
Xaml.aml - AML macro language
Xasm.aml - 80x86 assembly language
Xbas.aml - Basic
Xbat.aml - Dos .Bat files
Xc.aml - C/C++
Xcbl.aml - Cobol
Xcmd.aml - Rexx
Xdox.aml - Aurora .Dox files
Xfor.aml - FORTRAN
Xhtm.aml - Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
Xipf.aml - IPF (GML)
Xjav.aml - Java
Xlsp.aml - Lisp
Xmak.aml - Make files
Xmod.aml - Modula2
Xpas.aml - Pascal
Xpps.aml - PCBoard PPL
Xprg.aml - dBase
Xrc.aml - Windows Resource Files
Xsql.aml - SQL
Xsys.aml - Config.sys
Xtex.aml - LaTex
Xword.aml - Used by the hiliteword command
Syntax.aml:
ù The 'onsyntax' function has been modified to load syntax objects
on-demand from the new Syn\ subdirectory. This eliminates the need
to recompile the editor to install a new syntax object.
ù All syntax objects now begin with an 'x' (xaml, xc, xdox, etc.)
ù The 'syndef' object was renamed to 'xword'.
ù Syntax2.aml is no longer needed and has been removed.
ù Option 'c' in the 'syntax' function call now indicates that the
cursor line should be syntax highlighted (in version 2.x, option 'c'
turned off syntax highlighting of the cursor line.)
ù A new 'symbol set 2' and its associated color can be defined for
each syntax statement. This allows you to define two groups of
symbols, each with a different color.
System.aml:
ù The new 'priority' setting sets the priority for dispatching editor
events in a multitasking environment (Windows, OS/2, etc).
Tran.aml:
ù Tran.aml is now compiled independently (to Tran.x) and loaded
on-demand by Ext.aml.
User.aml:
ù The new file User.aml is included in Main.aml, if it exists.
User.aml is not shipped with the editor - it is an optional macro
source file in which you may place your own editor extensions.
======================================================================
(The following section is primarily of interest to macro programmers)
New Macro Language Features:
----------------------------
There are numerous Macro Language enhancements and changes in Aurora
version 3.0:
Public vs. Private:
-------------------
Functions and variables are scoped differently in version 3. Functions
and object variables may now be either 'public' or 'private'.
Public functions and variables can be accessed from outside the current
object definition, whereas private functions and variables can only be
accessed from within the current object definition. Only public
functions and variables can be inherited by other objects. This scoping
is more consistent with established object oriented models.
In version 2.x, all object variables and functions could be considered
public, whereas 'global' variables were in a class by themselves. In
version 3.0, global variables have been replaced by private object
variables. Note that local variables defined within a function still
have the same scope - they are 'private' to the function.
By default, all variables are private, and all functions are public:
object edit
abc = "hello" // abc is private to this 'edit' block
function xyz // xyz is public
:
end
The default scoping can be overridden with the new 'public' and
'private' keywords. For example:
object edit
:
public abc = "Hello" // abc is public
private function xyz // xyz is private to this 'edit' block
:
end
Objects themselves (such as 'edit' above) are always public, and
cannot be made private.
The 'public' and 'private' keywords may also precede the 'forward',
'function' 'variable', and 'var' keywords.
public variable abc // public variable
private forward x // private function not defined yet
private function xyz // private function
:
end
Within the object block in which they are defined, both public and
private functions and variables can be accessed by name. Private
functions and variables cannot be accessed from outside the object
definition block.
Public Variables:
Public variables in a parent object can be accessed from a child object
by declaring the variable as public in the child object, or by preceding
the variable reference with an underscore (_) when used. Public
variables can also be accessed remotely via the new member selection (.)
operator or the subscript [] operator (see below).
The following variables must be public:
- variables accessed from other object definition blocks
- variables accessed from within menu function calls
- variables accessed via the 'lookup' and 'variable?' function calls
- variables whose names are not known at compile time
Public variables can also be assigned values by prefixing the variable
name with an underscore, or by using the 'set' function. The following
assignment statements all have the same effect at execution:
public abc = "Hello"
_abc = "Hello"
set "abc" "Hello"
However, these statements are not exactly equivalent. The first defines
'abc' as a public variable symbol which can later be referenced in the
same object block without an underscore. The second and third statements
do not define 'abc' as a variable symbol.
Public Functions:
The following functions must be public:
- functions called from other object definition blocks
- functions called from menus, buttons, etc.
- keyboard and mouse event handling functions
- functions called as a result of executing call, pass, passprev,
queue, queueobject, send, sendobject, etc.
- functions whose names are not known at compile time
Functions defined using the 'key' or 'event' keywords are automatically
public and cannot be defined as private.
New Member Selection (.) and Subscript [] Operators:
----------------------------------------------------
The member selection (.) and subscript [] operators can now be used to
access public variables and functions in another object.
For example, using the member selection (.) operator:
fmgr.abc = "Hello" // assign "Hello" to public variable 'abc'
// in object 'fmgr'
say fmgr.abc // displays "Hello"
If the name to the right of the (.) is undefined, it is assumed to be a
variable. However, if the name to the right of the (.) was previously
declared as a public function, then the member selection operator can be
used to call the function in another object. For example:
forward xyz
fmgr.xyz 1 2 // call function 'xyz' in object 'fmgr' with
// parameters 1 and 2
The subscript operator [] can now be used with an object name to access
a public variable whose name is not known at compile time. For example:
x = "a"
y = "bc"
fmgr [x + y] = "Hello" // assign "Hello" to public variable 'abc'
// in object 'fmgr'
say fmgr [x + y] // displays "Hello"
Both the member selection (.) and subscript [] operators can be used
with the new pre-defined object name 'this', which always refers to the
current object. For example:
x = "a"
y = "bc"
this [x + y] = "Hello" // assign "Hello" to public variable 'abc'
// in the current object
say this [x + y] // displays "Hello"
say this.abc // displays "Hello"
Statements Removed:
-------------------
The new methods used to assign values to public variables (discussed
above), together with the new functions 'set' and 'setfunction', have
eliminated the need for the old setx, setobj, setxobj, and setxfun
statements - these statements have been removed.
The following examples illustrate how to perform equivalent assignments
using the new methods:
x = "a"
y = "bc"
setx x + y "Hello" // old method
this [x + y] = "Hello" // new method
setobj abc "Hello" "fmgr" // old method
fmgr.abc = "Hello" // new method
setxobj x + y "Hello" "fmgr" // old method
fmgr [x + y] = "Hello" // new method
setxobj x + y "Hello" "fmgr" // old method
fmgr [x + y] = "Hello" // new method
setxfun "<ctrl d>" "beep 400 400" "fmgr" // old method
setfunction "<ctrl d>" "beep 400 400" "fmgr" // new method
The old 'set' statement is now a function call, and can be used to
perform any type of public variable assignment:
x = "a"
y = "bc"
set "abc" "Hello" // assign "hello" to 'abc'
// (equivalent to: _abc = "Hello")
set x + y "Hello" // assign "hello" to 'abc'
// (equivalent to: this [x + y] = "Hello")
i = "fm"
j = "gr"
set x + y "Hello" i + j // assign "hello" to 'abc' in object 'fmgr'
Note that the first argument to 'set' is now an expression, so quotes
are required if a literal variable name is used.
Constant Statement:
-------------------
A new 'constant' statement eliminates most of the need for the old
define-end statement in 2.x versions.
The 'constant' statement defines symbolic constants:
constant five = 5
constant six = 2 * 3
constant thirty = five * six
The synonym 'const' may also be used, and commas may be used to separate
each constant definition:
const name = "Aurora",
time = getdate + ' ' + gettime,
user = "John Doe"
The 'constant function' statement defines functions which are called at
compile-time to return constant values:
constant function color (foreground on background)
return background * 16 + foreground
end
constant blue = 1
constant white = 15
say (color white on blue) // equivalent to 'say 31'
Substrings and Substring Assignment:
------------------------------------
The new '..' operator can be used to obtain the 'slice' of a string
between two positions in the string:
s = "Hello"
say s [2..4] // displays 'ell' - equivalent to:
say s [2:3] // displays 'ell'
A value of -1, not zero, in the second operand is now used to indicate
the end of the string (the value of the constant TO_END in Define.aml
has changed accordingly). For example:
s = "Hello"
say s [2..-1] // displays 'ello'
say s [2:-1] // displays 'ello'
If zero is specified as the second operand, a zero-length substring (the
null string) is returned. Note that zero in the first operand still
references the last character of the string:
say s [0] // displays 'o'
When placed on the left side of an assignment statement, the substring
operator [] can now be used to replace a portion of a string with
another string ('substring assignment'). For example:
x = "Hello"
x [1] = 'J'
say x // displays 'Jello'
x [0] = 'y'
say x // displays 'Jelly'
The length of the string will change if needed:
x = "Jelly"
x [3..5] = 't'
say x // displays 'Jet'
x [2:-1] = "upiter"
say x // displays 'Jupiter'
Substring assignment also allows a portion of a string to be deleted,
and one string to be inserted within another:
x = "Hello"
x [2..4] = ''
say x // displays "Ho"
x [2:0] = "er"
say x // displays "Hero"
Arrays:
-------
The macro language now supports flexible, typeless arrays. An array is a
collection of values, each of which can be indexed by a number.
Arrays can be created by listing all the initial array values or
'elements' between a pair of braces {}:
dogs = {"collie" "airdale" "sheepdog"}
In the example above, an array of three strings is created and assigned
to the variable 'dogs'. The first element of the array is 'collie', the
second is 'airdale', and the third is 'sheepdog'.
Array elements are referenced, and assigned values, with the subscript
operator []:
i = 1
say dogs [i] // displays 'collie'
dogs [i] = "lassie"
say dogs [i] // displays 'lassie'
Arrays elements can also be referenced with the member selection (.)
operator and a numeric constant. For example:
say dogs.2 // displays 'airdale'
constant terrier = 2
say dogs.terrier // displays 'airdale'
Note that arrays themselves are expressions, and do not necessarily need
to be assigned to variables. Arrays can usually be treated like any
other expression. For example:
i = 2
say {"one" "two" "three"}[i] // displays 'two'
Arrays can also be passed to functions, and returned from functions.
Arrays can be used to return more than one value from a function:
function xyz
i = 4
j = " string"
return {i 'a' + j 1}
end
x = xyz // after the call, x is {4 "a string" 1}
Arrays are always passed by reference to a function. This means that
changing an array element in the called function will also change the
element where the function was called:
function xyz (y)
y [2] = 5
end
x = {1 2 3}
xyz x // after the call, 'x' is {1 5 3}
Since the macro language is typeless, arrays may contain elements of any
type, including strings, numbers, complex expressions, or even other
arrays. For example:
y = 4
x = {1 "abc" 3 {134 (y + 8) / 2 "xyz"}}
say x [1] // displays '1'
say x [2] // displays 'abc'
say x [4][1] // displays '134'
say x [4][2] // displays '6'
say x [4][3][2] // displays 'y'
x [4][3] = {4 5 6} // replaces 'xyz' with {4 5 6}
say x [4][3][2] // displays '5'
Arrays are treated very much like strings. You can concatenate arrays,
take a 'slice' of an array, or assign an array to a portion of another
array (analagous to 'substring assignment' discussed above). For
example:
x1 = {1 2 3}
x2 = {4 5 6}
x3 = x2 + x1 + {7 8} // x3 = {4 5 6 1 2 3 7 8}
x4 = x3 [3..6] // x4 = {6 1 2 3}
x4 [2:2] = '' // x4 = {6 3}
x4 [1:1] = {5 6 7} // x4 = {5 6 7 3}
The function 'array' creates an array of an arbitrary size, where each
element is initialized to the null string:
x = array 50 // creates an array of 50 null strings
// and assigns it to the variable 'x'
The function 'array?' tests for the existence of an array:
if array? data then
:
end
To obtain the number of elements in an array, use the new unary 'length'
operator:
x = {1 4 5 6}
say length x // displays 4
Note that constant arrays cannot be defined. For example:
constant x = {1 4 5 6} // *not* permitted
New Operators:
--------------
The following new operators have been added to the macro language:
Operator Description
-------- ------------------------------------------------------------
. Member selection operator (see above)
.. String/array slice operator (see above)
~ Bitwise-not unary operator - This operator inverts the bits
of its numeric operand. For example:
say ~0ffffffffh // displays '0'
length String/array length unary operator (replaces 'sizeof') - This
operator obtains the size of its operand. For example:
say length "abcde" // displays '5'
say length {5 77 31 2} // displays '4'
: : Format operator (replaces 'pad') - this operator justifies
its first operand within a field length specified by its
second operand. If the field length is preceded by a minus
(-) sign, the first operand is left justified, otherwise it
is right justified. The third operand is optional and
specifies a pad string. If a pad string is not specified,
then a blank (Ascii 32) is assumed. For example:
34 : 4 // value is ' 34'
34 : -3 // value is '34 '
'' : 5 // value is ' '
'' : 7 : '0' // value is '0000000'
i = 10
i : -i // value is '10 '
"abc" : i : '-+' // value is '-+-+-+-abc'
For Statement:
--------------
The new 'for' statement can be used for indexed looping. It is often
more convenient and more readable than the 'while' statement, and is
also faster. For example:
for i = 1 to 10 do // displays numbers from 1 to 10
msgbox i
end
The 'downto' keyword may be used to count downward:
for i = 10 downto 1 do // displays numbers from 10 to 1
msgbox i
endfor // end or endfor may be used
An optional 'step' keyword allows the loop variable to be incremented or
decremented by values other than one:
for i = 1 to 10 step 2 do // displays 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
msgbox
end
An optional 'by' keyword defines an expression to be assigned to the
loop variable for each iteration. It can be used for looping with
irregular or non-numeric loop variables:
// displays: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128
for i = 1 to 128 by i + i do
msgbox i
end
// displays 'abcde', 'abcd', 'abc', 'ab, 'a'
for i = 'abcde' to 'a' by i [1..length i - 1] do
msgbox i
end
Note that when the 'by' keyword is used, no scalar comparison (less than
or greater than) is done at each iteration between the loop variable and
the limit specified by the 'to' expression. They must be exactly equal
for the loop to terminate.
Loop Times:
-----------
The new 'times' keyword may now be used to limit the number of
iterations in the 'loop' statement:
i = 2
loop i + 5 times
msgbox "loop" // displays 'loop' 7 times
end
Forward Statement Changes:
--------------------------
Since object names may now be used with the member selection (.) and
subscript [] operators, it sometimes necessary to declare an object
symbol without defining the actual object (for example, in independently
compiled external macros which reference editor objects). This can be
done with the new 'forward object' statement:
forward object prf // define 'prf' as an object symbol
say prf.EditStyle // display EditStyle in object prf
The new 'forward function' statement is a synonym for 'forward':
forward function msgbox // define msgbox as a function symbol
Object Entry:
-------------
The new pre-defined object name 'entry' can be used within external
macros to change the current object back to what it was when the
external macro was invoked:
// start of external macro
:
:
object abc // define object abc
: // (and change current object to abc)
:
object entry // change back to current object at invocation
:
Conditional Compilation:
------------------------
The macro language now supports 'conditional compilation'. Conditional
compilation keywords allow sections of macro source code to be compiled
or ignored, based on the value of expressions evaluated at compile-time.
The new conditional compilation keywords are: #if, #elseif, #else, #end,
and #endif. The expression following the '#if' or '#elseif' keywords is
evaluated at compile-time. If true, the macro source code in the '#if'
or '#elseif' block is compiled, otherwise the source code in an optional
'#else' block is compiled. The following example illustrates conditional
compilation:
constant DEBUG = TRUE
i = xyz
#if DEBUG
msgbox i
#end
Conditional compilation keywords can also be used to temporarily
'comment-out' sections of macro source code:
#if 0
:
#end
#Exec Statement:
----------------
The old define-end statment has been renamed to #exec-#endexec. Any
statements found between #exec and #endexec are executed at
compile-time.
This statement can be used to perform very specialized initialization
and checking of the compilation environment, such as defining constants
or constant functions based on the current environment, ensuring
necessary files are present and in the correct locations, etc.
Syntax Changes:
---------------
Several minor enhancements were made to the macro language syntax:
'C-style' hex constants can now be used in addition to the hex constants
already supported by AML. The new hex constants must be preceded by
'0x' and not followed by 'h' or 'H'. For example:
0h, 4C5H, 0ffh // old style (still valid)
0x0, 0x4C5, 0xff // C-style
The character '#' is no longer allowed in macro language identifiers
(except for the conditional-compilation keywords, and #exec-#endexec).
The 'var' keyword and the new synonym 'variable' now allow the use of
commas to define more than one variable:
var a, b, c
variable a, b, c
The 'event' and 'endevent' keywords are new synoymns for the 'key' and
'endkey' keywords. They may provide a more readable way to define event
handling functions for builtin events (in angled brackets), which are
not keyboard events. For example:
event <lbutton>
:
end
The 'key', 'event', and 'function' statements are now terminated by the
'object' statement. It is no longer necessary to close a 'key' statement
with 'end' or 'endkey' immediately before an object statement. For
example:
key <ctrl tab> askcomplete
key <tab> askcomplete // 'end' not required here
object edit
:
The 'key', 'event', and 'function' statements are now all terminated by
the 'key', 'event', and 'function' keywords, which may be more
convenient for short function or event definitions:
function askclip askc "Clipboard Name" "ClipName"
function askprthdr askc "Current Header/Footer" "PrtHdr"
function askx
:
In statements where a new variable is assigned a value based on its
previous value, the 'var' or 'variable' statement is no longer required
to define the variable. For example:
function abc
repeat
i = i + 1 // 'var i' is no longer required before 'repeat'
msgbox i
until i == 10
end
Compiler Error Codes:
---------------------
The following changes were made to macro language compiler error codes:
New error codes:
1314: Unexpected keyword
1315: Invalid redefinition
1708: Internal Stack Overflow
Error code description changed:
1504: Statement must be at top level
Error codes removed:
1503: (replaced with error code 1504)
1505: (replaced with error code 1504)
1506: (replaced with error code 1504)
1509: (replaced with error code 1504)
1702: (replaced with error code 1701)
Other Compiler/Interpreter Comments:
------------------------------------
The interpreter is about 10%-20% faster, depending on usage.
Sorting is 70%-120% faster. A few other commands may be slightly faster.
Executable macro file (.X) formats have changed. Version 2.x .X files
will not run under version 3, and vice-versa.
Aurora now requires about 10k more conventional memory (about 480k for
the 386 version).
New Functions and Events:
-------------------------
The following new functions and events were added. See Function.dox or
Language.dox for more details:
* builtin functions:
actualcol // get the actual column for an apparent column
apparentcol // get the apparent column of an actual column
array // create an array
array? // test if an array exists
book? // test if bookmark exists
break? // test if <ctrl break> was pressed
breakoff // clear the <ctrl break> flag
createcursor // create a cursor
createobject // create an object
directory? // test if a directory exists
file? // test if a file exists
foldoptions // set options for displaying closed folds
getbuftabs // get the buffer tab width
getcurrfile // get the current filename being executed or compiled
getfileinfo // return file/directory information
getlinesize // get the actual length of a line
getrealtext // get a line or a portion of a line from a buffer
getsyntax // get the window syntax object
loadobject // load an object
machine // execute machine-level code
priority // set the event dispatching priority
setbuftabs // set the buffer tab width
seterror // generate a compiler error
setfunction // change the definition of a public function
set // change the value of a public object variable
setobjtype // change the inheritance path of an object
variable? // test if a public variable exists
* library functions:
fgetopt // get file manager options
fgetsort // get file manager sort order
fstatus // update file manager status line
fupdate // update file manager line(s)
* extension functions:
flopen // open a file list
flsave // save a file list
fremove // remove file manager lines
fstat // display file/directory statistics
helpmacro // display macro help
* events:
<destroy> // sent before an object is destroyed
<display> // sent after the display is updated
onclosedlg // sent when a dialog box is closed
ondialog // sent when unrecognized dialog box events occur
ondesk // sent after the desktop is restored
onname // sent to retrieve a formatted filename
Functions Removed:
------------------
The following macro language functions are no longer supported and have
been removed:
* builtin functions:
bufferflag? // replaced by the new bufferflag option '?'
hidebuf // replaced by the new bufferflag option 'h'
includemacro // not needed
lineflag? // replaced by the new lineflag option '?'
pad // replaced by the new format operator (:)
saveobject // not needed
sizeof // replaced by the new length operator
trunc? // replaced by the new bufferflag option 't'
* library functions:
fscanstr // not-needed (replaced by the new Scan macro)
ftype? // not-needed
openf // replaced by new code in fopen (Ext.aml)
picklist // replaced by pickfile
scandlg // replaced by the Scandlg macro
scanfiles // replaced by new Scan macro
* extension functions:
onscanning // replaced by the new Scan macro
runmac // replaced by runmacro2
searchfiles // replaced by the new Scan macro
Functions Renamed:
------------------
In the pursuit of more consistent terminology, the following functions
and events were renamed:
* builtin functions:
destroyvar // renamed from unsetx
geteventcode // renamed from getkeycode
geteventname // renamed from getkeyname
resident // renamed from stayresident
seteventobj // renamed from eventobject
setfileattr // renamed from chgfileattr
settype // renamed from inheritfrom
system // renamed from exec
* library functions:
fbreak // renamed from fdobrk
fcommand // renamed from fdomark
fgetfile // renamed from getffile
pickfile // renamed from askfile
* events:
<compiling> // renamed from oncompiling
<loading> // renamed from onloading
<paint> // renamed from ondraw
<printing> // renamed from onprinting
<saving> // renamed from onsaving
<status> // renamed from onstatus
Functions Altered:
------------------
The following functions were altered in some way:
Builtin functions:
* bufferflag, lineflag, windowflag
These functions will now accept option '?', for testing whether or not
other flags are turned on (replacing the functions bufferflag? and
lineflag?). If flags are specified without -, +, or ?, then they will
be turned on and any flags not specified will be turned off.
* bufferflag
The old option 'd' (process dirty lines) is now option 'p'.
Options '?d' can now be specified to test if the buffer was initially
loaded as a directory with the 'loadbuf' function.
The new option 'h' can be use to hide a buffer, un-hide a buffer, or
test if a buffer is hidden (replacing the old hidebuf function).
Options '?t' can now be specified to test if the buffer was truncated
when loaded (replacing the old trunc? function).
* closefile, filepos, readfile, writefile
If no file handle is specified, these functions will now work with the
file handle returned from the most recent openfile call. The file
handle parameter is now always the last parameter. For readfile, a
length of 16000 is now assumed if no length is specified.
* col, left, right
These functions now return the new column.
* colorcursor, colormark
If the color -1 is specified, the default window mark color is used.
If the color -2 is specified, the cursor or mark is hidden.
* destroyobject
This function will now destroy an object immediately if possible,
otherwise the object will be destroyed when it is no longer
referenced. This function now returns TRUE if the object is destroyed
immediately.
* down, gotopos, movepos, row, up
These functions now return the new line number.
* fillblock
This function now fills blocks with a blank if no fillstring is
specified.
* frame?
If no frame options are specified, this function now returns a
non-null value if any frame options are present.
* getcoord
Option 'd' (clip with the display) now works with all other options.
* getdate, gettime
These functions now take an optional date and time format as the first
parameter, overriding the formats specified in the international
function.
If -1 is specified for the first parameter of the gettime function,
then the formats specified in the international function are used, but
seconds will also added (if not already present).
* getlinelen, saveblock, savebuf
The 'getlinelen' function will now ignore tab characters (Ascii 9)
when they occur at the end of a line in a non-binary buffer. 'savebuf'
and 'saveblock' will only ignore tabs if option 't' is specified.
* getos
Option 'l' (test for long filenames) was added.
* getwinctrl
This function now returns a string composed of all the title bar
controls. The second parameter (control position) was removed.
* insertbuf, loadbuf
These functions now accept the following new directory options:
f - include normal files
v - load the directory in variable format
q - qualify names with the directory name. This option can only be
specified with option 'v'.
s - load the directory in 'short' format (name only, starting at
column 1). This option can only be specified with option 'v'.
c - show names capitalized
l - show names in lowercase
u - show names in uppercase
Option '1' was removed from these functions, but can still be used
with the 'open' and 'openbuf' functions.
* locatefile
Option 'f' (locate files) was added. If no options are specified, then
'fd' (locate files and directories) is assumed.
* lookup
Option 'e' was removed (replaced by the new 'variable?' function)
* peek, poke
These functions now take segment:offset addresses, not absolute
addresses.
* printblock, printbuf
A new optional 4th parameter (printer initialization string) was added
to these functions.
* runmacro
A new object parameter was added (consistent with the new loadobject
function).
* savebuf
This function now uses the buffer name if no filename is specified.
* scanfile
This function now returns zero if interrupted by <ctrl break>.
* setborder
A new optional parameter (the hex view divider character) was added.
* sortblock
A new optional 3rd parameter (start column) was added.
* syntax
New option 'd' (show through closed folds) was added. Option 'c' now
indicates that the cursor line should be highlighted (the reverse was
true in v2.x).
The new parameters 'symbol set 2' and its associated color can be
defined in the syntax statement, allowing a group of symbols to be
defined with a different color than the original symbol set.
* tabblock
If a column mark is specified with tab expansion, then only the tabs
within the column (or overlapping the column boundries) are expanded.
* tilewindow
The 2nd and 3rd parameters (split threshold and limit) were switched,
and option 'b' was renamed to option 'r' (reverse order).
* windowflag
New options 'z' (resizable windows), and options 'h12' (hex view
options) where added. Option 'd' (draw) was renamed to option 'p'
(paint).
* Other changes to builtin functions:
All builtin block functions now accept the pre-defined markid's '*l'
and '*a'. '*l' is a pre-defined line mark which marks the line at the
cursor in the current buffer. '*a' is predefined line mark which spans
the entire contents of the current buffer. These pre-defined markid's
allow some block operations to be performed without first creating a
mark and then destroying the mark when the operation is completed. For
example:
shiftblock 1 '*a' // shift the entire file right one column
When cursors are created, either explicitly by calling createcursor,
or implicitly by calling cursor movement functions, the default cursor
color will now always be the color of the text, not the default mark
color.
Library functions:
* fsort
This function was moved to object 'fmgr'.
* gotomenu, gotobar, gotobar2
These functions were moved to object 'a'
* msgbox, okbox, shortbox, yncbox
These functions will now allow message boxes with an arbitrary number
of message lines to be displayed when a newline character (\n) is
inserted between each line in the message string.
* pickfile
A second title was added and the parameter order was changed. This
function will now automatically reload the picklist when a directory
is selected.
* popup
The event-handling object for popup windows in Lib.x is now called
'popup'. User-defined objects can be derived from object 'popup' and
define their own keys, event handling functions, etc.
A new optional 5th parameter (object) was added to the popup function.
If an object is specified, the window event object for the popup
window will be set to this object (this object must be derived from
the pre-defined 'popup' object).
* restoredesk
A new option 'c' (clear desktop) was added. This option was previously
the default).
* setting
A new optional 3rd parameter (object) was added. This parameter
specifies the syntax highlighting object to use with the 'x' setting
(syntax highlighting). If not specified, the 'onsyntax' event is sent
to obtain the syntax highlighting object.
* setting?, setting
The new 'h' option (hex view) can be specified in the first parameter.
* tile
Parameter 2 (number of windows) was added. Options 'r' and 'l' are
now also available in parameter 1 (see the tilewindow function).
* trackmouse
This function will now work on any window with a buffer.
Extension functions:
* ask
This function now marks the cursor position.
* asksaveas
This function will now prompt the user when replacing an existing
file.
* askeval, askopen, askopenb, askrac, asksaveas, askx, backup,
pickmacro, print, printfile, save
These functions were moved to object 'a'.
* askrepl
A backslash (/) is now automatically appended to the end of the search
string if needed (for non-dialog box prompts only).
* askrmacro
Pressing enter from within this prompt will now display a macro
picklist.
* fattr
This function will now allow directory attributes to be changed from
within the file manager.
* finddlg, repldlg
These functions were moved from Lib.x to Ext.aml.
* frun
This function will now also run AML executable (.X) files.
* onhotkey
Modified to accomodate the new variable directory format.
* onopen
Added support for the new open option 'x' (hex view).
* runmacro2
This function will now run a macro in the Macro subdirectory if no
path is specified (replacing 'runmac')
* tabfunc
Added support for switching between hex entry and hex view modes with
the <tab> or <shift tab> keys.
* write
Added support for the new hex view/entry mode.
Events:
* <status>
This event (formerly onstatus) no longer draws edit window settings
automatically. The 'getsettings' function can be used to obtain window
settings.