Technical FAQ's

If you have successfully unzipped the VEDIT product, you can try installing VEDIT by typing the following command:

     vpw -e -g -k -ixxx -z -xinstallw.vdm

This will start the installation procedure.

If the above fails, you may have a bad disk or something related. Download a new copy from our website and try again.

If you are still having problems, contact us and we will help you.

For reasons that we do not yet fully understand, the VEDIT.FON file sometimes remains locked by Windows even though you exit VEDIT. When this happens, you cannot install a newer version of VEDIT (the installation stops, as it cannot overwrite the previous VEDIT.FON file).

Sometimes the VEDIT.FON file in the temporary installation directory gets locked during installation. You then cannot delete the temporary directory after you finish the installation.

At the current time, we cannot replicate this problem. Until we fix this, there are several troubleshooting options:

• Reboot Windows. This will unlock the VEDIT.FON file and you can install a newer version of VEDIT and/or delete the temporary installation directory.

• Drag the VEDIT.FON file to another directory, e.g., /TEMP or /WINNT/TEMP. You can then install a new VEDIT. The old VEDIT.FON file can be deleted after the next time you reboot.

• Drag the VEDIT.FON file to the operating system's /FONT directory. This will "install" the font as a registered font for VEDIT and all other programs.

(This applies only to VEDIT 5.x; not to 6.0.)

The file-type specific configuration set up in the STARTUP.VDM file will override some of the configuration settings, including Tab stops, which are normally saved into the VEDIT.CFG file. This is true for files with a filename extension of .C, .ASM, .HTM, and .TXT.

See the online help topic "Configuration (Troubleshooting)" for details. Also look for "Config_Tab(..)" in your STARTUP.VDM file; you will then see how to change it.

Alternatively, you can completely turn off this feature by setting {CONFIG, Programming, File-type specific configuration} to "0". 

If you are having trouble with long filename support, you are most likely running an older 16-bit Windows version of VEDIT, such as version 5.0x. We recommend the 32-bit Windows version under 95/98/ME and NT/2000/XP which fully supports long filenames.

The DOS version supports long filenames under Window 95/98/ME, but not necessarily under NT/2000/XP. We do not recommend or support the DOS version under NT/2000/XP. We highly recommend the 32-bit Windows version under 95/98/ME and NT/2000/XP.

Please also read the next Q4102.

The older 16-bit Windows version of VEDIT uses the older Windows 3.1 style dialog box. It supports Windows 95/NT long filenames, but we highly recommend using the 32-bit Windows version under Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. It uses the newer style dialog box which we have enlarged and enhanced (e.g., a history list of recently entered filenames and filters).

Be sure you have installed the 32-bit version. You may have accidentally installed the 16-bit version.

Check the {HELP, About} box. If you have the original 16-bit version 5.0x, you should update to version 5.2x (or later).

If you have updated from 5.0x to 5.2x, you might still have icons pointing to the 16-bit veditpw.exe file. The filename for the 32-bit version is vpw.exe. We suggest deleting the veditpw.exe file so that you don't inadvertently run the old 16-bit version.

(This assumes you are opening files by double-clicking them in Explorer.)

You probably tried to manually set up VEDIT file-type associations using "Folder Options" from Windows Explorer. This method can be very problematic. Unless you correctly include double-quotes in the associations, filenames with spaces will cause problems.

The solution is to set up all associations using the VEDIT menu function {CONFIG, Associate file types} (Using {MISC, More macros, Registry} in VEDIT 5.1).

If you drag-and-drop a file to be edited onto a VEDIT icon, e.g., "file:///c:/my%20files/january%20jobs/BobJohnson.txt">c:\myfiles\january jobs\BobJohnson.txt", it will be opened as:

c:\myfile~1\januar~1\BobJohnson.txt

You probably tried to manually set up VEDIT file-type associations using "Folder Options" from Windows Explorer. This method can be very problematic. Unless you correctly set up the "DDE" options, you will get multiple instances of VEDIT.

The solution is to set up all associations using the VEDIT menu function {CONFIG, Associate file types} (using {MISC, More macros, Registry} in VEDIT PLUS 5.1x).

If you have the File Selector enabled and have it set to "Xplor" when you close VEDIT, there might be a 5 to 10-second delay when you next start VEDIT. This delay is caused by the File Selector's Explorer window querying all the drives on your computer; checking for network drives can take several seconds.

Beginning with VEDIT 5.14 for Windows, the {FILE} menu contains a "MRU" list of the Most-Recently-Used (i.e., opened) files. Simply select the file you wish to re-open.

The MRU list is saved in the VEDIT.INI file for the next time you run VEDIT.

Beginning with VEDIT 5.15 for Windows, the number of MRU files listed in the {FILE} menu can be changed by editing the value "MaxMRU" in the VEDIT.INI file.

Bug: The Windows version of 5.15.1 cannot be used to change the value of "MaxMRU", because it overwrites the original value when it exists. Either the DOS version of VEDIT or Notepad must be used to make this change. This problem was corrected in 5.15.2.

Adding "Open with VEDIT" to the right-clock context menu seems to work well with WIN95/98, but does not work well with Windows NT/2000/XP.

If you have Win NT/2000/XP, it is best to answer "No" to the first question (about whether to add VEDIT to the context menu when you select {CONFIG, Associate file types} in VEDIT 5.20, or {Misc, More macros, Registry} in previous versions). One by one, then associate as many file extensions as desired to VEDIT.

Suggestion: An alternative solution is to make VEDIT an option in the right-click menu's "Send To" item list. Simply drag a VEDIT icon (shortcut) into the Windows/SendTo folder or to the Documents and Settings/Username/SendTo folder (depending on which Windows version you are using).

VEDIT can edit any text/data/binary files up two (2) Gigabytes (2000 Megabytes) in size.

To edit files larger than this, VEDIT can split the file into smaller parts, e.g., 1-Gigabyte parts, which can then be edited. After editing, the parts can be concatenated back into one file. In detail:

1. Edit the supplied macro SPLITTER.VDM to set the desired size of the split parts. The default size is one (1) Megabyte. You might want to set this to one (1) Gigabyte by changing the line "#106=1000000" to "#106=1000000000".

2. Run the Splitter macro by selecting {MISC, More macros, Splitter}. At the prompt, enter the name of the file to be split. The file will be split by creating files with filenames extensions, such as ".001", ".002", ".003", etc.

3. Each split file can then be opened for editing; you can edit up to 32 files at once.

4. The Windows NT/98 "Copy" command is then used to concatenate the file back into one file. For example:

             copy /b part.001+part.002+part.003+part.004  bigfile.ful

VEDIT does not control the cursor color, as Windows automatically picks a color based on the background color.

However, if you have a faint gray cursor with a blue background, you can change this to a bright yellow cursor by setting your system display properties to 32,000 or more colors. The undesirable gray cursor is only used if your system is set to 256 or fewer colors.

To do this, select Display in the Window 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP Control Panel. Select the Settings tab. In the Color box, change to any value more than 256 colors, such as 16-bit color, 32,768 colors, etc. You may have to restart your computer.

This is very easy to do by simply highlighting a block and selecting {BLOCK, Write to disk} to write the block to a file. For example:

1. Move the cursor to the first character of the block.

2. Press <F9> to begin highlighting.

3. Move the cursor, with whatever method you like, e.g., with {GOTO, Line #}, to the character just past the end of the block.

4. Optionally, press <F9> to mark the end of the block.

5. Select {BLOCK, Write to disk} and enter the desired filename.

For editing large blocks, it is better to use <F9> than the mouse. 

Also supplied is the macro SPLITTER.VDM which can split a file, for instance, bigfile.txt into parts (e.g., bigfile.001, bigfile.002, etc.).

Any control character can be entered using the notation "|ddd" where 'ddd' is the decimal value of the control character. For example, use "|012" to search for the Form-Feed character <Ctrl-L>. This assumes that you are using Pattern Matching. If you are using Regular Expressions, use the notation "\ddd" instead. This works for both the search and replace strings.

Use the patterns "|L" or "|N" to search for the "Newline" characters Carriage-Return and Line-Feed. Press <F1> from the search dialog box for detailed online help on searching for control characters.

Use the pattern "|T" to search for Tab characters.

Alternatively, if you are only searching, you can select {SEARCH, Incremental search} (default <Ctrl-I>). Control characters are then entered in the same way as for normal editing. For example:

• Press [ENTER CTRL] (default <Ctrl-W>).
  
• Then press the control character
  
• To search for a Ctrl-A, first press <Ctrl-W> and then <Ctrl-A>. You can also search from a Tab character by simply pressing <Tab>.

Windows: "Right-mouse" click and select "paste" or press <Ctrl-V>.

DOS: Copy to the scratchpad with <Ctrl-F11>, then paste that into the search box with <F11>.

VEDIT is fastest searching forwards through a file. In fact, the search or search/replace functions are almost as fast as simply copying the file. However, returning to the beginning of a file from the end of a file is slower than forward-searching. Therefore, note the following suggestions to speed up editing in huge file:

• Set {CONFIG, Search options, Restore edit position on error} to "2" instead of "1". This saves a lot of time in case the search fails; you are simply left at the end of the file.

• Avoid backward-searching (from the end of the file toward the beginning of the file), which is much slower than forward-searching.

• On huge 50+ megabyte files, avoid the time-consuming {GOTO, Beginning of file} function when you are at the end of the file. It is much faster to close the file and re-open it. The following keystroke macro can do this in one step:

[VISUAL EXIT] Reg_Set(103,PATHNAME) File_Close(NOMSG) File_Open(@103)

Windows treats <Alt-F6> as a reserved key, similar to <Ctrl-Esc>, which is not sent to an application program. Therefore it is a "dead" key as far as VEDIT is concerned.  We are unsure why Windows reserves <Alt-F6>, or what it is used for, as it is the only reserved function key. 

For further information, Microsoft's Knowledgebase addresses this question (#Q146899) on the web page:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q146/8/69.asp.

With the pre-5.20 versions of VEDIT, select {CONFIG, Keyboard, Edit layout} and edit the lines beginning with "Numpad" to read:

        Numpad/          /
        Numpad*          *
        Numpad-          -
        Numpad+         +

With versions 5.2x and later, set {CONFIG, Miscellaneous, Numpad function mode} to "0".

Windows normally prints by converting each character into a graphic image according to the current printer font. Since all printer fonts use the ANSI character set, all OEM box-drawing characters are printed as unexpected non-English characters. In other words, if you select the "VEDIT Oem" display font, all 8-bit characters will print quite differently than they are displayed.

Since any printer escape sequences in the file being printed are converted to graphic fonts, they will not affect the printer; the Escape character typically prints as a solid block. Furthermore, any configured VEDIT "Printer Init" and "Printer Finish" strings will be ignored because Windows sends its own strings which override those from VEDIT.

When necessary, you can turn off Windows printer processing by 'fooling' Windows into thinking that your printer has no graphic capabilities. Here is how:

Create a new "Generic text only" printer:

1. In the Printer Control Panel, select "Add Printer".

2. Select "Local" printer.

3. Under "Manufacturers" select "Generic"; then select the "Generic text only" printer.

4. Select the same port as your real printer.

Windows, by default, translates all 8-bit characters (value 128 - 255) from ANSI to OEM when printing to the Generic printer and thereby does not correctly print files containing box-drawing characters. This translation can be disabled.

Disable character translation for the "Generic text only" printer:

1. In the Printer Control Panel, right-click on the Generic printer and select "Properties".

2. Select the "Device Options" tab and make sure "TTY Custom" is selected. A default TTY.DAT file will be created.

3. Download our replacement TTY.DAT file and place it in your \WINDOWS directory.

You now have a "Generic text-only" printer which can be selected from inside VEDIT or any other Windows program. When you print to it, it will print using whatever font is in your printer. The default is usually a 10-pitch Courier using the OEM (original IBM-PC) character set which has box-drawing characters. If you use our replacement TTY.DAT file, no character translation will be performed.

When printing to the "Generic text-only" printer from inside the Windows version of VEDIT, you can also send the configurable Printer Init/Finish strings just like in the DOS version. These can be used to select other fonts available in the printer. Furthermore, any printer escape sequences in the file will also control the printer.

Set {CONFIG, Preferences, Printer, Print mode} to "0=Win". Printing is then in the same mode as the display mode for the current window. The online help for the configuration box describes the print mode in more detail.

Since lines displayed in hex are three times as long as regular lines, they typically are truncated at the right side of the printed page. One solution to this is to set {CONFIG, Preferences, Printer, Right margin} to the number of characters per printed line, typically "80" or "96".

For all Windows programs: Press <Ctrl-P> to get the print dialog box. Then select "Properties" from which you can select "Landscape mode".

For VEDIT only: While in VEDIT set {CONFIG,Printer,Paper orientation} to "2=Landscape", then click Close. Printing is then in Landscape mode until changed again, or after VEDIT is closed. If {CONFIG,Auto-save config} is checked, then the change also becomes "permanent" for each subsequent VEDIT run. Otherwise, to make this printing option "permanent", click {CONFIG,Save config}.

Simple EBCDIC files, without packed numeric fields, can be converted to ASCII using VEDIT. 

1. Open the EBCDIC file as a normal file. It should look like gibberish.

2. Optionally, press <Alt-D> (the hot-key for {VIEW, Toggle display mode}) several times to put VEDIT into EBCDIC mode. The file should now be readable.

3. Select {BLOCK, Select all} or press <Ctrl-A> to highlight the entire file.

4. Select {BLOCK, Edit/translate, Translate from EBCDIC}.
   If you pressed <Alt-D> above, press it one more time to put VEDIT back into normal ASCII mode. The file should now be readable.

If the EBCDIC file already had a Carriage-Return / Line-Feed at the end of each line/record, you are done and can now save the file.

Otherwise you must determine the record length for the EBCDIC file and set {CONFIG, File handling, File type} to the correct record length. You might be given the record length, or you can experiment. When it is correct, the fields on each line will be lined up on the screen.

1. Set {CONFIG, File handling, File type} to the correct record length.

2. Select {BLOCK, Select all} or press <Ctrl-A> to highlight the entire file.

3. Select {BLOCK, Convert newlines, CONVERT macro}.

4. In the Convert macro, enter "7" to convert from fixed-length records to "Newlines".

5. Select "DOS" to create a Windows/DOS compatible text file.

6. Save the file and exit VEDIT if desired.

NOTE:  EBCDIC files with packed numeric fields require purchasing one of the specialized conversion packages described on the "EBCDIC" page of this Website.

Yes, the following command will convert a simple EBCDIC file, which already has a Carriage-Return / Line-Feed at the end of each line/record, into an ASCII file.

  vpw -c"Translate_Block(0,File_Size,REVERSE) XALL" file.ebc -a file.asc

In this command, 'file.ebc' is the original EBCDIC file and 'file.asc' is the name of the resulting ASCII file.

Yes. You can convert a UNIX file with just Line-Feed characters to a Windows/DOS file with Carriage-Return and Line-Feed characters by selecting {BLOCK, Convert newlines, UNIX to DOS}.

You can automate the conversion with the command:

     vpw -n3 -x convert.vdm filename

where 'filename' is the name of the file to be converted. The "-n3" is a special code to the convert.vdm macro which tells it to automatically perform the third item in its menu, i.e., "[3] UNIX to DOS LF to CR+LF".

Similarly "-n1" can be used to convert a file from Window/DOS to UNIX. The comments at the beginning of convert.vdm describe how to also convert between fixed-length records and "Newlines".

You will only receive this error if you attempt to insert a large file into an edit buffer which has no file open. To avoid this problem, simply open a file with {FILE, Open} or {FILE, Save as} before attempting to insert a large file.

Users sometimes select {EDIT, Insert file} in an empty buffer to browse a file without accidentally altering it. The better way to do this is to select [ ] Browse-only in the File-open dialog box. Or, if you have opened a file for normal editing, you can select {FILE, Browse mode} to prevent altering it.

A file is opened in Read-only mode (also called Browse-only mode) if its attributes are set to:

• Read-only
  
• If [ ] Browse-only was selected in the File-open dialog box
  
• If the file is on a write-protected removable disk
  
• If the file is already open in another program, or
  
• If VEDIT was invoked with the "-b" invocation option
  

Assuming you did not manually select [ ] Browse-only or {FILE, Browse mode}, then the operating system is preventing VEDIT from making changes to the file. You will have to determine why the file is write-protected (you cannot force VEDIT to edit). For instance, a local file on your computer has the "Read-only" attribute set  (This can be checked and disabled with Explorer); a network file may already be opened by another user, or; you may not have "write" access to the file.

The topic "Browse-only mode" under "Starting VEDIT" in Chapter 4 of the manual (or the online help) describes this in more detail.

VEDIT typically opens database files with fixed-length records and binary files which, by default, are set to "Overwrite-only" mode. This is a safety precaution because these files tend to become corrupted if characters are deleted or inserted (causing the file size to change from a typical length of 64).

Therefore, when {CONFIG, File handling, File type} is set to "8" or greater (specifying fixed-length records), Overwrite-only mode is enabled by default.

You can easily turn off Overwrite-only mode by setting {CONFIG, Preferences, File handling, Overwrite-only mode} to "0".

The topic "Overwrite-only mode" under "Starting VEDIT" in Chapter 4 of the manual (or the online help) describes this in more detail.