Re: Elegance in XPL sought

["Robert Holmgren" holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to message from Harry Binswanger  on Sat, 14 Oct 2006
17:53:58 -0400


> So CR/LF is the only two-byter?

Well, that's what Carl said (in his initial response to your query), and I
believe anything he says: "the fact that  is the only 2-byte character
(Cr+Lf, i.e., Ascii 13+10)".

Jeez, Harry -- of COURSE it's the only 2-byter! Where you been? It's a
carriage return (Ascii-13) plus a LineFeed (Ascii-10), both chars wrapped into
a single screen representation (usually Ascii-27, or left-pointing arrow --
whatever you set [in 3-byte form] as VA$CR). Think typewriter: first you move
the carriage to the right (paper to left margin stop = horizontal carriage
return), then you push the big lever harder and the platen rolls up (= vertical
line feed). The entirety of XyWrite is built on 1-byte and 3-byte characters,
with that single exception.

> TABLE FUNCTIONS

BTW, the TABLE command works with as few significant characters as the argument
(here, FUNCTIONS) requires to unambiguously identify it. Since there are no
other TABLE arguments that start with F (or V, for VARIABLES), you can say:
 TABLE F
 TABLE V
Command HELP TABLE to see a list of all arguments.

> Isn't the moral to work in XP
> (except when you need another mode)?

I always do. But eXPanded users are a distinct (rhymes with extinct) minority.
In NB-land, it's unheard of -- many users have never seen eXPanded ['Codes']
view, and don't know what to make of it. If you're writing public programs,
you accommodate prevailing habits. They don't want to lose their DF blocks,
they don't want to see the screen go crazy or anything unfamiliar, they don't
want to lose their cursor position. They want the least possible
intrusion/disruption. Don't we all?

> What about this:
> BX se Binswanger{cr|lf]
> > ...

Where does that get you? You haven't determined whether string "Binswanger"
exists at all -- only whether "Binswanger" exists. The idea, I thought,
was to insert a carriage return where none existed!

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
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