Case change bug workaround

[Carl Distefano CLDistefano@xxxxxxxx]

A while back someone (Harry B., I think) pointed out a bug in Xy4
whereby changes made via one of the case-change commands (LC|UC|CC)
aren't detected as modifications to the file. The error occurs
erratically, in my experience, but when it does happen and a SAve
command is issued, the case modifications, treacherously, are not
written to disk. XyWrite simply prompts the user to "Proceed", so that
if the file is later ABorted, the modifications will be lost. The
workaround is to force a modification before SAving; typically this is
done by inserting a single character in the text then immediately back-
deleting it. The keyboard assignment would look something like:

nn=GTSI, ,BDSA

It's a kludge, and a messy one, especially for "public" programming:
Unbidden changes to user text, however ephemeral, should be a last
resort. Ditto hardware states (like Insert/Overstrike mode) which
can't be restored to their original value.

Today I tumbled to a way of forcing XyWrite to detect a modification
without actually modifying the file. Assign the null string to a
Save/Get, then insert the contents of the Save/Get (i.e., nothing) into
text. Even though the file contents haven't changed,  is set to
1 and the file will be written to disk when SAved. This is done most
economically with a wee bit of XPL -- GT SA -- but, if an
ordinary alpha Save/Get is available, it can also be accomplished with
a keyboard file macro (here, using Save/Get 1):

nn=YDDFDFSV1,GT@1

This uses the antediluvian func SV to save a zero-length DeFine block
("DFDF") to the chosen Save/Get, then inserts it in text with "GT@1".
Note that the func GT is mandatory in both the XPL and KBDfile
versions. In Xy4  or @X will write the contents of Save/Get X at
the cursor position, whether on the CMline or in text. (This can be
quite handy.) But a file modification occurs only when the cursor is
in text.

P.S. This my 2nd try to send this file (got an error message the
first time). Apologies if it turns out to be a duplicate.



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Carl Distefano * * *  CLDistefano@xxxxxxxx
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