This is GNU Emacs 'forms-mode', version 1.2 (patchlevel 9).

This GNU Emacs major mode implements editing a structured file (i.e. a file with 'records' and 'fields' in it) using a forms. It is fully documented in the source file 'forms.el' and in the texinfo file 'forms.texinfo'.

This kit contains:

README - this file MANIFEST - list of files forms.el - the lisp source forms.texinfo - texinfo file forms-passwd - simple demo using /etc/passwd forms-demo - advanced demo using 'forms-data' forms-data - data for forms-demo

Load the lisp source, and execute

forms-find-file forms-passwd

to look at your password file in a unconventional (but read-only) way.

forms-find-file forms-demo

gives you something to clobber with data and multi-line fields.

This program has been donated to the Free Software Foundation to be part of their GNU Emacs programming system.

Have fun!

Johan Vromans <jv@mh.nl>

HISTORY -------

1.2.9 Released: Jan 14, 1992

* Add LCD entry for the lisp archive.

* Add (provide 'forms) but retain (provide 'forms-mode) for compatibility.

* Changed the names of the files so they all start with 'forms'. To ease integration with the GNU Emacs sources.

1.2.7 Released: Jul 1, 1991

New features: * Is it now possible to define a function `forms-modified-record-filter' in the control file, that gets called when a new record is created. It can be used to change values in fields.

* The filter functions may also point to a function.

* Support for functions and lisp symbols in forms-format-list.

* Function forms-enumerate can be helpful when defining 'symbolic names' for fields.

* 'demo2' has been enhanced to exploit most of the new features.

Misc.: * Internally optimized the forms-format-list.

* Added support for debugging.

* Stripped duplicate documentation.

1.2.3 Released: May 21, 1991

Fixed bug: * Make argument to scroll-{up,down} &optional.

1.2.2 Released: May 20, 1991

Fixed bug: * The modifications to the last field of a form were not handled correctly if that field was not followed by fixed text.

1.2.1 Released: Sep 18, 1990

New feature: * Is it now possible to define a function `forms-new-record-filter' in the control file, that gets called when a new record is created. It can be used to insert default values in fields. Thanks to Harald Hanche-Olsen <hanche@imf.unit.no> .

Fixed bugs: * `save-buffer' was redefined as (interactive "P"). This should have been (interactive "p"). Thanks to Jonathan Kamens <jik@pit-manager.MIT.EDU> . * `forms--checkmod' was not called often enough to prevent modified records from getting lost in spurious situations. Thanks to u502sou@mpirbn.uucp (Ignatios Souvatzis). * When updating a new record, sometimes it got prepended to the next record. Thanks to several users.

Other modifications: * Harald Hanche-Olsen <hanche@imf.unit.no> rewrote forms--make-format and forms--make-parser to use the more standard backquote construct.

And finally: * Ignatios Souvatzis wrote a forms routine to sort a file on selected fields. I did not include it because I don't think that sorting belongs to the functionality of forms-mode. Ignatios wrote me:

as i didn't want to look up the man page for /bin/sort, i wrote a sort function for you forms mode. You may include it in your next distribution to the net or FSF, if you want (as long as there remains a trace of who wrote that ~30 lines). Else tell me please so that i can post the sort code myself.