
                                 V197NEW.TXT
                                 -----------
                               VDE update news:
                          version 1.97, 25 Aug 2021

                              (c)2021, E. Meyer


 =============================== CURRENT NEWS ================================


                                ABOUT VDE 1.97

     It seems useful once again to update VDE and its documentation, mainly to 
 optimize performance under different Windows versions and DOS emulators, and 
 to make file mode /T work the way recent versions of Notepad do.  I continue 
 to use VDE on a daily basis myself, and am always glad to hear from others 
 who still find it equally useful.


                                 VDE ONLINE

     VDE can be found on various software download websites, although they may 
 not always have the latest version.  As of April 2009, VDE has an official 
 online home at:

              http://groups.google.com/group/vde_editor/web/home-page
        and   http://sites.google.com/site/vdeeditor/Home

 The latest uploads direct from the author, information and usage tips, 
 related utilities, and useful macros are available for downloading.  There is 
 a discussion area, which can be subscribed to as an email list if desired.  
 This site, set up by Dennis McCunney, meets needs previously served by Steve 
 Adelewitz's Short Stop website and Ben Cohen's VDE mailing list on Topica.  
 My thanks to everyone who has helped over all these years; may you continue 
 to enjoy DOS software.



 =============================== UPDATE GUIDE ================================


     Users of previous versions of VDE will notice the following changes in 
 operation.  Please refer to the instructions (VDE.TXT) for full details.


                                NEW IN VDE 1.97

     * The ^PgDn,^PgUp keys will now cross a segment boundary in large files 
 when the cursor is at the end or beginning of a segment.  (Previously this 
 would have required AltN,^Home or AltB,^End.)  Also, blank space at the end 
 of a non-final segment now displays in a different color, to distinguish it 
 visually from the actual end of the file.

     * A new command Esc*g can defeat the adaptive feature of VDE's auto- 
 formatting, reverting to the simpler autoformat behavior (fixed margins etc) 
 of versions prior to 1.95.  See AUTOFORMAT.

     * VDE now automatically recognizes UTF-8 or -16 files with a Byte Order 
 Mark (as created now by Notepad) as mode /T, and writes a BOM again when 
 saving (though it writes only UTF-8, not 16).  See FILE MODES.

     * Under vDOSplus, the mouse wheel can now be used to scroll text in VDE 
 at a nice rate if WHEELMOD=6 is set in CONFIG.  Glitches involving filenames 
 and dates in vDOSplus have been addressed.  See DOS EMULATORS.

     * Small improvements have been made over time to many commands and 
 displays.  Keys that conflicted with Windows (^Esc, @Tab) have finally been 
 removed, along with DESQview support.  Documentation has been revised to 
 cover increasing use of DOS emulators in 64-bit Windows (see BEYOND DOS).



 ========================= RECENT UPDATE SUMMARIES ===========================

                             VDE 1.96 (Aug 2009)

     * A new AltA command composes accented/special characters conveniently, 
 by pressing AltA-letter or AltA-letter-accent; see GRAPHICS.
     * The clipboard cut/paste keys ^[, ^] now work in WinNT/2K/XP also, using 
 the CLIPTEXT utility.  See CLIPBOARD.
     * A new file mode /R supports Rich Text Format (RTF), including a variety 
 of print effects and paragraph indentation.  A new VINST option allows choice 
 of character set.  Mode /T can now read Windows UTF-16 files.  Mode /F has 
 been substantially improved.  The option for protected (Read/Only) has been 
 changed from /R to /O.  See FILE MODES.
     * Performance under WinNT/2K/XP has been improved, with lower CPU use and 
 faster printing.  Obsolete EGA/VGA video features have been removed.  There 
 is no longer a VINST option to swap [CapsLock] and [Ctrl] keys; for 
 recommended approaches in DOS or Windows, see CTRL KEY.

                             VDE 1.95 (Aug 2007)

     * AutoFormat mode (^OM) now automatically adopts existing margin 
 (left/right), line spacing (single/double), and justification settings as the 
 cursor moves through the text.  Formatting is preserved during editing, 
 including replacements throughout a file.  This is a novel, unique feature 
 for a text editor, and a significant change; you may find the ruler line 
 (^OT) helpful at first in understanding how autoformat now works.
     * A new command ^OW is provided for manual use when AF is off; it sets 
 the margins, spacing, and justification according to the current paragraph.
     * Find/replace (^QF/^QA) now offer a new "Adaptive" mode to handle search 
 string case, selected under Options in VINST: it treats search strings 
 entered in lowercase as case-insensitive, and those with any capital letters 
 as case-sensitive.
     * AltK (file info) now gives the total word count and size of an entire 
 file, not just a single segment.  The [Enter] key now cycles through items 
 within the AltK display, while ^[Enter] exits.
     * File mode /X now reads Unix/Linux text files; VDE no longer supports 
 XyWrite/NotaBene format, though such files can still be loaded in /U mode.
     * Clipboard copy ^[ preserves indentation better, and ^] now formats 
 pasted text.  Esc*b now controls only clipboard character translation; 
 de/reformatting occurs in document file modes.
     * Before prompting for a data file name to read, VINST now lists .VDx 
 files available in the directories in its search path.

                             VDE 1.94 (Oct 2004)

     * A new command AltZ (purge) instantly quits all unchanged files.
     * New navigation commands: Esc| marks a file/segment to return to, Esc\ 
 returns to it, and Esc/ goes to it while marking the one it just left 
 instead.  Esc. (Esc-period) tests whether a segment is marked.  (The previous 
 Esc/ command "adjust value" has now become Esc#.)
     * MS Word files loaded with mode /M now engage protected mode (R/O), and 
 can't be modified or saved until renamed (^KE) to another format.
     * Minor changes and improvements: AltO (Overview) now scrolls the text 
 while the cursor moves along the bar.  AltQ (Quit) now lists changed files 
 when prompting to abandon them.  ^KS (Save) no longer asks whether you want 
 to save an unchanged file anyway; it just reports "No change".  When the 
 Browser is invoked directly with ^KF, [Enter] now adds a file (like [F1]).  
 ^KE (rEname) now takes the current file mode as default, and changes /M 
 (which VDE can't write) to /T.  Word-oriented commands no longer treat 
 punctuation as wordbreaks, and ^F/^A no longer stop on hard CRs.  The 
 available space for function key definitions in VDE/VINST has been doubled.
     * Further improvements [1.94A-B]: ^R filename replay now includes mode/ 
 options.  Case-insensitive replace (^QA) now matches the case of changed 
 strings.  /M mode can read more MS Word files.

                             VDE 1.93 (Aug 2001)

     * VDE now uses and accepts Long File Names on the command line or at 
 prompts, and displays them with AltK or the Browser (current item).
     * The Caps/Ctrl key feature now requires pressing Shift together with 
 CapsLock to toggle caps lock.
     * Minor improvements [1.93A-D]: /M mode can read larger MSWord files.  
 Generic pasting of text into VDE no longer requires keyboard delay or 
 disabling of "fast paste".  AltE-A once again provides a more attractive 
 large font.  The Browser can list more files.

                             VDE 1.92 (Oct 2000)

     * New commands ^[ (copy) and ^] (paste) access the Windows clipboard; a 
 new toggle Esc*b controls translation between DOS and Windows formats.
     * AltC (Cut) now also removes the block; a new command AltY (copY) copies 
 a block into the paste buffer without removing it.
     * The file's Windows LFN displays when the AltK command is used, or when 
 ^PF (rather than ^F) is used in a print header.
     * The [Del] key can now be used immediately after marking a block with 
 the Shift-arrow keys or mouse, to delete the block.
     * Print (^KP) has a new option "J", to force a page to eject after block 
 print or zoom mode printing when it wouldn't otherwise.
     * A new macro command Esc** saves several critical values (Insert, 
 Autoformat, and Margin release) for restoration when the macro ends.
     * New macro test/jump commands Esc[ and Esc], followed by a label, jump 
 if there are any previous or following segments of the current file.
     * VINST offers a new Installation choice to turn off VDE's Ctrl/Caps key 
 feature.  Two former VINST Options have been removed: "Use ^Z as EOF" and 
 "Cut deletes block".

                             VDE 1.91 (Apr 2000)

     * While using VDE, the [CapsLock] key now also automatically acts as 
 [Ctrl] if you combine it with another key.
     * Windows 95/98 Long File Names are now preserved when changes are saved 
 to an existing file.
     * /M file mode has been improved, and now reads the new file format 
 introduced with the latest version of Microsoft Word.

                              VDE 1.9 (Nov 1999)

     * Larger files can now be edited in multiple segments.  This is a major 
 change; please read the instructions on LARGE FILES and SEGMENTATION.
     * A new AltS command performs a global Save on all modified files being 
 edited (unless untitled or protected).
     * AltW now handles all windowing, within a file or between two files (^OW 
 is gone).  AltM (Match) can now be used within a single file.
     * You can now change the default file mode and/or margins for a VDE 
 session by specifying an option on the command line before any filenames.
     * Minor improvements: The Right/Left arrow keys again have the behavior 
 they had before version 1.87A.  Column block toggles ^KN,^KI are now fully 
 independent.  Overflow graphics are now replaced by ^G.



 ============================= VERSION HISTORY ===============================

        1984-1987: Development of Video Display Editor for CP/M computers.
 VDE 1.0  (Dec87): First MSDOS release, for IBM PC compatibles only.
     1.01 (Dec87): Faster; several bug fixes; minor changes to VINST.
     1.1  (Jan88): Edits 2 files; AltE; AltT,D; DOS shell; generic ANSI inst.
     1.2  (Mar88): AltW; AltM; Split; ^OQ; ^QT,^QI; AltG; [F]-keys; wordcount.
     1.21 (May88): Auto indent; enhanced ^OI; ^PL is pagebreak.
     1.22 (Aug88): AltO; AltA; AltI; append to files; enhanced ^KP, display.
     1.3  (Jan89): 6 files; AltC,P; AltV; improved ^QA,^U; /5 mode (now /S).
     1.31 (Mar89): ^K#; ^KZ; macro keys A-Z; AltU; ^OD.
     1.4  (Jul89): MenuBars; macro record; proportional format/print mode.
     1.5  (Dec89): 8 files; ^KA; enhanced ^KF,^QF, AltF; uses less memory.
     1.51 (Mar90): /P,/X file modes; word insert; improved ^OK mode.
     1.52 (Apr90): Various small improvements and fixes.
     1.53 (May90): ^QL,N; /M mode; foreign language/KEYBxx compatibility.
     1.54 (Sep90): Small improvements; supports enhanced keyboard, F11/F12.
     1.6  (Dec90): AUTO FORMAT; Justify; ^OG; {User}; /U; improved ^U, ^OD.
     1.61 (Mar91): Envelope printer; /C mode; enhanced AltE, block marking.
     1.62 (Oct91): Supports UltraVision, HP95LX palmtop.
     1.63 (Jun92): Autoexec macro; ^\ (now ^H); enhanced ^QF,^OI,^KF,^KA etc.
     1.64 (Aug92): "W"ord find; dual /D,/A modes; DESQview aware.
     1.65 (Feb93): Protected mode ^KO; Browser can tag files; [goto#] option.
     1.7  (Jun93): SPELLING CHECKER; ^OU; HP100LX. PC compatibles only, again.
     1.71 (Oct93): Esc?, Esc: for macro input; small improvements.
     1.72 (Jan94): Reads WordPerfect 6 files; small improvements.
     1.73 (Aug94): ^[Del]; [gotostring] option; small improvements.
     1.8  (Aug95): COLUMN BLOCKS ^KN,^KI; mouse; ^OY, Esc*S; ^KU; ^Tab, ^\.
     1.81 (Sep96): Indent ^OO; Esc/ (now Esc#); load option /1-8; etc.
     1.82 (Jan97): Esc*L; /L mode; various small improvements and fixes.
     1.83 (May97): Esc*t; Esc*U; Esc@; Esc(H,T); many small improvements.
     1.84 (Sep97): Esc*m; more ^K# options; small improvements.
     1.85 (Jan98): Improved Macros (^M), browser; prompt line editing; VESA.
     1.86 (Jun98): ^KT; improved proportional mode, ^KP, ^KN, browser, etc.
     1.87 (Jan99): Input direction ^I; /T mode; improved browser, etc.
     1.9  (Nov99): EDITS LARGER FILES; AltS; improved windowing, etc.
     1.91 (Apr00): CapsLock/Ctrl key; preserves Win9x LFNs; improved /M mode.
     1.92 (Oct00): Windows Clipboard ^[,^]; AltY; Esc**; Esc[,]; etc.
     1.93 (Aug01): LFNs now accepted as filenames; Caps/Ctrl revised.
     1.94 (Oct04): AltZ; Esc|,\,/; /M mode revised; small improvements/fixes.
     1.95 (Aug07): Permanent autoformat; ^OW; adaptive-case search; etc.
     1.96 (Aug09): AltA = Accent; RTF file mode /R; improved modes /T,/F; etc.
     1.97 (Aug21): Esc*g; ^PgUp/Dn cross segments; UTF-8/16 BOM; etc.


 ==================================[end]======================================
