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MG(1)			  BSD General Commands Manual			 MG(1)

NAME
     mg — emacs-like text editor

SYNOPSIS
     mg [-n] [-f mode] [+number] [file ...]

DESCRIPTION
     mg is intended to be a small, fast, and portable editor for people who
     can't (or don't want to) run emacs for one reason or another, or are not
     familiar with the vi(1) editor.  It is compatible with emacs because
     there shouldn't be any reason to learn more editor types than emacs or
     vi(1).

     The options are as follows:

     +number
	     Go to the line specified by number (do not insert a space between
	     the ‘+’ sign and the number).  If a negative number is specified,
	     the line number counts backwards from the end of the file i.e.
	     +-1 will be the last line of the file, +-2 will be second last,
	     and so on.

     -f mode
	     Run the mode command for all buffers created from arguments on
	     the command line, including the scratch buffer and all files.

     -n	     Turn off backup file generation.

WINDOWS AND BUFFERS
     When a file is loaded into mg, it is stored in a buffer.  This buffer may
     be displayed on the screen in more than one window.  At present, windows
     may only be split horizontally, so each window is delineated by a mode‐
     line at the bottom.  If changes are made to a buffer, it will be
     reflected in all open windows.

POINT AND MARK
     The current cursor location in mg is called the point (or dot).  It is
     possible to define a window-specific region of text by setting a second
     location, called the mark.	 The region is the text between point and mark
     inclusive.	 Deleting the character at the mark position leaves the mark
     at the point of deletion.

     Note: The point and mark are window-specific in mg, not buffer-specific,
     as in other emacs flavours.

DEFAULT KEY BINDINGS
     Normal editing commands are very similar to Gnu Emacs.  In the following
     examples, C-x means control-X, and M-x means Meta-X, where the Meta key
     may be either a special key on your keyboard or the ALT key; otherwise
     ESC followed by the key X works as well.

     C-SPC	 set-mark-command
     C-a	 beginning-of-line
     C-b	 backward-char
     C-d	 delete-char
     C-e	 end-of-line
     C-f	 forward-char
     C-g	 keyboard-quit
     C-h C-h	 help-help
     C-h a	 apropos
     C-h b	 describe-bindings
     C-h c	 describe-key-briefly
     C-j	 newline-and-indent
     C-k	 kill-line
     C-l	 recenter
     RET	 newline
     C-n	 next-line
     C-o	 open-line
     C-p	 previous-line
     C-q	 quoted-insert
     C-r	 isearch-backward
     C-s	 isearch-forward
     C-t	 transpose-chars
     C-u	 universal-argument
     C-v	 scroll-up
     C-w	 kill-region
     C-x C-b	 list-buffers
     C-x C-c	 save-buffers-kill-emacs
     C-x C-f	 find-file
     C-x C-g	 keyboard-quit
     C-x C-l	 downcase-region
     C-x C-o	 delete-blank-lines
     C-x C-q	 toggle-read-only
     C-x C-r	 find-file-read-only
     C-x C-s	 save-buffer
     C-x C-u	 upcase-region
     C-x C-v	 find-alternate-file
     C-x C-w	 write-file
     C-x C-x	 exchange-point-and-mark
     C-x (	 start-kbd-macro
     C-x)	 end-kbd-macro
     C-x 0	 delete-window
     C-x 1	 delete-other-windows
     C-x 2	 split-window-vertically
     C-x 4 C-f	 find-file-other-window
     C-x 4 C-g	 keyboard-quit
     C-x 4 b	 switch-to-buffer-other-window
     C-x 4 f	 find-file-other-window
     C-x =	 what-cursor-position
     C-x ^	 enlarge-window
     C-x `	 next-error
     C-x b	 switch-to-buffer
     C-x d	 dired
     C-x e	 call-last-kbd-macro
     C-x f	 set-fill-column
     C-x g	 goto-line
     C-x i	 insert-file
     C-x k	 kill-buffer
     C-x n	 other-window
     C-x o	 other-window
     C-x p	 previous-window
     C-x s	 save-some-buffers
     C-x u	 undo
     C-y	 yank
     C-z	 suspend-emacs
     M-C-v	 scroll-other-window
     M-SPC	 just-one-space
     M-%	 query-replace
     M-<	 beginning-of-buffer
     M->	 end-of-buffer
     M-\	 delete-horizontal-space
     M-b	 backward-word
     M-c	 capitalize-word
     M-d	 kill-word
     M-f	 forward-word
     M-l	 downcase-word
     M-q	 fill-paragraph
     M-r	 search-backward
     M-s	 search-forward
     M-u	 upcase-word
     M-v	 scroll-down
     M-w	 copy-region-as-kill
     M-x	 execute-extended-command
     M-{	 backward-paragraph
     M-}	 forward-paragraph
     M-~	 not-modified
     M-DEL	 backward-kill-word
     C-_	 undo
     )		 blink-and-insert
     DEL	 delete-backward-char

     For a complete description of mg commands, see MG COMMANDS.  To see the
     active keybindings at any time, type “M-x describe-bindings”.

MG COMMANDS
     Commands are invoked by “M-x”, or by binding to a key.  Many commands
     take an optional numerical parameter, n.  This parameter is set either by
     M-<n> (where n is the numerical argument) before the command, or by one
     or more invocations of the universal argument, usually bound to C-U.
     When invoked in this manner, the value of the numeric parameter to be
     passed is displayed in the minibuffer before the M-x.  One common use of
     the parameter is in mode toggles (e.g. make-backup-files).	 If no parame‐
     ter is supplied, the mode is toggled to its alternate state.  If a posi‐
     tive parameter is supplied, the mode is forced to on.  Otherwise, it is
     forced to off.

     apropos
	    Help Apropos.  Prompt the user for a string, open the *help* buf‐
	    fer, and list all mg commands that contain that string.

     auto-execute
	    Register an auto-execute hook; that is, specify a filename pattern
	    (conforming to the shell's filename globbing rules) and an associ‐
	    ated function to execute when a file matching the specified pat‐
	    tern is read into a buffer.

     auto-fill-mode
	    Toggle auto-fill mode (sometimes called mail-mode), where text
	    inserted past the fill column is automatically wrapped to a new
	    line.

     auto-indent-mode
	    Toggle indent mode, where indentation is preserved after a new‐
	    line.

     backward-char
	    Move cursor backwards one character.

     backward-kill-word
	    Kill text backwards by n words.

     backward-paragraph
	    Move cursor backwards n paragraphs.	 Paragraphs are delimited by
	    <NL><NL> or <NL><TAB> or <NL><SPACE>.

     backward-word
	    Move cursor backwards by the specified number of words.

     beginning-of-buffer
	    Move cursor to the top of the buffer.

     beginning-of-line
	    Move cursor to the beginning of the line.

     blink-and-insert
	    Self-insert a character, then search backwards and blink its
	    matching delimeter.	 For delimeters other than parenthesis, brack‐
	    ets, and braces, the character itself is used as its own match.

     bsmap-mode
	    Toggle bsmap mode, where DEL and c-H are swapped.

     c-mode
	    Toggle a KNF-compliant mode for editing C program files.

     call-last-kbd-macro
	    Invoke the keyboard macro.

     capitalize-word
	    Capitalize n words; i.e. convert the first character of the word
	    to upper case, and subsequent letters to lower case.

     cd	    Change the global working directory.  See also global-wd-mode.

     copy-region-as-kill
	    Copy all of the characters in the region to the kill buffer,
	    clearing the mark afterwards.  This is a bit like a kill-region
	    followed by a yank.

     count-matches
	    Count the number of lines matching the supplied regular expres‐
	    sion.

     count-non-matches
	    Count the number of lines not matching the supplied regular
	    expression.

     define-key
	    Prompts the user for a named keymap (mode), a key, and an mg com‐
	    mand, then creates a keybinding in the appropriate map.

     delete-backward-char
	    Delete backwards n characters.  Like delete-char, this actually
	    does a kill if presented with an argument.

     delete-blank-lines
	    Delete blank lines around dot.  If dot is sitting on a blank line,
	    this command deletes all the blank lines above and below the cur‐
	    rent line.	Otherwise, it deletes all of the blank lines after the
	    current line.

     delete-char
	    Delete n characters forward.  If any argument is present, it kills
	    rather than deletes, saving the result in the kill buffer.

     delete-horizontal-space
	    Delete any whitespace around the dot.

     delete-leading-space
	    Delete leading whitespace on the current line.

     delete-trailing-space
	    Delete trailing whitespace on the current line.

     delete-matching-lines
	    Delete all lines after dot that contain a string matching the sup‐
	    plied regular expression.

     delete-non-matching-lines
	    Delete all lines after dot that contain a string matching the sup‐
	    plied regular expression.

     delete-other-windows
	    Make the current window the only window visible on the screen.

     delete-window
	    Delete current window.

     describe-bindings
	    List all global and local keybindings, putting the result in the
	    *help* buffer.

     describe-key-briefly
	    Read a key from the keyboard, and look it up in the keymap.	 Dis‐
	    play the name of the function currently bound to the key.

     digit-argument
	    Process a numerical argument for keyboard-invoked functions.

     downcase-region
	    Set all characters in the region to lower case.

     downcase-word
	    Set characters to lower case, starting at the dot, and ending n
	    words away.

     emacs-version
	    Return an mg version string.

     end-kbd-macro
	    Stop defining a keyboard macro.

     end-of-buffer
	    Move cursor to the end of the buffer.

     end-of-line
	    Move cursor to the end of the line.

     enlarge-window
	    Enlarge the current window by shrinking either the window above or
	    below it.

     eval-current-buffer
	    Evaluate the current buffer as a series of mg commands.  Useful
	    for testing mg startup files.

     eval-expression
	    Get one line from the user, and run it.  Useful for testing
	    expressions in mg startup files.

     exchange-point-and-mark
	    Swap the values of "dot" and "mark" in the current window.	Return
	    an error if no mark is set.

     execute-extended-command
	    Invoke an extended command; i.e. M-x.  Call the message line rou‐
	    tine to read in the command name and apply autocompletion to it.
	    When it comes back, look the name up in the symbol table and run
	    the command if it is found, passing arguments as necessary.	 Print
	    an error if there is anything wrong.

     fill-paragraph
	    Justify a paragraph, wrapping text at the current fill column.

     find-file
	    Select a file for editing.	First check if you can find the file
	    in another buffer; if you can find it, just switch to the buffer.
	    If you cannot find the file, create a new buffer, read in the file
	    from disk, and switch to the new buffer.

     find-file-read-only
	    Same as find-file, except the new buffer is set to read-only.

     find-alternate-file
	    Replace the current file with an alternate one.  Semantics for
	    finding the replacement file are the same as find-file, except the
	    current buffer is killed before the switch.	 If the kill fails, or
	    is aborted, revert to the original file.

     find-file-other-window
	    Opens the specified file in a second buffer.  Splits the current
	    window if necessary.

     forward-char
	    Move cursor forwards (or backwards, if n is negative) n charac‐
	    ters.  Returns an error if the end of buffer is reached.

     forward-paragraph
	    Move forward n paragraphs.	Paragraphs are delimited by <NL><NL>
	    or <NL><TAB> or <NL><SPACE>.

     forward-word
	    Move the cursor forward by the specified number of words.

     global-set-key
	    Bind a key in the global (fundamental) key map.

     global-unset-key
	    Unbind a key from the global (fundamental) key map; i.e. set it to
	    'rescan'.

     global-wd-mode
	    Toggle global working-directory mode.  When enabled, mg defaults
	    to opening files (and executing commands like compile and grep)
	    relative to the global working directory.  When disabled, a work‐
	    ing directory is set for each buffer.

     goto-line
	    Go to a specific line.  If an argument is present, then it is the
	    line number, else prompt for a line number to use.

     help-help
	    Prompts for one of (a)propos, (b)indings, des(c)ribe key briefly.

     insert
	    Insert a string, mainly for use from macros.

     insert-buffer
	    Insert the contents of another buffer at dot.

     insert-file
	    Insert a file into the current buffer at dot.

     insert-with-wrap
	    Insert the bound character with word wrap.	Check to see if we're
	    past the fill column, and if so, justify this line.

     isearch-backward
	    Use incremental searching, initially in the reverse direction.
	    isearch ignores any explicit arguments.  If invoked during macro
	    definition or evaluation, the non-incremental search-backward is
	    invoked instead.

     isearch-forward
	    Use incremental searching, initially in the forward direction.
	    isearch ignores any explicit arguments.  If invoked during macro
	    definition or evaluation, the non-incremental search-forward is
	    invoked instead.

     just-one-space
	    Delete any whitespace around dot, then insert a space.

     keyboard-quit
	    Abort the current action.

     kill-buffer
	    Dispose of a buffer, by name.  Prompt the user if the buffer has
	    been changed.

     kill-line
	    Kill line.	If called without an argument, it kills from dot to
	    the end of the line, unless it is at the end of the line, when it
	    kills the newline.	If called with an argument of 0, it kills from
	    the start of the line to dot.  If called with a positive argument,
	    it kills from dot forward over that number of newlines.  If called
	    with a negative argument it kills any text before dot on the cur‐
	    rent line, then it kills back abs(n) lines.

     kill-paragraph
	    Delete n paragraphs starting with the current one.

     kill-region
	    Kill the currently defined region.

     kill-word
	    Delete forward n words.

     line-number-mode
	    Toggle whether line and column numbers are displayed in the mode‐
	    line.

     list-buffers
	    Display the list of available buffers.

     load   Prompt the user for a filename, and then execute commands from
	    that file.

     local-set-key
	    Bind a key mapping in the local (topmost) mode.

     local-unset-key
	    Unbind a key mapping in the local (topmost) mode.

     make-backup-files
	    Toggle generation of backup files.

     meta-key-mode
	    When disabled, the meta key can be used to insert extended-ascii
	    (8-bit) characters.	 When enabled, the meta key acts as usual.

     negative-argument
	    Process a negative argument for keyboard-invoked functions.

     newline
	    Insert a newline into the current buffer.

     newline-and-indent
	    Insert a newline, then enough tabs and spaces to duplicate the
	    indentation of the previous line.  Assumes tabs are every eight
	    characters.

     next-line
	    Move forward n lines.

     no-tab-mode
	    Toggle notab mode.	In this mode, spaces are inserted rather than
	    tabs.

     not-modified
	    Turn off the modified flag in the current buffer.

     open-line
	    Open up some blank space.  Essentially, insert n newlines, then
	    back up over them.

     other-window
	    The command to make the next (down the screen) window the current
	    window.  There are no real errors, although the command does noth‐
	    ing if there is only 1 window on the screen.

     overwrite-mode
	    Toggle overwrite mode, where typing in a buffer overwrites exist‐
	    ing characters rather than inserting them.

     prefix-region
	    Inserts a prefix string before each line of a region.  The prefix
	    string is settable by using 'set-prefix-string'.

     previous-line
	    Move backwards n lines.

     previous-window
	    This command makes the previous (up the screen) window the current
	    window.  There are no errors, although the command does not do a
	    lot if there is only 1 window.

     push-shell
	    Suspend mg and switch to alternate screen, if available.

     pwd    Display current (global) working directory in the status area.

     query-replace
	    Query Replace.  Search and replace strings selectively, prompting
	    after each match.

     replace-string
	    Replace string globally without individual prompting.

     query-replace-regexp
	    Replace strings selectively.  Does a search and replace operation
	    using regular expressions for both patterns.

     quoted-insert
	    Insert the next character verbatim into the current buffer; i.e.
	    ignore any function bound to that key.

     re-search-again
	    Perform a regular expression search again, using the same search
	    string and direction as the last search command.

     re-search-backward
	    Search backwards using a regular expression.  Get a search string
	    from the user, and search, starting at dot and proceeding toward
	    the front of the buffer.  If found, dot is left pointing at the
	    first character of the pattern [the last character that was
	    matched].

     re-search-forward
	    Search forward using a regular expression.	Get a search string
	    from the user and search for it starting at dot.  If found, move
	    dot to just after the matched characters.  display does all the
	    hard stuff.	 If not found, it just prints a message.

     recenter
	    Reposition dot in the current window.  By default, the dot is cen‐
	    tered.  If given a positive argument (n), the display is reposi‐
	    tioned to line n.  If n is negative, it is that line from the bot‐
	    tom.

     redraw-display
	    Refresh the display.  Recomputes all window sizes in case some‐
	    thing has changed.

     save-buffer
	    Save the contents of the current buffer if it has been changed,
	    optionally creating a backup copy.

     save-buffers-kill-emacs
	    Offer to save modified buffers and quit mg.

     save-some-buffers
	    Look through the list of buffers, offering to save any buffer that
	    has been changed.  Buffers that are not associated with files
	    (such as *scratch*, *grep*, *compile*) are ignored.

     scroll-down
	    Scroll backwards n pages.  A two-line overlap between pages is
	    assumed.  If given a repeat argument, scrolls back lines, not
	    pages.

     scroll-one-line-down
	    Scroll the display down n lines without changing the cursor posi‐
	    tion.

     scroll-one-line-up
	    Scroll the display n lines up without moving the cursor position.

     scroll-other-window
	    Scroll the next window in the window list window forward n pages.

     scroll-up
	    Scroll forward one page.  A two-line overlap between pages is
	    assumed.  If given a repeat argument, scrolls back lines, not
	    pages.

     search-again
	    Search again, using the same search string and direction as the
	    last search command.

     search-backward
	    Reverse search.  Get a search string from the user, and search,
	    starting at dot and proceeding toward the front of the buffer.  If
	    found, dot is left pointing at the first character of the pattern
	    (the last character that was matched).

     search-forward
	    Search forward.  Get a search string from the user, and search for
	    it starting at dot.	 If found, dot gets moved to just after the
	    matched characters, if not found, print a message.

     self-insert-command
	    Insert a character.

     set-case-fold-search
	    Set case-fold searching, causing case nopt to matter in regular
	    expression searches.  This is the default.

     set-default-mode
	    Append the supplied mode to the list of default modes used by sub‐
	    sequent buffer creation.  Built in modes include: fill, indent,
	    overwrite, and notab.

     set-fill-column
	    Prompt the user for a fill column.	Used by auto-fill-mode.

     set-mark-command
	    Sets the mark in the current window to the current dot location.

     set-prefix-string
	    Sets the prefix string to be used by the 'prefix-region' command.

     shrink-window
	    Shrink current window by one line.	The window immediately below
	    is expanded to pick up the slack.  If only one window is present,
	    this command has no effect.

     space-to-tabstop
	    Insert enough spaces to reach the next tab-stop position.  By
	    default, tab-stops occur every 8 characters.

     split-window-vertically
	    Split the current window.  A window smaller than 3 lines cannot be
	    split.

     start-kbd-macro
	    Start defining a keyboard macro.  Macro definition is ended by
	    invoking end-kbd-macro.

     suspend-emacs
	    Suspend mg and switch back to alternate screen, if in use.

     switch-to-buffer
	    Prompt and switch to a new buffer in the current window.

     switch-to-buffer-other-window
	    Switch to buffer in another window.

     toggle-read-only
	    Toggle the read-only flag on the current buffer.

     transpose-chars
	    Transpose the two characters on either side of dot.	 If dot is at
	    the end of the line, transpose the two characters before it.
	    Return with an error if dot is at the beginning of line; it seems
	    to be a bit pointless to make this work.

     undo   Undo the most recent action.  If invoked again without an inter‐
	    vening command, move the undo pointer to the previous action and
	    undo it.

     undo-boundary
	    Add an undo boundary.  This is not usually done interactively.

     undo-boundary-toggle
	    Toggle whether undo boundaries are generated.  Undo boundaries are
	    often disabled before operations that should be considered atomi‐
	    cally undoable.

     undo-enable
	    Toggle whether undo information is kept.

     undo-list
	    Show the undo records for the current buffer in a new buffer.

     universal-argument
	    Repeat the next command 4 times.  Usually bound to C-u.  This com‐
	    mand may be stacked; e.g. C-u C-u C-f moves the cursor forward 16
	    characters.

     upcase-region
	    Upper case region.	Change all of the lower case characters in the
	    region to upper case.

     upcase-word
	    Move the cursor forward by the specified number of words.  As you
	    move, convert any characters to upper case.

     what-cursor-position
	    Display a bunch of useful information about the current location
	    of dot.  The character under the cursor (in octal), the current
	    line, row, and column, and approximate position of the cursor in
	    the file (as a percentage) is displayed.  The column position
	    assumes an infinite position display; it does not truncate just
	    because the screen does.

     write-file
	    Ask for a file name and write the contents of the current buffer
	    to that file.  Update the remembered file name and clear the buf‐
	    fer changed flag.

     yank   Yank text from kill-buffer.	 Unlike emacs, the mg kill buffer con‐
	    sists only of the most recent kill.	 It is not a ring.

CONFIGURATION FILES
     There are two configuration files, .mg, and .mg-TERM.  Here, TERM repre‐
     sents the name of your terminal type; e.g., if your terminal type is set
     to “vt100”, mg will use .mg-vt100 as a startup file.  The terminal type
     startup file is used first.

     The startup file format is a list of commands, one per line, as used for
     interactive evaluation.  Strings that are normally entered by the user at
     any subsequent prompts may be specified after the command name; e.g.:

	   global-set-key ")" self-insert-command
	   global-set-key "\^x\^f" find-file
	   global-set-key "\e[Z" backward-char
	   set-default-mode fill
	   set-fill-column 72
	   auto-execute *.c c-mode

FILES
     ~/.mg	 normal startup file
     ~/.mg-TERM	 terminal-specific startup file

SEE ALSO
     vi(1)

CAVEATS
     Since it is written completely in C, there is currently no language in
     which you can write extensions; however, you can rebind keys and change
     certain parameters in startup files.

     In order to use 8-bit characters (such as German umlauts), the Meta key
     needs to be disabled via the “meta-key-mode” command.

BSD				March 28, 2024				   BSD
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