Robelle Tech: New Column Handling in Qedit

September 2003

Get the most out of your Robelle Tools

New Column Handling in Qedit

By François Desrochers

Recently, we received a number of questions related to column operations in Qedit. Some people used QUAD (a contributed library editor) on the HP 3000 and were transitioning to an HP 9000. They found themselves without their favorite editor as QUAD is not available on HP-UX. They turned to Qedit but quickly discovered that Qedit missed some QUAD features. More specifically, they were looking for an easy way to copy or move columns on a single line.

Although this could be done with Qedit command files, this solution had limitations. We, at Robelle, decided to provide the functionality as Qedit native commands. That’s how the Colcopy and Colmove commands came to be. Since people were already familiar with QUAD’s operation, we decided to match its implementation as closely as possible.

Copy Columns

The syntax for the Colcopy command is COLCOPY source [ /source2 ] destination1 [ /destination2 ] [ rangelist ]

The Colcopy command copies text in columns specified by source1 and source2 to the destination columns specified by destination1 and destination2 in the lines of rangelist. Even though Colcopy can modify multiple lines using a rangelist, it really operates on one line at a time. The default rangelist is the current line. You cannot copy columns from one line to another, although you can accomplish this with Set Left and Right with the Hold file.

Source and destination columns always represent the original location. All changes are based on that assumption.

If you only specify source1, Qedit copies just that column (length of 1). If you only specify destination1, Qedit inserts the source columns at that location. If you wish to replace a single column, enter a destination range where destination1 and destination2 are the same, e.g., COLCOPY 1 10/10.

/list 1
1 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
/colcopy 1 10 { insert column 1 at column 10 }
1 abcdefghiajklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1 line changed
/colcopy 1/5 10 { insert columns 1/5 at column 10 }
1 abcdefghiabcdejklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1 line changed

If you specify both destination1 and destination2, Qedit replaces the text in these columns with the source text. If the source text is narrower or wider, Qedit shortens or expands the line, as needed.

/colcopy 1 10/15 { copy column 1 to columns 10/15 }
1 abcdefghiapqrstuvwxyz
1 line changed
/colcopy 1/5 10/11 { copy columns 1/5 to 10/11. Line expands. }
1 abcdefghiabcdelmnopqrstuvwxyz
1 line changed
/colcopy 1/5 10/20 { copy columns 1/5 to 10/20. Line shortens. }
1 abcdefghiabcdeuvwxyz
1 line changed

Trailing spaces on the line are not significant. This means that a line can expand until a non-space character reaches the current right margin (Set Right). However, trailing spaces from the source text are significant and are copied in the operation. If the line cannot be expanded further, Qedit displays a warning message and allows the user to modify it.

/list 2
2 abcd efghiabcdeuvwxyz
/colcopy 1/8 20 { insert columns 1/8 at 20 }
1 abcd efghiabcdeabcd uvwxyz
1 line changed
/Set right 30
/colcopy 1/5 30 { insert columns 1/5 at 30 }
Warning: Source columns could not be inserted.
Please modify. (Warning 2)
1 abcd efghiabcdeabcd uvwxyz
1 line modified

When source and destination columns do not overlap, the results are straightforward. If source and destination columns overlap partially or completely, the results might not be as you expect. Keep in mind that:

• Source and destination columns are always based on the original line
• The destination columns are removed
• The source columns are put in their place

Use the COLJ command to give yourself approval over each change before it is updated. With COLJ, Qedit displays the line as it would be and asks you for a Yes, No, or Modify answer.

COBOL tags are short strings stored in columns 73 to 80 of CobX source files. The COBOL tag value is defined using the Set X command. Once enabled, Qedit automatically updates the tag as lines are updated and added. The tags can also be modified manually with custom tag values.
In its regular form, the Colcopy command affects only the text area in COBOL columns 7 to 72. If you wish to make changes to Cobol tags, use the T suffix. You can think of it as the Tag option. This option operates only on the tag area itself, columns 73 to 80.

/ColT 73/74 79/80 all { copies content of columns 73/74 }
{ into columns 79/80
/ColT 73/74 75 all { inserts content of columns 73/74}
{ in column 75. Shifts columns 76/80}

By default, Colcopy displays the lines as they are modified. If you don’t want to the changes, use the Q suffix.

Move Columns

The syntax for the Colmove command is COLMOVE source [ /source2 ] destination1 [ /destination2 ] [ rangelist ]

The Colmove command shares Colcopy’s syntax. It moves text in columns specified by source1 and source2 to the destination columns specified by destination1 and destination2 in the lines of rangelist. But it also removes the source columns from their original location.

A move means the original columns are removed and the line is shifted left. Then the source text is inserted at the destination.

/list 1
1 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
/colmove 1 10 { move column 1 to column 10 }
1 bcdefghiajklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1 line changed
/colmove 1/5 10 { move columns 1/5 to column 10 }
1 fghiabcdejklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1 line changed

When source and destination columns do not overlap, the results are straightforward. If source and destination columns overlap partially or completely, the results might not be as you expect. Keep in mind that:

• Source and destination columns are always based on the original line
• The source columns are removed
• The destination columns are removed
• The source columns are put in their place
Here is an example:

/list 1
1 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
/colm 6/20 15
1 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1 line changed

Apparently, nothing has changed but, in fact, something did happen to the line. Qedit removed the source columns “fghijklmnopqrst” and tried to insert the original text where column 15 used to be. Column 15 was part of the area that has been removed, so Qedit inserts the text where it should have been i.e., between “e” and “u.” So, it’s putting the original text back where it was.

The specified destination columns can exceed the current right margin. In this case, Qedit assumes the columns should be moved to the end of the line. Effectively, the source columns are right-justified at the right margin of the line (see example below). The destination columns do not have a precise value, as long as they are larger than the current right margin. If the right margin is currently set at 80, the following commands yield the same results.

/v right
Set Right 50
/lt2
....+....10...+....20...+....30...+....40...+....5
2 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
/colm 1/5 51
2 fghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcde
1 line changed
/colm 1/5 88/90
2 fghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcde
1 line changed

This feature was added to Qedit for MPE and HP-UX in August 2003 (version 5.4.10). Users on current support can download the new versions (email support@robelle.com).