Short: ed ideas
From: Matthew Julius <julius.2@wright.edu>
Date: Fri, 08 Jan 1999 16:29:08 -0500
Type: Feature
State: Unclassified

Something else from the MudOS CHANGELOG,
	* added a new interface for ed(), which is used if OLD_ED is not
	  defined in options.h
	  . Three new efuns replace ed():
	    string ed_start(string | void, int | void) - start a new ed
	           session on file file.  ed_start(foo, 1) means use
		   restricted mode.  Only one ed session may be started
		   per object.
	    string ed_cmd(string) - send the command line to ed
	    int query_ed_mode() - returns:
	         0 - the current object is at a normal ed prompt (':')
		-1 - the current object isn't in ed
		-2 - the current object is at the more prompt in the
		     middle of help
		>0 - the object is at a prompt for a line.  The number
		     is the line number.
	  . The string result of ed_cmd() and ed_start() is the output
	    that would have been sent to the user
	  . The mudlib is responsible for setting the user's prompt
	    (see query_ed_mode())
This is the right idea, but I really dislike the MudOS interface efuns.  If
compatibility is desired, however, I can't really object much.  Particularly,
my problem is with query_ed_mode(), which I think should return 0 if the
object is not in the editor.  Also, problems exist if it's desired to have
the ed prompt print the current line number.  This looks to be impossible
using query_ed_mode().  The -2 value, being in the middle of ed help, should
be put into ed_cmd().  If ed_cmd() returned the help as a string the mudlib
could determine how to display it--which is nice for users that have more
than 20 lines on their screen.  Like I said, these additions to ed() are
the right idea, but the wrong implementation.