newform(1) CLIX newform(1)
NAME
newform - Changes the format of a text file
SYNOPSIS
newform [-s] [-itabspec] [-otabspec] [-bn] [-en] [-pn] [-an] [-f] [-cchar]
[-ln] [files]
FLAGS
-s Shears off leading characters on each line up to the first tab
and places up to 8 of the sheared characters at the end of the
line. If more than 8 characters (not counting the first tab)
are sheared, the eighth character is replaced by a * and any
characters to the right of it are discarded. The first tab is
always discarded.
An error message and program exit will occur if the -s flag is
used on a file without a tab on each line. The characters
sheared off are saved internally until all other flags
specified are applied to that line. The characters are then
added at the end of the processed line.
-itabspec Input tab specification: expands tabs to spaces, according to
the tab specifications given. The tabspec variable recognizes
all tab specification forms described in the tabs command
description. In addition, tabspec may be --, in which case
newform assumes that the tab specification is to be found in
the first line read from stdin (see the fspec file
description). If no tabspec is given, tabspec defaults to -8.
A tabspec of -0 expects no tabs; if any are found, they are
treated as -1.
-otabspec Output tab specification: replaces spaces by tabs, according
to the tab specifications given. The tab specifications are
the same as for -itabspec. If no tabspec is given, tabspec
defaults to -8. A tabspec of -0 means that no spaces will be
converted to tabs on output.
-bn Truncates n characters from the beginning of the line when the
line length is greater than the effective line length (see -
ln). The default is to truncate the number of characters
necessary to obtain the effective line length. The default
value is used when -b with no n is used. This flag can be
used to delete the sequence numbers from a COBOL program as
follows:
newform -l1 -b7 filename
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newform(1) CLIX newform(1)
-en Same as I-bn except that characters are truncated from the end
of the line.
-pn Prefixes n characters (see -ck) to the beginning of a line
when the line length is less than the effective line length.
Default is to prefix the number of characters necessary to
obtain the effective line length.
-an Same as -pn except characters are appended to the end of a
line.
-f Writes the tab specification format line on stdout before any
other lines are output. The tab specification format line
that is displayed will correspond to the format specified in
the last -o flag. If no -o flag is specified, the line that
is displayed will contain the default specification of -8.
-ck Changes the prefix/append character to k. Default character
for k is a space.
-ln Sets the effective line length to n characters. If n is not
entered, -l defaults to 72. The default line length without
the -l flag is 80 characters. Note that tabs and backspaces
are considered to be one character (use -i to expand tabs to
spaces).
The -l1 must be used to set the effective line length shorter than any
existing line in the file so that the -b flag is activated.
DESCRIPTION
The newform command reads lines from the named files, or stdin if no input
file is named, and reproduces the lines on stdout. Lines are reformatted
in accordance with command line flags in effect.
EXAMPLES
To convert a file with leading digits, one or more tabs, and text on each
line, to a file beginning with the text, all tabs after the first expanded
to spaces, padded with spaces out to column 72 (or truncated to column
72), and the leading digits placed starting at column 73, the command
would be:
newform -s -i -l -a -e filename
NOTES
The newform command primarily keeps track of physical characters; however,
for the -i and -o flags, newform will keep track of backspaces in order to
line up tabs in the appropriate logical columns.
2 Intergraph Corporation - 2/94
newform(1) CLIX newform(1)
The newform command will not prompt the user if a tabspec is to be read
from stdin (by use of -i-- or -o--).
If the -f flag is used, and the last -o flag specified was -o--, and was
preceded by either a -o-- or a -i--, the tab specification format line
will be incorrect.
DIAGNOSTICS
All diagnostics are fatal.
usage: ...
The newform command was called with a bad flag.
not -s format
There was no tab on one line.
can't open file
Message is self-explanatory.
internal line too long
A line exceeds 512 characters after being expanded in the internal
work buffer.
tabspec in error
A tab specification is incorrectly formatted, or specified tab
stops are not ascending.
tabspec indirection illegal
A tabspec read from a file (or stdin) may not contain a tabspec
referencing another file (or stdin).
EXIT VALUES
The newform command exits with a value of 0 if successful and 1 if not
successful.
RELATED INFORMATION
Commands: csplit(1), tabs(1)
Files: fspec(4)
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