Jove: A Text Editor

ABOUT JOVE

Jove is one of the text editing packages available for Unix servers, such as Hubert. It is a derivative of the "EMACS" editor ("Jove" is said to stand for Johnathon's Own Version of EMACS) with all its powerful editing features but without its cost. It is considered a "screen" editor in that you can use the arrow keys to move around on the screen, and when you insert or delete text, the whole screen adjusts to reflect the changes made.

Starting Jove
Typing In Text
Issuing Jove Commands
Jove Command-List
Getting Help

Note Regarding Notation on This Page:

In this article, we use brackets "< >" to indicate keys to be pressed.
- Press means to press the letter "m" key.
Combinations of keys within the brackets are pushed together.
- Tells you to hold down the Control key and press the letter "a".
- Notice how the letter "a" is inside the brackets.
Never hold down the Escape Key, just "punch" it.
- A tells you to press the Escape key and then press the letter "a".
- Notice how the letter "a" is outside of the brackets.

Starting Jove

To start the Jove editor, first, exit the menu system (if you are using the menu) and get to the command prompt. At the command prompt, enter the command jove or jove filename, where filename is the name of a new or existing file you wish to edit. The Jove editing screen will be displayed into which you may begin typing or editing your document.

After starting Jove, if the editing screen is empty and you wish to bring in a file to edit, you "visit" the file as described below. The contents of the file will be displayed, and the name of the file will appear in the special mode line displayed near the bottom of the screen.

Advanced users: If you put Jove commands in a file named .joverc (note the period) in your home directory, these commands will be executed each time you start a Jove session. This is typically used for setting Jove variables, such as right-margin and case-ignore-search (discussed later).

Typing In Text

In Jove terminology, you type text into a buffer. This is a temporary copy of your document, which you will edit and then save as a permanent file, as described later.

After you start the editor, you may immediately begin typing text into the buffer. If you position the cursor (also called the point) in the middle of any text already there, any new text you type will be inserted at that location.

Issuing Jove Commands

As we will see, various editing tasks require that you issue commands to Jove.

There are two ways to issue commands in Jove:

Issuing Commands the Long Way
1. Jove commands can also be issued by first pressing x, typing a command, and then pressing .
2. x moves the cursor to the bottom of the screen where you finish entering the command and .
Issuing Commands using Shortcut Keys
1. Some Jove commands can be issued via special keystrokes involving the Control () and Escape () keys.
2. Using the and or keys are considered "shortcut" methods available for the more frequently used commands.
3. Thus, while all commands can be issued "the long way"; some commands can be issued via this "shortcut" method.
4. Where available, we will only present the shortcut method

Jove Command List

Moving the Cursor and Scrolling

The arrow keys move you in the desired direction. Other commands follow.

Jove Command	Action
f	Moves forward one-word
b	Moves backward one word
	Moves to the beginning of the line
	Moves to the end of the line
a	Moves to the beginning of a sentence
e	Moves to the end of a sentence
,	Moves to the first line on the current screen
.	Moves to the last line on the current screen
<	Moves to the first line of the entire buffer
>	Moves to the last line of the entire buffer
	Scrolls forward one line
z	Scrolls backward one line
	Scrolls forward one screenful
v	Scrolls backward one screenful
(the letter L)	Scrolls so that current line is centered

Deleting Text

Jove Command	Action
	Deletes the character to the left of the cursor
	Deletes the character on which the cursor is positioned
	Kills (deletes) all characters to the end of the line
k	Kills (deletes) all characters to the end of the sentence

Note that you may also delete a block of text (phrase, paragraph, etc.). See the section Working With Regions section below.

Moving and Copying Text

Jove Command	Action
	Text that you delete with a "kill" command, such as or k is held in a special buffer (that you cannot see) called the kill buffer. You can "yank" (restore) the text from this buffer back onto the screen by pressing. The text will reappear wherever the cursor is located. This is one way to move text from one location to another. The text remains in the kill buffer until you issue another kill command, so you may yank the same text onto the screen at several locations if desired. Copying text is done by deleting the text, yanking it back into its original location, and then yanking it into its new location.
y	If you have used a kill command several times, Jove remembers the last ten sets of text that were killed. You can retrieve any one of these sets back into the document by first pressing and then pressing y one or more times until you see the desired text.

Jove Command

Action

Text that you delete with a "kill" command, such as or k is held in a special buffer (that you cannot see) called the kill buffer.
You can "yank" (restore) the text from this buffer back onto the screen by pressing.
The text will reappear wherever the cursor is located.
This is one way to move text from one location to another.
The text remains in the kill buffer until you issue another kill command, so you may yank the same text onto the screen at several locations if desired.
Copying text is done by deleting the text, yanking it back into its original location, and then yanking it into its new location.

If you have used a kill command several times, Jove remembers the last ten sets of text that were killed.
You can retrieve any one of these sets back into the document by first pressing and then pressing y one or more times until you see the desired text.

Saving and Exiting

The text in the buffer you are editing is only temporary.
Unless you wish to discard it, you must save it into a file before you exit Jove.
Here's how

Jove Command	Action
<Ctrl-\>	Saves the contents of the buffer back into the visited file, replacing its previous contents. If you have not previously specified a filename for the buffer, you will be prompted to type the filename.
	Saves the buffer (just as <Ctrl-\>) and exits Jove, all in one step.
	Saves the contents of the buffer into a different file (you will be prompted to type a filename) and then visits that file (i.e., Jove now considers you to be editing the new file). If the file you specify already exists, Jove will ask if it is all right to overwrite (destroy) it before saving the buffer.
x write-region filename	Saves the contents of the currently defined region (block) into the file you specify. For example, x write-region chapter3. See section Working With Regions below.
x append-region filename	Appends the contents of the currently defined region (block) to the file you specify. See section Working With Regions below.
	Exits Jove without saving the buffer. If you have made changes to the buffer without saving, you will be warned and asked whether to exit.

Visiting (Switching) Files

Jove Command	Action
	Use this to "visit" another file (i.e., to clear all the text currently in the buffer and begin editing another file). After pressing, you will be prompted for the name of the file to visit. Type its name and press . Next, if you have made unsaved changes to the current buffer, you will be asked whether to save these changes before the buffer is cleared. Answer with or . If you have not yet supplied a filename for the current buffer, you will also be asked for a filename in which to store it.

Jove Command

Action

Use this to "visit" another file (i.e., to clear all the text currently in the buffer and begin editing another file).
After pressing, you will be prompted for the name of the file to visit.
Type its name and press .
Next, if you have made unsaved changes to the current buffer, you will be asked whether to save these changes before the buffer is cleared.
Answer with or .
If you have not yet supplied a filename for the current buffer, you will also be asked for a filename in which to store it.

Inserting a File

Jove Command	Action
	Use this to insert the contents of another file into the edit screen at a point just in front of the cursor. You will be prompted to type the filename.

Paragraph and Line Commands

A "paragraph" in Jove is a contiguous block of one or more lines.
Paragraphs are separated from each other by a blank line.

Jove Command	Action
x auto-fill	Turns on/off the auto-fill mode. Auto-Fill Mode: The cursor automatically moves down to a new line as you type (i.e., the text wraps). When auto-fill is off, you must press to force the cursor to a new line. With auto-fill on, you press twice to start a new paragraph. The editor operates in auto-fill mode with each new session. The word Fill will appear in the Jove mode line to show you this.
j	Justifies a paragraph. Move the cursor into the paragraph and press j. If the left margin has been altered (see below) and you want to justify using the new left margin, press before j.
x set right-margin n	Sets the value of the right margin variable that is used by auto-fill and by justify. Fill in the value for n: This number represents the column position. For example, x set right-margin 65. The default margin is 70.
x set left-margin n	Sets the value of the left margin variable that is used by auto-fill and by justify. Fill in the value for n: This number represents the column position. Note that pressing to move to a new line will not move the cursor to the new left margin unless you are in auto-indent mode (see below); press instead.
x auto-indent	This turns on/off the auto-indent mode.

Search and Replace

Jove Command	Action
<Ctrl-\>	Search forward from the location of the cursor. To find the next occurrence, press <Ctrl-\> and then press . The search is case sensitive. To make future searches case insensitive, issue the command x set case-ignore-search on.
	Search in reverse, from the location of the cursor.
q	Search and replace. Press q. Enter the word you are searching for, then . Enter the replacement word, then . The cursor will move to the next occurrence of the word for which you are searching. At the prompt, you can enter the following commands: y Replaces the word and moves to the next occurrence of the word for which you are searching. n Does not replace the word. Skips to the next occurrence of the word for which you are searching. u Undoes the replacements made on the current line. Moves to the previous replacement. p Replaces all remaining occurrences. Stops search and replace.

Jove Command

Action

<Ctrl-\>

Search forward from the location of the cursor.
To find the next occurrence, press <Ctrl-\> and then press .

The search is case sensitive.
To make future searches case insensitive, issue the command x set case-ignore-search on.

Search in reverse, from the location of the cursor.

Search and replace.

Press q.
Enter the word you are searching for, then .

Enter the replacement word, then .

The cursor will move to the next occurrence of the word for which you are searching.
At the prompt, you can enter the following commands:
- y
  - Replaces the word and moves to the next occurrence of the word for which you are searching.
- n
  - Does not replace the word. Skips to the next occurrence of the word for which you are searching.
- u
  - Undoes the replacements made on the current line.
  - Moves to the previous replacement.
- p
  - Replaces all remaining occurrences.
- - Stops search and replace.

Working With Regions (Blocks)

Sometimes you may wish to delete, move, or copy a region (block) of text, such as a phrase or a paragraph.

First, define the boundaries of the region.

Move the cursor to either the beginning or the end of the region to "mark" that end.
Move the cursor to the other end of the region to mark that end; the second mark is called the "point".
You have now defined the region boundaries, with the mark at one end and the point at the other.

You are now ready to issue a command for processing this region. We will look at just three:

Jove Command	Action
<Ctrl-@>	Set mark. This places the "mark" at the current cursor location.
	Kill region. Kills (deletes) the text in the defined region. A copy of the deleted text is stored in the kill buffer. Note: the text can be restored back into the document at any location by repositioning the cursor and pressing . Thus, you can use this "kill and restore" method to move a region of text.
w	Copy region. Places a copy of the text from the defined region into the kill buffer. You may now restore it onto the screen at a new location by pressing .
	Interchange the "mark" and the "point". You can repeatedly issue to move the cursor back and forth between both ends of the region. This is handy if you forget where you placed the mark or you just want a way to move easily between two locations in a large file.

Canceling a Command

Jove Command	Action
	Cancels a command. If you begin issuing a command but then change your mind, press to cancel it.

Repeating an Action

Jove Command	Action
n	Repeats an action. n: the number of times to repeat the command. Not all Jove commands allow for this. Examples 12 and then will move the cursor down twelve lines. 20 and then will type the letter "a" into the buffer twenty times. 4 will kill (delete) four consecutive lines.

Using Multiple Buffers

You can use more than one buffer.
When you create a new buffer, the previous buffer will continue to exist; but, it will disappear from the screen.
The current buffer name is displayed in the mode line at the bottom of the screen.

Initially, each new buffer will be empty.
You may edit a different file in each buffer. If you want to bring in a file to edit, use the file visiting command.

And, you may copy a region of text in one buffer, then switch to another buffer and insert it there (see Working With Regions section).

Jove Command	Action
b	Switches to a buffer. When prompted, type the buffer name and press . If the name entered is an already existing buffer, it will be switched in with its contents. Otherwise, a new buffer with the given name will be created, and an empty buffer displayed. Note: Pressing b and then without entering a name will switch to the most recently used buffer.
	Displays the names of all the buffers you are using. An asterisk shown beside a name means that that buffer contains unsaved changes. Press to remove the list from the screen.
	Saves all buffers to their respective files, without confirmation for saving each file.
	Saves all buffers to their respective files; a confirmation for each file is requested before the save is executed. Press then press .

Getting Help

Jove has an online help system. Follow the steps below to find help.
Note: To return to your document after viewing any of the above help screens, press the .

Press x.
The cursor will move to the bottom of the screen.
Here you may type one of the following:

Jove Command	Action
apropos topic	Displays a list of Jove commands, variables, and shortcut keys pertaining to the topic you specify. Examples: apropos search apropos paragraph apropos bind apropos spell
describe-command command	Displays a brief description of the Jove command you specify. Examples: describe-command write-region describe-command ? Provides a list of all commands Press to advance the list Press to cancel describe-command filter-region
describe-key shortcut-key-sequence	Displays the name of the Jove command related to the shortcut keys. Example: Type describe-key Press any shortcut key sequence, such as
describe-variable variable	Displays a brief description of the Jove variable you specify. Examples: describe-variable case-ignore-search describe-variable ? Displays a list of all variables Press to advance the list Press to cancel
print variable	Displays the value of the Jove variable you specify. Jove variables are set by issuing the command x set variable. Example: x print right-margin

This article was updated: 04/27/2020