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ex(1)									 ex(1)

NAME
       ex - Edits lines in a file interactively, with screen display.

SYNOPSIS
       ex  [-lRsv]  [-c subcommand] [-w number] [-x] [+ [subcommand]] [-v] [-]
       [file...]

       ex [-lRsv] [-t tag] [-v] [-x] [file...]

       ex [-r[file]] [-lRsv] [-v] [-x] [file]

STANDARDS
       Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry	 stan‐
       dards as follows:

       ex:  XCU5.0

       Refer  to  the  standards(5)  reference page for more information about
       industry standards and associated tags.

OPTIONS
       Executes the specified ex subcommand (command) before editing begins.

	      This subcommand may actually consist of several  commands	 sepa‐
	      rated  by	 vertical  line (|) characters.	 Indents appropriately
	      for LISP code, and accepts the (, ), {, }, [, and	 ]  characters
	      (parentheses,  braces,  and brackets) as text rather than inter‐
	      preting them as vi subcommands.  The LISP modifier is active  in
	      open  or	visual modes.  Recovers file after an editor or system
	      crash.  If you do not specify file, a list of all saved files is
	      displayed.  Sets the readonly option, preventing you from alter‐
	      ing the file.  Does not display the file name or	the  :	prompt
	      upon  entering ex.  (Silent mode.)  Loads the file that contains
	      tag and positions the editor at tag.  To use  this  option,  you
	      must  first  create  a  database of function names and locations
	      using the ctags command.	Invokes the visual editor.   When  the
	      -v option is specified, an enlarged set of subcommands is avail‐
	      able, including screen editing  and  cursor  movement  features.
	      See  the	vi(1) reference page.  Sets the default window size to
	      number lines.  [Tru64 UNIX]  Prompts for an encryption key, then
	      unencrypts  the  file. If the file specified is not encrypted or
	      the incorrect key is entered, garbled text is  displayed.	  Sup‐
	      presses  all interactive user feedback.  If you use this option,
	      file input/output errors do not generate an error message.  Per‐
	      forms  the ex subcommand before editing begins.  When subcommand
	      is not entered, a + (plus sign) sets the	current	 line  to  the
	      bottom  of  the  file.  Normally ex sets the current line to the
	      last line of the file, or to some specified tag or pattern.

	      This subcommand may actually consist of several  commands	 sepa‐
	      rated by vertical line (|) characters.

OPERANDS
       The  file  argument  specifies  the file or files to be edited.	If you
       supply more than one file, the ex editor edits each file in the	speci‐
       fied order.

DESCRIPTION
       The  ex	command is a line-oriented text editor that is a subset of the
       vi screen editor.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  The ex editor is similar to ed,  but  is  more  powerful,
       providing  multiline displays and access to a screen editing mode.  You
       may prefer to call vi directly to have environment  variables  set  for
       screen  editing.	  Also	edit, a limited subset of ex, is available for
       novices or casual use.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  To determine how your terminal  can  perform  more	 effi‐
       ciently, ex uses the terminal capability database terminfo and the type
       of terminal you are using from the TERM environment variable.

       The ex editor has the following features: [Tru64 UNIX]  The  X  subcom‐
       mand  encrypts  a  file.	  Ensure  that you remember the encryption key
       specified when using this subcommand as there is	 no  simple  means  of
       unencrypting  the  file	if  the	 key is forgotten.  Only the first six
       characters of the key are  significant.	 The  z	 subcommand  lets  you
       access  windows	of  text,  and you can scroll through text by pressing
       <Ctrl-d> and <Ctrl-u> (visual (-v) mode	only).	 The  undo  subcommand
       allows  you  to reverse the last subcommand, even if it is an undo sub‐
       command.	 Thus, you can switch back and forth between the latest change
       in  the edit file and the last prior file status and view the effect of
       a subcommand without that effect being permanent.  Commands that affect
       the  external  environment cannot be undone, however.  The undo subcom‐
       mand causes all marks to be lost on lines changed and then restored  if
       the  marked  lines were changed.	 It does not clear the buffer modified
       condition.

       The ex command displays changed lines and indicates when	 more  than  a
       few  lines  are	affected by a subcommand.  You can: Retrieve your work
       (except changes that were in the buffer) if the system  or  the	editor
       crashes	by reentering the editor with the -r option and the file name.
       Edit a sequence or group of files.  You can use the next subcommand  to
       edit  each  file	 on  the command line in turn, or to specify a list of
       file names to edit (using the  shell  pattern  matching	syntax).   The
       wildcard	 character % (percent sign) represents the name of the current
       edit file and can be used to form  file	names.	 Copy  and  move  text
       within  a  file	and  between  files (see the co, d, ya, and pu subcom‐
       mands).	You use a group of buffers (that have the names of  the	 ASCII
       letter  a  to z) to move text.  You can temporarily place text in these
       buffers and copy or reinsert it in a file, or you can carry it over  to
       another	file.	The buffers are cleared when you quit the editor.  The
       editor does not notify you if text is placed in a buffer and  not  used
       before  exiting	the editor.  Use patterns that match words.  A pattern
       can be a fixed character string or a regular expression.

	      A regular expression is a string constructed of special pattern-
	      matching	characters.  Using a regular expression to locate text
	      in a file gives you more flexibility than	 trying	 to  locate  a
	      fixed  character	string.	  For  more  information about regular
	      expressions, see grep.

   Editing Modes
       When you start the ex editor, it is in command mode.  Enter ex  subcom‐
       mands  at  the : (colon) prompt.	 Pressing <Esc> cancels a partial sub‐
       command.	 Entered by a, i, and c.  In this state, you can  enter	 text.
       Entry state ends normally with a line that has only a (period) on it or
       ends abruptly if you press the Interrupt key sequence.  Entered by  vi,
       vi.,  vi-,  or  o.   Each  of the first three commands gives you a full
       screen vi editor, but puts the current line in  a  different  place  on
       entry.	Enter  vi  to  put  the current line at the top of the screen;
       enter vi.  to put the current line in the middle	 of  the  screen;  and
       enter vi- to put the current line at the bottom of the screen.

	      The o command opens a one-line window.  All three commands share
	      the input state of the vi editor.	  Press	 <Esc>	to  exit  text
	      entry  mode.   To	 return to the ex command state at the current
	      line, enter Q while in command mode.

   Limits of ex
       The ex editor has the  following	 maximum  limits:  [Tru64  UNIX]  2048
       bytes  per  line [Tru64 UNIX]  256 bytes per global command list [Tru64
       UNIX]  128 bytes in the	previous  inserted  and	 deleted  text	[Tru64
       UNIX]  128 bytes in a shell escape command [Tru64 UNIX]	128 bytes in a
       string-valued option [Tru64 UNIX]  100  bytes  in  a  tag  name	[Tru64
       UNIX]  128 map macros with 2048 bytes total

   Subcommands
       The  ex	subcommands  affect the current line unless you specify other‐
       wise.  For information about how to address lines in a file,  see  edit
       and  vi.	  For  a  complete  description	 of  edit options, see Setting
       Options on the vi(1) reference page.

       You can use optional modifiers with some of the	subcommands  specified
       in this section.	 Any or all modifiers specified by each subcommand can
       be used or omitted.  Following is a description of the  optional	 modi‐
       fiers:  Specifies  a  single  address; the default is the current line.
       Specifies a line or pair of line addresses separated by a comma (,)  or
       semicolon  (;).	 The default for range is the current line only (.,.).
       A percent sign (%) denotes the range (1,$).  If the starting address of
       the  range  specified  exceeds the ending address, the range is invalid
       and the command is not performed. If more than the expected  number  of
       addresses  are  provided	 in  a range, the greatest valid number of the
       last ones provided are used.  For example, 1, 3, 5p prints lines 3 to 5
       inclusive  (because  two	 is  the  greatest  valid  number in the range
       accepted by print.  Specifies a positive integer	 that  determines  the
       number  of lines affected by the command.  The default is 1.  Adds num‐
       bers to the list-format output where flag is character #, p, or l.  The
       use  of	flags  applies to all lines written by the list, number, open,
       print, substitute, visual, &, and z commands.  For all other  commands,
       it applies to the current line at the completion of the command.	 Also,
       any number or + or - characters cannot be specified after flags.	  This
       causes  the  line written not to be affected by the command, but rather
       affects the line addressed by  the  offset  as  described  above.   The
       default	is  null.   Specifies one of a number of named areas for saved
       text.  The named buffers are specified by the lowercase letters of  the
       POSIX  locale.  Specifying the buffer optional modifier causes the area
       of text affected by the command to be stored into the buffer as it  was
       before  the  command  took effect.  This argument is also used with the
       put command and the visual mode put commands (p and P) to  specify  the
       buffer that provides the text to insert.

	      If  the buffer name is specified in uppercase, and the buffer is
	      to be modified (using a deletion or yanking command), the buffer
	      is  appended to rather than being overwritten.  If the buffer is
	      not to be modified (as in a visual mode put command), the buffer
	      name  can	 be  specified in lowercase or uppercase with the same
	      results. There is also one unnamed buffer which is  the  reposi‐
	      tory for all text deleted (with the delete or visual mode d com‐
	      mand), or yanked (with the yank or visual mode y command) when a
	      buffer is not specified.

       Following is the list of valid subcommands: Adds the specified abbrevi‐
       ation to the current abbreviation list.	Enters input mode  and	places
       text  after  the specified line.	 To place the text at the beginning of
       the buffer, specify line 0.  The !   (exclamation  point)  toggles  the
       autoindent  editor option setting for the execution of this subcommand.
       Writes the argument list (the list of arguments on  startup)  with  the
       current	argument  inside [ and ] (left and right brackets).  The argu‐
       ment list can later be replaced by the arguments of  the	 next  subcom‐
       mand.  Enters input mode and replaces the lines in range with the input
       text.  The current line is the last line input.	 The  !	  (exclamation
       point),	toggles the autoindent editor option setting for the execution
       of this subcommand.  Changes the current working	 directory  to	direc‐
       tory.   If  the	current buffer has been modified since the last write,
       the subcommand issues a warning and fails.  You can override this warn‐
       ing  by	appending  an  !   (exclamation point) to the subcommand name.
       Places a copy of the lines in range after the specified line.   Line  0
       causes  the lines to be placed at the beginning of the buffer.  Deletes
       the specified lines from the buffer.  If you specify  a	named  buffer,
       the deleted text is placed there; otherwise, the deleted text is placed
       in the unnamed buffer.  The current line	 is  the  line	following  the
       deleted	lines,	or the last line if the deleted lines were at the end.
       Edits file.  If the current buffer has been  modified  since  the  last
       write,  the  subcommand writes a warning and terminates.	 You can over‐
       ride this action by appending an !  (exclamation	 point)	 character  to
       the subcommand (for example, e!file).

	      If  the  +line  argument	is  specified, the current line is the
	      specified position, where line can be a number (or $) or can  be
	      specified as /pattern or ?pattern.  Preceding the pattern with a
	      / (slash) starts a search from the beginning of the file.	  Pre‐
	      ceding  the  pattern  with  a ?  (question mark) starts a search
	      from the end of the file.	 This subcommand is  affected  by  the
	      autowrite	 and writeany editor options.  Writes the current path
	      name, the number of lines, and the current position (if no  file
	      argument	was  specified).  If file is specified, ex changes the
	      current file name to file without changing the contents  of  the
	      buffer or the previous current file.  Marks the lines within the
	      given range that match (g) or do not match (v)  the  given  pat‐
	      tern.   Then  executes  the ex subcommands with the current line
	      set to each marked line.

	      You can specify multiple subcommands, one per line, by  escaping
	      each newline character with a \ (backslash).  If the subcommands
	      argument is not  specified,  each	 line  is  written.   For  the
	      append,  change,	and  insert  subcommands,  the	input  text is
	      included as part of the global subcommand; in this case, you can
	      omit  the terminating period if it ends subcommands.  The visual
	      subcommand can be specified as  part  of	subcommands.  In  this
	      mode,  input is taken from the terminal.	Entering a Q from vis‐
	      ual mode selects the next line matching the pattern and reenters
	      visual mode, until the list is exhausted.

	      You  cannot use the global subcommand and the undo subcommand in
	      the subcommands argument.	 The autoprint, autoindent, and report
	      editor options are inhibited for the duration of the g or v sub‐
	      command.	Enters input mode and places the input text before the
	      specified	 line.	The !  (exclamation point) toggles the autoin‐
	      dent editor option setting for the execution of this subcommand.
	      Joins  the text from the specified lines together into one line.
	      In the POSIX locale, when the last character on the  first  line
	      of  a  pair  of lines to be joined is a (period), two spaces are
	      added following the period; when the last character of the first
	      line  is	a space or when the first character on the second line
	      of the pair is a ) (right parenthesis),  no  spaces  are	added;
	      otherwise,  one  space  is added following the last character of
	      the first line.  Extra spaces at the start of a  line  are  dis‐
	      carded.

	      Appending	 an  !	(exclamation point) character to the join sub‐
	      command causes a simpler join  with  no  whitespace  processing,
	      independent  of the current locale.  Writes the addressed lines;
	      nonprintable characters are written as multicharacter sequences.
	      The end of the line is marked with a $ (dollar sign).

	      Long  lines are folded.  The current line is the last line writ‐
	      ten.  Defines macros for use in visual mode.  The first argument
	      must  be	a  single character or the sequence #digit (one of the
	      terminal's numbered function  keys).   When  this	 character  or
	      function	key is entered in visual mode, the action is as if the
	      corresponding rhs had been  entered.   If	 the  !	  (exclamation
	      point)  character	 is  appended  to the subcommand name map, the
	      mapping is effective during input mode rather than command mode.
	      This  allows  x  to  have two different macro definitions at the
	      same time: one for command mode and one for  input  mode.	  Non‐
	      printable	 characters,  except  for  the	Tab character, require
	      escaping with <Ctrl-V> (or <Ctrl-Q>) to be entered in the	 argu‐
	      ments.   On  certain  block mode terminals, the mapping need not
	      occur immediately (for example, it might occur after the	termi‐
	      nal transmits a group of characters to the system), but it modi‐
	      fies the file as if it occurred immediately.

	      The map subcommand with no arguments writes all  of  the	macros
	      currently	 defined.  If an !  (exclamation point) is appended to
	      the subcommand, only the macros effective during input mode  are
	      written;	otherwise,  only  the  macros effective during command
	      mode are written.	 Gives the specified line the  specified  mark
	      x,  which must be a single lowercase letter of the POSIX locale.
	      The current line position is not affected.   The	expression  'x
	      can  then be used as an address in any subcommand requiring one.
	      For example, the following subcommand deletes all of  the	 lines
	      from the current one to the marked line: .,'xd

	      In  addition,  see  the vi `` and '' subcommands for uses of the
	      mark in visual mode.  If the 'x subcommand is used in  nonvisual
	      mode,  the  character  marked is the first nonspace character of
	      the current line; otherwise, the character marked is the charac‐
	      ter at the current column of the current line.  Moves the speci‐
	      fied lines (range) after the target line	(line).	  The  current
	      line  is the first of the moved lines.  Edits the next file from
	      the argument list.  If the  current  buffer  has	been  modified
	      since the last write, the subcommand writes a warning and termi‐
	      nates.  You can override this action by appending the !  (excla‐
	      mation  point)  character	 to the subcommand name (n!).  You can
	      replace the argument list by specifying a new one	 as  arguments
	      to  this subcommand.  Editing then starts with the first file on
	      this new list.  The current line is reset as described  for  the
	      edit  subcommand.	  This subcommand is affected by the autowrite
	      and writeany editor options.  Writes the	selected  lines,  each
	      preceded	with its line number in decimal.  Nonprintable charac‐
	      ters, except for <Tab>, are expanded as specified by  the	 print
	      subcommand.

	      The  only meaningful flag is l, which allows additional expanded
	      writing of tabs and End-of-Line characters by the	 list  subcom‐
	      mand.   The  current line is the last line written.  Enters open
	      mode, which is equivalent to visual mode with a one-line window.
	      All  visual mode subcommands are available.  If a match is found
	      for the optional regular	expression  in	line,  the  cursor  is
	      placed  at  the  start of the matching pattern.  The visual mode
	      subcommand Q (see vi) exits open mode.  Saves the current buffer
	      in a form that can later be recovered by using ex -r or by using
	      the recover subcommand.  After the file has  been	 preserved,  a
	      mail message is sent to the user.	 The message contains the name
	      of the file, the time of preservation, and an ex subcommand  for
	      recovering  the  file. Additional information can be included in
	      the mail message.	 Writes	 the  addressed	 lines.	  Nonprintable
	      characters,  except for the Tab character, are written as multi‐
	      character sequences. Long lines are folded.  The only meaningful
	      flags  are  # and l.  The current line is the last line written.
	      Puts back deleted or yanked lines after the specified  line.   A
	      buffer can be specified; otherwise, the text in the unnamed buf‐
	      fer (where deleted or yanked  text  is  placed  by  default)  is
	      restored.	  The current line is the first line put back.	Termi‐
	      nates the editing session.  If the current buffer has been modi‐
	      fied  since  the last write, the subcommand writes a warning and
	      terminates.  You can override this warning and  force  an	 exit,
	      discarding changes, by appending the character !	to the subcom‐
	      mand name.  Places a copy of the specified file in  the  current
	      buffer  after  the target line (line 0 places text at the begin‐
	      ning).  If no file is named, the current file  is	 the  default.
	      If there is no current file, the specified file becomes the cur‐
	      rent file.  If there is neither current file nor file  argument,
	      the subcommand fails.

	      The  current  line  is  the last line read.  In visual mode, the
	      current line is the first line read.  If file is preceded by  !,
	      file  is	taken  to be an operating system command and passed to
	      the program  named  in  the  SHELL  environment  variable.   The
	      resulting output is read in to the buffer.  You can override the
	      special meaning of !  by escaping it with a \ (backslash)	 char‐
	      acter.   Attempts	 to recover file if it was saved as the result
	      of a preserve subcommand, the receipt of a signal, or  a	system
	      or editor crash.	The current line is reset as described for the
	      read subcommand.	Rewinds the argument list; that is,  sets  the
	      current  file  to	 the first file in the argument list.  This is
	      equivalent to a next subcommand with the current	argument  list
	      as  its argument.	 If the current buffer has been modified since
	      the last write, the subcommand writes a warning and  terminates.
	      You  can	override  the  action by appending the !  (exclamation
	      point) character to the subcommand  name	(rew!).	  The  current
	      line is reset as described for the read editor subcommand.  This
	      subcommand is affected by	 the  autowrite	 and  writeany	editor
	      options.	 When no arguments are specified, writes those options
	      whose values have been changed from the default  settings;  when
	      the argument all is specified, writes all of the option values.

	      Specifying  an  option  name followed by the ?  character causes
	      the current value of that option to be written.  The ?   can  be
	      separated from the option name by zero or more spaces. The ?  is
	      necessary only for Boolean valued options.  Boolean options  can
	      be  given	 values	 by  the  form se option to turn them on or se
	      nooption to turn them off; string and  numeric  options  can  be
	      assigned	by the form se option=value.  Spaces in strings can be
	      included as they are by preceding each such character with  a  \
	      (backslash).   More  than	 one  option can be set or listed by a
	      single set subcommand by	specifying  multiple  arguments,  each
	      separated from the next by one or more spaces.  Invokes the pro‐
	      gram named in the SHELL environment variable with	 the  argument
	      -i  (interactive	mode). You can resume editing when the program
	      exits.  Reads and executes subcommands from the  file  specified
	      by  the mandatory file argument.	Such source subcommands can be
	      nested.  Replaces the first instance of pattern  by  the	string
	      repl  on each specified line.  If the /pattern/repl/ argument is
	      not present, the /pattern/repl/  from  the  previous  substitute
	      subcommand is used.

	      If  options  includes  the letter g (global), all nonoverlapping
	      instances of the pattern in the line are	substituted.   If  the
	      option  letter c (confirm) is included, then before each substi‐
	      tution the line is written with ^ characters written on the fol‐
	      lowing  line,  adjacent  to  and	identifying  the pattern to be
	      replaced; an affirmative response causes the substitution to  be
	      done,  while any other input causes it to abort.	An affirmative
	      response consists of a line with the  affirmative	 response  (as
	      defined  by  the	current	 locale) at the beginning of the line.
	      Such a line is subject to editing in the same way as the command
	      line (the / or : line at the bottom of the screen).

	      The  current  line  is  the  last	 line substituted.  When the c
	      option is used, typing the Interrupt character or receiving  the
	      SIGINT  signal stops the substitute operation, and ex returns to
	      command mode.  All substitutions completed before the  interrupt
	      occurred	are  retained  and none are made after that point. The
	      current line is the last line substituted.

	      This subcommand is affected by the LC_MESSAGES environment vari‐
	      able  and	 the wrapscan option.  Allows control to return to the
	      invoking process; ex suspends itself as if it had	 received  the
	      SIGTSTP  signal.	 The  suspension occurs only if job control is
	      enabled in the invoking shell.

	      Following either suspend or stop with the character  !   affects
	      the operation of the autowrite editor option for this subcommand
	      only.

	      The current suspend character (see stty) also causes the suspen‐
	      sion.   Searches for the tag string, which can be in a different
	      file.  If the tag is in a different file, the new file is opened
	      for  editing.  If the current buffer has been modified since the
	      last write, the subcommand writes a warning and terminates.  You
	      can  override  the  action  by appending the !  character to the
	      subcommand name.	The current line is reset to  the  line	 indi‐
	      cated by the tag.	 This subcommand is affected by the autowrite,
	      tags, and writeany editor options.

	      The tag subcommand  searches  for	 tagstring  in	the  tag  file
	      referred	to  by	the  tags  editor  option until a reference to
	      tagstring is found.  The file pointed to by  this	 reference  is
	      loaded into the buffer, and the current line is set to the first
	      occurrence of the pattern specified in the tags file  associated
	      with  the supplied tagstring.  If the tags file contained a line
	      number reference, the current line is set to that line.  If  the
	      pattern  or  line	 number is not found, the subcommand writes an
	      error message. If a file referred to by the tags	editor	option
	      does not exist or is not readable, the subcommand also writes an
	      error message.  Deletes word from the list of abbreviations,  as
	      described	 by  the abbrev subcommand.  Reverses the changes made
	      by the previous editing subcommand (one that  changes  the  con‐
	      tents  of	 the buffer).  For this purpose, global and visual are
	      considered single subcommands.  An undo can be  reversed.	  Com‐
	      mands that affect the external environment, such as write, edit,
	      and next cannot be undone.  If  no  !   (exclamation  point)  is
	      specified, removes the command-mode macro definition for x; oth‐
	      erwise, removes the input-mode macro definition for x.  See  the
	      map subcommand.  Enters visual mode with the current line set to
	      line.  The type argument is optional, and	 can  be  a  -	(minus
	      sign),  (period),	 + (plus sign), or ^ (circumflex), as in the z
	      subcommand, to specify the position of the specified line on the
	      screen  window.  (The default is to place the line at the top of
	      the screen window.) The count argument specifies the  number  of
	      lines  that  are	initially written; the default is the value of
	      the window editor option.	 The Q subcommand exits	 visual	 mode.
	      (For more information about the Q subcommand, see the vi(1) ref‐
	      erence page.)  Writes the specified lines (the whole buffer,  if
	      range is not specified) out to the file represented by path name
	      file, writing to standard output the number of lines  and	 bytes
	      written.

	      If  file	is specified and is not the current file, and the file
	      named by file exists, then the write fails.  If the current file
	      has  been	 changed  by the file subcommand and that file exists,
	      the write fails.	In either case, you can	 force	the  write  by
	      appending the !  (exclamation point) character to the subcommand
	      name.  You can append to an existing file by appending >> to the
	      subcommand name.

	      If  the  file  argument is preceded by an !  (exclamation point)
	      character, the program named in the SHELL	 environment  variable
	      is  invoked  with file as its second argument, and the specified
	      lines are passed as standard input to the subcommand.  The !  in
	      this  usage  must	 be  separated from the write subcommand by at
	      least one space character.  You can override the special meaning
	      of  !  by escaping it with a \ (backslash) character.  This sub‐
	      command is affected by the writeany and readonly editor options.

	      The subcommand wq is equivalent to a w followed by a q; wq!   is
	      equivalent  to  w!  followed by q.  If the current buffer has no
	      path name associated with it, the write subcommand fails.	  Per‐
	      forms  a	write  subcommand if any changes have been made to the
	      current buffer since the last write to any file.

	      Unless the subcommand fails because an attempt to write lines to
	      a	 file did not succeed, the ex program exits after an x subcom‐
	      mand.  This subcommand is affected by the writeany and  readonly
	      editor  options.	 [Tru64 UNIX]  Prompts you to enter an encryp‐
	      tion key. Only the first six characters of this key are signifi‐
	      cant.   When  the	 ex command writes a file after the encryption
	      key is specified, the output is written in encrypted form.  Sub‐
	      sequent  edits  of  the file require the use of the -x option to
	      display the file in its unencrypted form.	 Places the  specified
	      lines  in	 the  named  buffer.   If  no buffer is specified, the
	      unnamed buffer is used  (where  the  most	 recently  deleted  or
	      yanked  text  is	placed by default).  If type is omitted, count
	      lines following the specified line are written.  The default for
	      count  is the value of the window editor option.	The type argu‐
	      ment changes the position where line is written on the screen by
	      affecting the number of lines written before and after line.

	      If type is specified, it is one of the following: Places line at
	      the bottom of the screen.	 Places line at the top of the screen.
	      Places  line  in	the  middle.   Writes out count lines starting
	      count*2 lines before the addressed line; the net effect of  this
	      is  that	a  z^ subcommand following another z subcommand writes
	      the previous page.  Centers the addressed	 line  on  the	screen
	      with  a  line  of - (dash) characters written immediately before
	      and after it.  The number of preceding and  following  lines  of
	      text written are reduced to account for these lines of hyphens.

	      In  all  cases,  the current line is the last line written, with
	      the exception of the = type, which causes the current line to be
	      that  addressed  in the subcommand.  Passes the remainder of the
	      line after the !	(exclamation point) character to  the  program
	      named  in the SHELL environment variable for execution.  A warn‐
	      ing is issued if the buffer has  been  changed  since  the  last
	      write.   A  single  !   character is written when the subcommand
	      completes.  The current line position is not affected.

	      Within the text of subcommand, % (percent sign)  and  #  (number
	      sign)  are  expanded  as path names (the current and alternative
	      path names, respectively), and !	is replaced with the  text  of
	      the  previous  !	subcommand.  (Thus, !!	repeats the previous !
	      subcommand.)  If any such expansion is performed,	 the  expanded
	      line is echoed.

	      You  can override the special meanings of %, #, and !  by escap‐
	      ing them with a \ (backslash)  character.	  This	subcommand  is
	      affected by the autowrite and writeany editor options.

	      In  the  second  form of the !  subcommand, the remainder of the
	      line after the !	is passed to the program named	in  the	 SHELL
	      environment  variable,  as  described previously.	 The specified
	      lines are provided to the program as standard input; the result‐
	      ing  output  replaces the specified lines.  Shifts the specified
	      lines to the left; the  number  of  character  positions	to  be
	      shifted  is  determined  by  the shiftwidth editor option.  Only
	      leading spaces are lost in shifting; other  characters  are  not
	      affected.	  The  current	line is the last line changed.	Shifts
	      the specified lines to the right,	 by  inserting	spaces,	 using
	      tabs  where  possible,  as  determined  by the shiftwidth editor
	      option.  Empty lines are not changed.  The current line  is  the
	      last  line changed.  Repeats the previous substitute subcommand,
	      as if (&) were replaced by the previous s/pattern/repl/  subcom‐
	      mand.   (The  same  effect can be obtained by omitting the /pat‐
	      tern/repl/ string in the substitute subcommand.)	The version of
	      the  subcommand  using ~ (tilde) is the same as & and s, but the
	      pattern used is the last regular expression used in any  subcom‐
	      mand,  not  necessarily the one used in the last substitute sub‐
	      command.	For example, in the following sequence, the ~  (tilde)
	      is equivalent to s/green/blue/:

	      s/red/blue/  /green  ~  Writes  the line number of the specified
	      line (the default is the last line).  The current line  position
	      is  not affected.	 Writes the next n lines, where n is the value
	      of the editor option scroll.  The subcommand is invoked with the
	      End-of-File  character.  The current line is the last line writ‐
	      ten.  Executes each line of the named buffer as  an  ex  subcom‐
	      mand.  If no buffer is specified, or is specified as @ or *, the
	      last buffer executed is used.  If there is no  last  buffer,  an
	      error occurs.  Displays addressed lines with line numbers Starts
	      comment Displays next line

   Subcommand Addresses
       The last line The next line The previous line The nth line forward  The
       nth  previous line The first through last lines Line number The current
       line The numberth line before line x Lines x through y The line	marked
       with  m	The previous context The next line with pattern at end of line
       The next line with pattern at start of line The next line with  pattern
       The previous line with pattern

   Scanning Pattern Formation
       The  beginning of the line The end of the line Any character The begin‐
       ning of the word The end of the word Any character in string Any	 char‐
       acter not in string Any character between x and y, inclusive Any number
       of the preceding character The replacement part of the last  substitute
       subcommand.   A	regular	 expression pattern can be enclosed in escaped
       parentheses to identify them for substitution actions.

   Startup Files
       When you customize ex from the ex command line, the  customized	editor
       is  in  effect  until  you  exit	 the editor. If you want to reuse such
       things as option settings and key mappings, you must put	 them  in  the
       file  in your home directory or define the EXINIT environment variable.
       The ex editor processes the commands given in the  EXINIT  variable  or
       reads the file each time you invoke it. Here is an example of an file:

       set ai aw set wm=5

       Users  with  both  an file and an EXINIT environment variable will find
       that the ex editor no longer reads the file.  This change was  made  to
       meet the specifications of XPG4.

       The  standard  provides for an approximation of the old behavior. A new
       variable, named exrc, is defined.  When this variable  is  set  by  the
       commands	 in  the  EXINIT environment variable, the editor reads in the
       current directory for additional startup commands.  For example:

       setenv EXINIT 'set ai terse magic bf wm=1 exrc'

       Additionally, the editor refuses to read the file if  its  mode	grants
       write  permission to anyone other than the owner; this restriction pre‐
       vents certain security breaches. No overt indication is given when such
       a refusal occurs.

EXIT STATUS
       The  following  exit  values  are  returned: Successful completion.  An
       error occurred.

	      If the environment variable STDS_FLAG is set to  ALL,  the  exit
	      status  will  be set to 1 whenever a read only option with write
	      fails.

ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS
       The following actions are taken upon receipt of signals: When an inter‐
       rupt  occurs,  ex alerts the terminal and writes a message. The current
       editor command is aborted and ex	 returns  to  the  command  level  and
       prompts	for  another  command. If the standard input is not a terminal
       device, ex exits at the interrupt and returns a non-zero	 exit  status.
       (The  alerting action can be modified by the use of the errorbells edi‐
       tor option.)  The screen is refreshed if in visual mode.	 If  the  cur‐
       rent  buffer  has changed since the last e or w command, ex attempts to
       save the current file in a state such that it can be recovered later by
       an ex -r or vi -r command.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
       The  following  environment variables affect the execution of ex: Over‐
       rides the system-selected horizontal screen size.  Determines a list of
       ex  commands  to	 be executed at startup before the first file is read.
       The list can include multiple commands separated by a vertical line (|)
       character.  Determines the path name of a directory searched at startup
       for a file named Provides a default value for the  internationalization
       variables  that are unset or null. If LANG is unset or null, the corre‐
       sponding value from the default locale is used. If any of the  interna‐
       tionalization variables contain an invalid setting, the utility behaves
       as if none of the variables had been defined.  If set  to  a  non-empty
       string  value,  overrides the values of all the other internationaliza‐
       tion variables.	Determines the locale  for  the	 behavior  of  ranges,
       equivalence classes, and multicharacter collating elements within regu‐
       lar expressions.	 Determines  the  locale  for  the  interpretation  of
       sequences of bytes of text data as characters (for example, single-byte
       as opposed to multibyte characters in arguments and input  files),  the
       behavior of character classes within regular expressions, the classifi‐
       cation of characters as upper- or lower-case letters, the case  conver‐
       sion  of	 letters, and the detection of word boundaries.	 Overrides the
       system-selected vertical screen size, used as the number of lines in  a
       screenful  and the vertical screen size in visual mode.	Determines the
       locale for the format and contents of diagnostic	 messages  written  to
       standard	 error.	 Determines the location of message catalogues for the
       processing of LC_MESSAGES.  Determines the search path  for  the	 shell
       command	specified in the editor commands shell, read and write and the
       visual-mode command !.  Determines the preferred	 command  line	inter‐
       preter  for use in !, shell, read and other commands with an operand of
       the form !string. For the shell command the  program  will  be  invoked
       with the single argument -i, for all others it will be invoked with the
       two arguments -c and string. If this variable is null or not  set,  the
       POSIX  compliant sh command will be used.  Resolves the behavior of the
       command in some scenarios that cause  noncompliance  with  POSIX	 stan‐
       dards. Setting this variable to ALL enables the command to overcome all
       instances of noncompliance.  Determines the name of the terminal	 type.
       If  this	 variable  is unset or null, a default terminal type that pro‐
       vides most capabilities is used.

FILES
       recover subcommand preserve subcommand  Terminal	 information  database
       Editor  startup	file Editor temporary file Names buffer temporary file
       Preservation directory

SEE ALSO
       Commands:  ctags(1), edit(1), ed(1), grep(1), sed(1), stty(1), vi(1)

       Files:  terminfo(4)

       Environment:  environ(5)

       Standards:  standards(5)

									 ex(1)
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