NEWFORM(1) User Commands NEWFORM(1)

NAME

newform - change the format of a text file

SYNOPSIS

newform [-s] [-itabspec] [-otabspec] [-bn] [-en] [-pn]
[-an] [-f] [-cchar] [-ln] [filename]...

DESCRIPTION

newform reads lines from the named filenames, or the standard input if no
input file is named, and reproduces the lines on the standard output.
Lines are reformatted in accordance with command line options in effect.


Except for -s, command line options may appear in any order, may be
repeated, and may be intermingled with the optional filenames. Command
line options are processed in the order specified. This means that option
sequences like ``-e15 -l60'' will yield results different from ``-l60
-e15''. Options are applied to all filenames on the command line.

OPTIONS

The following options are supported:

-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 this option
is used on a file without a tab on each line. The
characters sheared off are saved internally until all other
options specified are applied to that line. The characters
are then added at the end of the processed line.

For example, 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


-itabspec
Input tab specification: expands tabs to spaces, according
to the tab specifications given. Tabspec recognizes all tab
specification forms described in tabs(1). In addition,
tabspec may be -, in which newform assumes that the tab
specification is to be found in the first line read from
the standard input (see fspec(5)). 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
Truncate n characters from the beginning of the line when
the line length is greater than the effective line length
(see -ln). 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 option can be
used to delete the sequence numbers from a COBOL program as
follows:

newform -l1 -b7 filename


-en
Same as -bn except that characters are truncated from the
end of the line.


-pn
Prefix n characters (see -cchar) 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
Write the tab specification format line on the standard
output before any other lines are output. The tab
specification format line which is printed will correspond
to the format specified in the last -o option. If no -o
option is specified, the line which is printed will contain
the default specification of -8.


-cchar
Change the prefix/append character to char. Default
character for char is a space.


-ln
Set the effective line length to n characters. If n is not
entered, -l defaults to 72. The default line length without
the -l option is 80 characters. Note: 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
option is activated.

OPERANDS

The following operand is supported:

filename
Input file

EXIT STATUS

The following exit values are returned:

0
Successful operation.


1
Operation failed.

SEE ALSO

csplit(1), tabs(1), fspec(5), attributes(7)

DIAGNOSTICS

All diagnostics are fatal.

usage: ...

newform was called with a bad option.


"not -s format"

There was no tab on one line.


"can't open file"

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 standard input) may not contain a
tabspec referencing another file (or standard input).

NOTES

newform normally only keeps track of physical characters; however, for
the -i and -o options, newform will keep track of backspaces in order to
line up tabs in the appropriate logical columns.


newform will not prompt the user if a tabspec is to be read from the
standard input (by use of -i- or -o-).


If the -f option is used, and the last -o option specified was -o-, and
was preceded by either a -o- or a -i-, the tab specification format line
will be incorrect.

July 21, 1997 NEWFORM(1)