NAME

     elvis, ex, vi - The editor


SYNOPSIS

     elvis [flags] [+cmd] [files...]


DESCRIPTION

     Elvis is a text editor which emulates vi/ex.

     On systems which pass the program name as an argument,  such
     as  UNIX  and  MINIX 3, you may also install elvis under the
     names "ex", "vi", "view", and "input".   These  extra  names
     would  normally  be  links to elvis; see the "ln" shell com-
     mand.

     When elvis is invoked as "vi", it behaves exactly as  though
     it  was invoked as "elvis".  However, if you invoke elvis as
     "view", then the readonly option is set as  though  you  had
     given  it  the "-R" flag.  If you invoke elvis as "ex", then
     elvis will start up in the colon command mode instead of the
     visual  command  mode,  as  though you had given it the "-e"
     flag.  If you invoke elvis as "input" or "edit", then  elvis
     will  start  up  in  input mode, as though the "-i" flag was
     given.


OPTIONS

     -r   To the real vi, this flag means that  a  previous  edit
          should  be  recovered.   Elvis,  though, has a separate
          program, called elvrec(1), for recovering files.   When
          you  invoke  elvis  with -r, elvis will tell you to run
          elvrec.

     -R   This sets the "readonly" option, so you won't  acciden-
          tally overwrite a file.

     -t tag
          This causes elvis to start editing at the given tag.

     -m [file]
          Elvis will search through file for something that looks
          like  an  error  message from a compiler.  It will then
          begin editing the source file that  caused  the  error,
          with the cursor sitting on the line where the error was
          detected.  If you don't explicitly name  a  file,  then
          "errlist" is assumed.

     -e   Elvis will start up in colon command mode.

     -v   Elvis will start up in visual command mode.

     -i   Elvis will start up in input mode.

     -w winsize
          Sets the "window" option's value to winsize.

     +command or -c command
          If you use the +command parameter, then after the first
          file is loaded command is executed as an EX command.  A
          typical example would be "elvis +237 foo", which  would
          cause elvis to start editing foo and then move directly
          to line 237.  The "-c command" variant  was  added  for
          UNIX SysV compatibility.


FILES

     /tmp/elv*
          During editing, elvis stores text in a temporary  file.
          For  UNIX, this file will usually be stored in the /tmp
          directory, and  the  first  three  characters  will  be
          "elv".   For  other systems, the temporary files may be
          stored someplace else; see the version-specific section
          of the documentation.

     tags This is the database used by the :tags command and  the
          -t  option.  It is usually created by the ctags(1) pro-
          gram.

     .exrc or elvis.rc
          On UNIX-like systems, a file  called  ".exrc"  in  your
          home  directory is executed as a series of ex commands.
          A file by the same name may be executed in the  current
          directory,  too.   On non-UNIX systems, ".exrc" is usu-
          ally an invalid file name;  there,  the  initialization
          file is called "elvis.rc" instead.


SEE ALSO

     ctags(1), ref(1), elvrec(1), elvis(9).

     Elvis - A Clone of Vi/Ex, the complete elvis documentation.


BUGS

     There is no LISP support.  Certain other features are  miss-
     ing, too.

     Auto-indent mode is not quite compatible with the  real  vi.
     Among  other  things,  0^D  and  ^^D don't do what you might
     expect.

     Long lines are displayed differently.   The  real  vi  wraps
     long  lines  onto  multiple  rows  of  the screen, but elvis
     scrolls sideways.


AUTHOR

     Steve Kirkendall
     kirkenda@cs.pdx.edu
     Many other people have  worked  to  port  elvis  to  various
     operating  systems.   To  see  who  deserves credit, run the
     :version command from within elvis, or look in  the  system-
     specific section of the complete documentation.