Trailing-Edge
-
PDP-10 Archives
-
decuslib20-03
-
decus/20-0085/zap.doc
There is 1 other file named zap.doc in the archive. Click here to see a list.
Z A P !
ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM
USER'S GUIDE
DANIEL KOHANSKI
CCIS Systems Group
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.
JANUARY 1975
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 2
USER'S GUIDE
I. Basic Properties of ZAP!
The purpose of ZAP! is to permit minor modifications of
disk files on the PDP-10. It is not intended as an addition
to or replacement for any of the various text editors or
DDT. It was originally conceived of as an emergency
surgical tool to be used on large binary data sets, and
subsequent developments have kept this idea in mind.
As such, ZAP! will not expand or contract the file;
it will only replace one string with another of the same
size. Furthermore, no backup files are created. Updating
in place is used, which is faster, but does require some
user responsibility. While certain defensive measures are
taken (the RIB, for example, cannot be ZAPped), it is
assumed that the user knows what he is doing. That is, he
should know exactly what his data looks like in binary form
and what effects will result from his changing it.
ZAP! operates on one file at a time, and within the
file, on one block (128 decimal words) at a time. Any
number of operations may be performed on the same block, and
any block may be selected at random.
(For the uninitiated, ZOFTIG is Yiddish for "strong".)
DISCLAIMER
While ZAP! has been extensively tested and performs as
described herein, no guarantee is expressed or implied
by the author or Rutgers University, which assume no
responsibility or liability for any actions of this
program.
Users discovering bugs are requested to report them to
the author.
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 3
USER'S GUIDE
II. File Commands
(In the command prototypes, parameters in <> are
optional; names in lower case are to be replaced by the
appropriate value. All commands are one letter. All
numbers are octal.)
Ffile.ext<[p,pn]>
Open file "file.ext" to be worked on. This fails if a
file is already open, or if no file exists by that name.
(The user will receive the appropriate error message in each
case.) If the user has read but not write access to the
file, the file will be opened in PROTECTED mode (see below
section VII).
An alternative command is:
Afile.ext<[p,pn]>
Close the current file, if one is open, and open the
new one. Read in the first block, set the mode to octal
(see below section III), and display all relevant
information (see the I command section VII). This will fail
if a zapped block is still in core. (A "zapped" block is a
block in which at least one word has been changed - zapped -
but the block has not yet been written back onto the disk.)
At the start of a ZAP! session, one may peform the
equivalent of the A command by typing:
R ZAP-file.ext<[p,pn]>
After the file is opened, the desired block must be
specified:
Rn or R+<n> or R-<n>
where "n" is the block number, in octal, or the number
of blocks to move forward (+) or backward (-) from the
current one. The size of the file in blocks is given as
part of the I command. If a zapped block is still in core,
the user is given the option of rereading the block by
typing "R",thereby wiping out all zaps on that block.
After a block has been zapped (altered), it must be
written back onto the disk by the command:
W
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 4
USER'S GUIDE
This ensures that the user determines that the block is
in the desired condition. If no changes have been made, the
block will not be written. After this command has been
executed, the block is no longer considered "zapped", and
the R, C, E and A commands have their usual effect.
After all work is done, the file must be closed:
C or E or ^C^C (ctrl-C)
Any of these will close the file; E and ^C^C will exit
after closing. (There is one special case where ^C^C has a
different effect; see below, section VI.) These commands
will not work if a zapped block is still in core. In this
case, the user will be allowed to close the file without
writing this block (command "C") or reread the block ("R").
Use of any other command at this point will cancel this
special use of the C and R commands.
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 5
USER'S GUIDE
III. Data Modes
The data mode (also referred to as the display/zap
mode) governs most of the remaining commands. It specifies
the way the block is displayed, what kind of string to look
for, and what to zap it with.
The mode is set by the command:
Mk
where k is:
O - octal
S - sixbit
K - ascii character
A - ascii (7-bit)
I - instruction
The original mode when a file is opened is octal. The
current mode remains in effect until the next M, F or A
command. R and W do not change the mode.
The following mode definitions are given for the
display command. With slight variations, they are to be
followed when inputting values. Differences between output
and input forms will be noted as appropriate.
OCTAL - Each word is displayed as two half words of six
digits each.
SIXBIT - Each word is displayed as six characters in sixbit
mode.
ASCII CHARACTER - Each word is displayed as 5 characters in
7-bit ascii. Control characters are printed as "\"
(backslash). The low order bit (bit 35) is ignored
and is not accessible.
ASCII (7-bit) - Each word is displayed as 5 groups of 3
digits each, where the first digit is 0 or 1, and the
remaining digits are 0-7. The low order bit (bit 35)
is displayed as 0 or 1. The character equivalents
are also shown.
INSTRUCTION - Each word is displayed as an instruction, with
the op, a/f, y, x and indirect fields arranged as in
MACRO-10. The CALLI mnemonics are included through
SUSET. (CALLI 146).
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 6
USER'S GUIDE
IV. DISPLAY/ZAP Commands
Once a block is in core, any portion of it can be
displayed in current mode: (all references are relative to
the start of the block)
D<loc<,n>>
If "loc" but not ",n" is given, only location "loc" is
displayed. If ",n" but not "loc" is given, the first n
locations are shown. If "loc,n" is given, n locations
starting at "loc" are displayed. Saying just "D" means
display the entire block. All values are in octal.
To change a single word in a block, the command is:
Zloc
Only one location at a time can be zapped. The word to
be zapped is first displayed, then the user types in his
changes. When he is done, the entire word is again
displayed, and the block is flagged as being zapped. The R,
C, E and A commands will not have their usual effect.
IVa. ZAP! Editing Conventions
Only those characters which are legal in the current mode
may be typed in; illegal characters are echoed as "?", and
the cursor is not moved. Where a word consists of more than
one group (ascii, octal), the group separation character is
provided by the program.
When entering a new value, certain characters have
special meanings:
ctrl-L - forward space; that is, retain the original value
of the current character.
ctrl-H - backspace one character. Backspacing past the
start of the word is equivalent to rubout.
rubout - retain the original value. Do not flag the block
zapped, unless it has been zapped already.
escape - finish out the word with the old value. Equivalent
to a series of ctrl-L's.
Notes:
1. In ascii character mode, any control character
can be typed by preceding it with !
(exclamation mark). The next character is
made into a contol character (thus, for ^C
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 7
USER'S GUIDE
(003), type !C. Rubout (177) is entered by
!rubout.) The exclamation mark itself is
entered as "!!".
2. In ascii mode, the first bit of each group
(byte) must be 0 or 1, as must be bit 35.
3. In instruction mode, type a space after the op
code or its mnemonic if it is less than six
characters; the program will supply the
remaining spaces. Backspacing is permitted
only to the start of the current field. It is
not necessary to indicate those fields which
are not included.
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 8
USER'S GUIDE
V. Search Command - Basics
This is the most powerful command in the ZAP! repertoire.
It will search an entire file looking for a single pattern
and replace it automatically. Because of its complexity,
its explanation has been broken into two sections.
The basic search command is:
S
The search routine will type out the current mode and
ask the user for the string (value) to be looked for. This
string may be up to one word (36 bits) in size, and is
entered according to the ZAP! editing conventions.
Notes:
1. When entering the search value, ctrl-L
(forward space) is not recognized.
2. In instruction mode, "X" for the op code means
ignore the op code part. Other fields which
are omitted entirely will not be included in
the search.
3. Zero is a search value identical in behavior
to any other digit.
4. Escape (altmode) defines the end of the search
string, if it is less than a full word in
length.
5. The search is confined to the current block;
each new search returns to the start of the
block.
When the string is found, the user is offered the
opportunity of zapping it. The cursor or type element is
placed under the first character of the matching string
(backspacing is allowed). If the string is split between
two words, the user is guided in zapping each part
separately. (Instruction mode is always a single word.)
The ZAP! editing conventions apply when typing in the
new value. If RUBOUT is typed, the word is unchanged; the
second part (if any) will not be shown.
Additional Search Commands
SC - continue search. The search continues from the last
successful match (possibly even in the middle of the
word). A search cannot be continued past the end of
the block.
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 9
USER'S GUIDE
SM - same as S, only for the entire file, not just the
current block. Unlike S, which returns to the start
of the block, SM begins at the start of the current
block and continues from there to the end of the file;
it does not go back to the start of the file.
SCM - continue multiple block search. Same as SC, only for
SCM. Use of the R command (in any direction) before
SCM is permissible.
Note:
If the block has been zapped, SCM will
automatically write it out in the course of
the search. This feature is a variation from
the philosophy embodied in the W command and
should be carefully noted.
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 10
USER'S GUIDE
VI. Search Command - Continued
By the use of switches following the S (SM) command, the
user can avail himself of additional facilities. Switches
may be specified in any order and in any combination.
S/F - initiate fullword search. The right-jusified search
string must match the entire word for the search to be
successful.
Note:
In ascii (7-bit) mode, if bit 35 is included
in the search string, this automatically
requests a fullword search. In instruction
mode, S/F requires an exact match of the
instruction as typed in. In all other modes,
looking for 36 (35) bits is not equivalent to
S/F.
S/R - search and replace automatically. The replacement
value is typed in after the search value (the routine
will ask for each in turn). Except for a fullword
search, the search and replacement strings must be the
same length. ZAP! editing conventions (with search
exceptions) apply.
S/C - automatically continue search after the value has been
zapped or replaced. During the search, typing ^C
(ctrl-C) will halt the search eventually (especially
in the case of S/R/C). Use this switch with caution.
S/W - requires that the matching string be found entirely
within one word, not spread across two words as is
normally allowed. If a fullword search is requested,
this switch is ignored.
ZAP! - THE ZOFTIG ALTERATION PROGRAM Page 11
USER'S GUIDE
VII. Miscellaneous Commands
Pn - Set Write Protection
If n = 0, all commands operate normally (the file is
unprotected). If n = 1, the file will be write protected.
Z will not work, and the various S commands will display
only (in particular, S/R will cause an error). If the file
is write-protected by the system, P0 has no effect.
I - Information
Print the name and size of the current file, the
current block and mode, the protection and zapped status,
and the search conditions.
Tk - Set Terminal Status
ZAP! was written on and for a CRT type terminal.
Hardcopy users will find editing easier by defining their
terminal as hardcopy - "TH". Line-feeds will be inserted
after backspaces for greater legibility. "TC" returns to
CRT type.
H - Type the "HELP" message.
Hk - type the help message for command "k".