This web page describes the EFS editor functionality that was written and enhanced between the years 1983-1993

EFS full screen editor for HP3000

Written for the University of Notre Dame
Administrative Computing Department
by Eric Schubert


This is the main menu of the Editor. The unique thing about EFS is its ability to accept and execute 3 levels of commands simultaneously: File, Global and Line.

Other menu tiers are selected by function keys:

f5-Help,
f6-IMAGE/SQL,
f8-File Manager
Main Menu

The EFS file manager menu allows you to Edit, Copy, zip, unzip, remove, rename and assign security attributes to any listed files.

EFS can edit any file type including:
COBOL, ASCII, BINARY, INDEXED, SELF-DESCRIBING and DATABASE.
File Manager Menu - List and Select Files

The EFS file editor could edit just about any file whether it was ASCII or BINARY.

This example shows EFS editing a binary file used for indexing hundreds of thousands of names stored in a database.

EFS could edit files as large as a half-million records (512K) with row length sizes up to 2046 bytes.
Editing a file containing BINARY characters using HEX display

The EFS Database menu allows you to Edit Database TABLES.

EFS supported IMAGE/3000 Omnidex indexing scheme and can edit MASTER, DETAIL and even AUTO-MASTER table types.
Database Manager Menu - List and Select TABLES

This example shows EFS open a dictionary/3000 MASTER Database TABLE.

EFS can display BINARY data in both field and HEX values allowing EFS to perhaps alter a single byte of a data contained within binary field or replace data by whole field values, for examples.
Database MASTER TABLE Editor
This example shows EFS open a dictionary/3000 master set.

EFS displays related data such as counts of any related DETAIL rows.

Also displayed is the physical IMAGE record number which could be used to directly replace detail rows, if needed.

Another feature is master key value replacement; simply change the master key and all detail rows are updated.
Database MASTER TABLE SHOWING DETAIL CHAIN HEADS
EFS can decode and display MPE self-describing files, a technique similar to present day markup of XML files.

A self-describing file contains a meta data file label which is used to overlay field information on raw file data.
EFS quick SHOW Files interactive display
EFS primary commands included System command interface, Binary display modes, Up shift/downshift text, Line number options, hot Compile within the editor with a browser for output listing, ability to Copy text directly from one file screen to another file screen, IMAGE/SQL edit commands, Inset lines command, Shift data commands. EFS HELP GUIDE showing PRIMARY command options (PAGE 1)
EFS primary commands included Print, profiles settings, Edit change recovery from crashes, shift columns right, renumber options, replace rows in a database, terminal reset, job submission of edit files, ability to subset records in a file (hide/show records so that changes only were applied to shown records), ability to use files containing EFS commands, FIND/CHANGE options. EFS HELP GUIDE showing PRIMARY command options (PAGE 2)
EFS line commands could be entered simultaneously with primary commands.

One could repeat lines, delete lines, move lines, overlay lines, format text into paragraphs all the while globally changing some value to another value. This "blocking" feature made EFS efficient when editing code and text.
EFS HELP GUIDE showing LINE command options (PAGE 3)
EFS Function keys were used for navigation and file saving.

EFS function key commands could be entered simultaneously with line commands and primary commands allowing a total of 3 stacked command levels for each edit action.
EFS HELP GUIDE showing LINE and FUNCTION KEY options (PAGE 4)