The TOOLS.INI File

The TOOLS.INI file is the initialization and customization file for MEP. MEP reads key assignments, switch settings, extensions, and macro definitions from this file on startup. Each section in the TOOLS.INI begins with a tag that specifies the base name of the executable file for the tool that will use the section. MEP recognizes only the sections tagged [MEP - name]. MEP looks for TOOLS.INI in the directory given by the INIT environment variable. If INIT is not defined, MEP looks in the current directory.

MEP also stores status information, such as cursor position, settings, and the list of files you have edited, in a file named MEP.TMP. Between sessions, MEP saves certain settings in MEP.TMP. Settings in this file override those in TOOLS.INI.

When you start MEP, it reads the TOOLS.INI file, loads editor extensions, and reads MEP.TMP. To suppress this sequence and start MEP with no default assignments and no retained status, specify the /D option.

Defining Sections

The statements in the TOOLS.INI file are divided into sections. Each section begins with a tag that indicates its use. The main section of TOOLS.INI that MEP uses has the [MEP] tag. You list most editor assignments and macro definitions in this section. When you save a key assignment, switch setting, or recorded macro, MEP puts the new definition in this section unless the definition belongs to a specific editor extension. Extensions use the following format for their tags:

[MEP - ExtensionName]

For example, help extension settings appear after the [MEP-MHELP] tag.

You can define named sections of TOOLS.INI that you load manually. Use named sections to make special key assignments, to load complex or rarely used macros, or to create alternate configurations. To load a named section of TOOLS.INI under the tag [MEP - name], execute the following command:

ALT+A name SHIFT+F8

This method of reading a tagged section can be used for any kind of tagged section, including the automatically loaded sections.

Specifying Comments

To specify a comment in the TOOLS.INI file, place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of a line or following a space. MEP ignores text from the semicolon to the end of the line.

For example, the first semicolon in the following statement is part of a command, and the second semicolon begins a comment.

Printcmd:lister -t4 %s -c;   ;Print using lister program

Semicolons inside a quoted string do not begin a comment.

Specifying Line Continuation

To continue a long macro definition on multiple lines in TOOLS.INI, use a backslash character (\). The backslash must be preceded by a space to be treated as a line-continuation character.

Precede the backslash by two spaces or a tab if you want the macro to contain a space at that location. The backslash must be the last character on the line except for spaces and tabs.

For example, the backslash in the following statement is not a line continuation.

Qreplace:CTRL+\

However, the backslash at the end of the first line in the following example is a line continuation.

Findtag:=arg arg "^\\[[^\\]]+\\]" psearch ->none  \
arg setwindow => :>none arg "no tag" message

In the second example, the backslash is preceded by two spaces. The first space is included to separate "->none" from "arg" in the macro definition. The second space identifies the backslash that follows it as the line-continuation character.

Switches

The following table gives an alphabetical listing of MEP switches, along with their types, defaults, and descriptions.