path: root/doc/texinfo/nano.texi

\input texinfo  @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename nano.info
@settitle nano Command Manual
@c %**end of header

@c This file has the new style title page commands.
@c Run 'makeinfo' rather than 'texinfo-format-buffer'.
@smallbook
@set EDITION 0.3
@set VERSION 2.4.0
@set UPDATED March 2015

@dircategory Editors
@direntry
* nano: (nano).                 Small and friendly text editor.
@end direntry

@c tex
@c \overfullrule=0pt
@c end tex

@titlepage
@title GNU @code{nano}
@subtitle a small and friendly text editor.
@subtitle version 2.4.0

@author Chris Allegretta
@page

This manual documents GNU @code{nano}, a small and friendly text
editor.

This manual is part of the GNU @code{nano} distribution.@*
@sp 4
Copyright (C) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,
2009, 2014, 2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

This document is dual-licensed.  You may distribute and/or modify it
under the terms of either of the following licenses:

* The GNU General Public License, as published by the Free Software
  Foundation, version 3 or (at your option) any later version.  You
  should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
  with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

* The GNU Free Documentation License, as published by the Free Software
  Foundation, version 1.2 or (at your option) any later version, with no
  Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
  You should have received a copy of the GNU Free Documentation License
  along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

You may contact the author by
e-mail: @email{chrisa@@asty.org}@*
@end titlepage


@node Top
@top

This manual documents GNU @code{nano}, a small and friendly text
editor.

@menu
* Introduction::
* Editor Basics::
* Online Help::
* Feature Toggles::
* Nanorc Files::
* The File Browser::
* Pico Compatibility::
* Building and Configure Options::
@end menu


@node Introduction
@chapter Introduction

GNU @code{nano} is a small and friendly text editor.  Besides basic text
editing, @code{nano} offers many extra features, like an interactive
search-and-replace, go-to-line-and-column-number, auto-indentation,
feature toggles, internationalization support, and filename tab
completion.

@menu
* Overview::
* Command Line Options::
@end menu

@node Overview
@section Overview

The original goal for @code{nano} was a complete bug-for-bug compatible
emulation of Pico, but @code{nano}'s current goal is to be as compatible
as possible while offering a superset of Pico's functionality.  See
@xref{Pico Compatibility}, for more info.

The usual way to invoke @code{nano} is:

@quotation
@code{nano [OPTION]@dots{} [FILE]}
@end quotation

But it is also possible to edit several files in a row.  Additionally,
the cursor can be put on a desired line number by adding this number
with a plus sign before any filename, and even in a desired column by
adding it with a comma.  So the complete synopsis is:

@quotation
@code{nano [OPTION]@dots{} [[+LINE] FILE]@dots{}}

@code{nano [OPTION]@dots{} [[+,COLUMN] FILE]@dots{}}

@code{nano [OPTION]@dots{} [[+LINE,COLUMN] FILE]@dots{}}
@end quotation

Email bug reports to @email{nano@@nano-editor.org}.

@node Command Line Options
@section Command Line Options

@command{nano} takes the following options from the command line:

@table @option
@item +@var{line},@var{column}
Start at line number @var{line} and column number @var{column} (at least one of
which must be specified) instead of the default of line 1, column 1.

@item -A
@itemx --smarthome
Make the Home key smarter.  When Home is pressed anywhere but at the
very beginning of non-whitespace characters on a line, the cursor will
jump to that beginning (either forwards or backwards).  If the cursor is
already at that position, it will jump to the true beginning of the
line.

@item -B
@itemx --backup
When saving a file, back up the previous version of it to the current
filename suffixed with a @samp{~}.

@item -C @var{directory}
@itemx --backupdir=@var{directory}
Set the directory where @command{nano} puts unique backup files if file
backups are enabled.

@item -D
@itemx --boldtext
Use bold text instead of reverse video text.

@item -E
@itemx --tabstospaces
Convert typed tabs to spaces.

@item -F
@itemx --multibuffer
Enable multiple file buffers (if support for them has been compiled in).

@item -G
@itemx --locking
Enable vim-style file locking when editing files.

@item -H
@itemx --historylog
Log search and replace strings to @file{~/.nano/search_history},
so they can be retrieved in later sessions.

@item -I
@itemx --ignorercfiles
Don't look at the system's nanorc file nor at the user's @file{~/.nanorc}.

@item -K
@itemx --rebindkeypad
Interpret the numeric keypad keys so that they all work properly.  You
should only need to use this option if they don't, as mouse support
won't work properly with this option enabled.

@item -L
@itemx --nonewlines
Don't add newlines to the ends of files.

@item -N
@itemx --noconvert
Disable automatic conversion of files from DOS/Mac format.

@item -O
@itemx --morespace
Use the blank line below the titlebar as extra editing space.

@item -P
@itemx --poslog
Log for each file the last location of the cursor, and read it
back upon reopening the file and place it there again.

@item -Q "@var{characters}"
@itemx --quotestr="@var{characters}"
Set the quoting string for justifying.  The default value is

@quotation
"^([ \t]*[|>:@}#])+"
@end quotation

if extended regular expression support is available, or @code{> } otherwise.
Note that @code{\t} above stands for a literal Tab character.

@item -R
@itemx --restricted
Restricted mode: don't read or write to any file not specified on the
command line; don't read any nanorc files nor history files; don't allow
suspending nor spell checking; don't
allow a file to be appended to, prepended to, or saved under a different
name if it already has one; and don't use backup files.
This restricted mode is also accessible by invoking @command{nano} with
any name beginning with @samp{r} (e.g. @command{rnano}).

@item -S
@itemx --smooth
Enable smooth scrolling.  Text will scroll line-by-line, instead of the
usual chunk-by-chunk behavior.

@item -T @var{number}
@itemx --tabsize=@var{number}
Set the displayed tab length to @var{number} columns.  The value of
@var{number} must be greater than 0.  The default value is @samp{8}.

@item -U
@itemx --quickblank
Do quick statusbar blanking.  Statusbar messages will disappear after 1
keystroke instead of 25.  Note that @option{-c} overrides this.

@item -V
@itemx --version
Show the current version number and exit.

@item -W
@itemx --wordbounds
Detect word boundaries more accurately by treating punctuation
characters as parts of words.

@item -Y @var{name}
@itemx --syntax=@var{name}
Specify a specific syntax from the nanorc files to use for highlighting.
See @xref{Syntax Highlighting}, for more info.

@item -c
@itemx --const
Constantly display the cursor position and line number on the statusbar.
Note that this overrides @option{-U}.

@item -d
@itemx --rebinddelete
Interpret the Delete key differently so that both Backspace and Delete
work properly.  You should only need to use this option if Backspace
acts like Delete on your system.

@item -h
@itemx --help
Show a summary of command-line options and exit.

@item -i
@itemx --autoindent
Automatically indent new lines to the same number of spaces and tabs as
the previous line.

@item -k
@itemx --cut
Make the 'Cut Text' command (normally ^K) cut from the current cursor
position to the end of the line, instead of cutting the entire line.

@item -l
@itemx --nofollow
When writing files, if the given file is a symbolic link, it is removed
and a new file is created.

@item -m
@itemx --mouse
Enable mouse support, if available for your system.  When enabled, mouse
clicks can be used to place the cursor, set the mark (with a double
click), and execute shortcuts.  The mouse will work in the X Window
System, and on the console when gpm is running.  Text can still be
selected through dragging by holding down the Shift key.

@item -n
@itemx --noread
Treat any name given on the command line as a new file.  This allows
@command{nano} to write to named pipes: it will start with a blank buffer,
and will write to the pipe when the user saves the "file".  This way
@command{nano} can be used as an editor in combination with for instance
@command{gpg} without having to write sensitive data to disk first.

@item -o @var{directory}
@itemx --operatingdir=@var{directory}
Set the operating directory.  This makes @command{nano} set up something
similar to a chroot.

@item -p
@itemx --preserve
Preserve the ^Q (XON) and ^S (XOFF) sequences so data being sent to the
editor can be stopped and started.

@item -q
@itemx --quiet
Do not report errors in the nanorc file nor ask them to be acknowledged
by pressing Enter at startup.

@item -r @var{number}
@itemx --fill=@var{number}
Hard-wrap lines at column @var{number} (by inserting a newline character).
If the given value is 0 or less, wrapping will occur at the width of
the screen minus the given amount, allowing the wrapping width to
vary along with the width of the screen if and when it is resized.
The default value is @samp{-8}.  This option conflicts with @option{-w}
-- the last one given takes effect.

@item -s @var{program}
@itemx --speller=@var{program}
Invoke the given program as the spell checker.  By default, @command{nano}
uses the command specified in the @env{SPELL} environment variable, or,
if @env{SPELL} is not set, its own interactive spell checker that requires
the @command{spell} program to be installed on your system.

@item -t
@itemx --tempfile
Don't ask whether or not to save the current contents of the file when
exiting, assume yes.  This is most useful when using @command{nano} as the
composer of a mailer program.

@item -v
@itemx --view
Don't allow the contents of the file to be altered.  Note that this
option should NOT be used in place of correct file permissions to
implement a read-only file.

@item -w
@itemx --nowrap
Don't hard-wrap long lines at any length.  This option conflicts with
@option{-r} -- the last one given takes effect.

@anchor{Expert Mode}
@item -x
@itemx --nohelp
Expert Mode: don't show the Shortcut Lists at the bottom of the screen.
This affects the location of the statusbar as well, as in Expert Mode it
is located at the very bottom of the editor.

Note: When accessing the help system, Expert Mode is temporarily
disabled to display the help-system navigation keys.

@item -z
@itemx --suspend
Enable the ability to suspend @command{nano} using the system's suspend
keystroke (usually ^Z).

@item -$
@itemx --softwrap
Enable 'soft wrapping'.  This will make @command{nano} attempt to display the
entire contents of any line, even if it is longer than the screen width, by
continuing it over multiple screen lines.  Since
@samp{$} normally refers to a variable in the Unix shell, you should specify
this option last when using other options (e.g. @code{nano -wS$}) or pass it
separately (e.g. @code{nano -wS -$}).

@item -a
@itemx -b
@itemx -e
@itemx -f
@itemx -g
@itemx -j
Ignored, for compatibility with Pico.
@end table


@node Editor Basics
@chapter Editor Basics

@menu
* Entering Text::
* Special Functions::
* The Cutbuffer::
* The Mark::
* The Titlebar::
* The Statusbar::
* Shortcut Lists::
* Using the Mouse::
@end menu

@node Entering Text
@section Entering Text

@code{nano} is a "modeless" editor.  All keystrokes, with the exception
of Control and Meta key sequences, enter text into the file being edited.
All key sequences in @code{nano} are entered using the keyboard.

@node Special Functions
@section Special Functions

Special functions use the Control key (Ctrl), displayed in the help and
shortcut lists as ^; the Meta key (Alt or Cmd), displayed as M-; or the
Escape key (Esc).

@itemize @bullet
@item
Control key sequences are entered by holding down the Ctrl key and
pressing the desired key, or by pressing the Esc key twice and then
pressing the desired key.
@item
Pressing the Esc key twice and then typing a three-digit number from
000 to 255 will enter the character with the corresponding value.
@item
Meta key sequences are entered by holding down the Meta key (normally
the Alt key) and pressing the desired key, or by pressing the Esc key
once and then pressing the desired key.  Certain operating systems "swallow"
the Alt key so that it never reaches the application; if your operating
system does this, you should use the Esc key to generate Meta key
sequences.
@end itemize

@node The Cutbuffer
@section The Cutbuffer

Text can be cut from a file, a whole line at a time, by using the 'Cut Text'
command (default key binding: ^K).  The cut line is stored in the cutbuffer.
Consecutive strokes of ^K will add each cut line to this buffer, but a ^K
after any other keystroke will overwrite the entire cutbuffer.

The contents of the cutbuffer can be pasted back into the file with the
'Uncut Text' command (default key binding: ^U).

A line of text can be copied into the cutbuffer (without cutting it) with
the 'Copy Text' command (default key binding: M-6).

@node The Mark
@section The Mark

Text can be selected by first 'setting the Mark' (default key bindings:
^6 and M-A) and then moving the cursor to the other end of the portion
to be selected.  The selected portion of text will be highlighted in
reverse video (or in bold if you set the boldtext option).
This selection can now be cut or copied in its entirety with a single
^K or M-6.  Or the selection can be used to limit the scope of a
search-and-replace (^\) or spell-checking session (^T).

Cutting or copying selected text will toggle the mark off automatically.
If necessary, it can be toggled off manually with another ^6 or M-A.

@node The Titlebar
@section The Titlebar

The titlebar is the line displayed at the top of the editor.  There are
three sections: left, center and right.  The section on the left
displays the version of @code{nano} being used.  The center section
displays the current filename, or "New Buffer" if the file has not yet
been named.  The section on the right will display "Modified" if the
file has been modified since it was last saved or opened.

Special modes: When @code{nano} is in "File browser" mode, the center
section will display the current directory instead of the filename.  See
@xref{The File Browser}, for more info.

@node The Statusbar
@section The Statusbar

The statusbar is the third line from the bottom of the screen, or the
bottom line in Expert Mode.  See @xref{Expert Mode}, for more info.  It
shows important and informational messages.  Any error messages that
occur from using the editor will appear on the statusbar.  Any questions
that are asked of the user will be asked on the statusbar, and any user
input (search strings, filenames, etc.) will be input on the statusbar.

@node Shortcut Lists
@section Shortcut Lists

The Shortcut Lists are the two lines at the bottom of the screen which
show some of the more commonly used functions in the editor.

@node Using the Mouse
@section Using the Mouse

When mouse support has been configured and enabled, a single mouse click
places the cursor at the indicated position.  Clicking a second time in
the same position toggles the mark.  Clicking in the shortcut list
executes the selected shortcut.  To be able to select text with the
left button, or paste text with the middle button, hold down the
Shift key during those actions.

The mouse will work in the X Window System, and on the console when gpm
is running.


@node Online Help
@chapter Online Help

The online help system in @code{nano} is available by pressing ^G.
It is fairly self-explanatory, documenting the various parts of the
editor and available keystrokes.  Navigation is via the ^Y (Page Up)
and ^V (Page Down) keys.  ^X exits the help system.


@node Feature Toggles
@chapter Feature Toggles

Toggles allow you to change certain aspects of the editor that would
normally be done via command-line options.  They are invoked via Meta
key sequences.  See @xref{Special Functions}, for more info.  The
following global toggles are available:

@table @code

@item Backup Files Toggle (Meta-B)
toggles the -B (@code{--backup}) command line option.

@item Constant Cursor Position Display Toggle (Meta-C)
toggles the -c (@code{--const}) command line option.

@item Multiple File Buffers Toggle (Meta-F)
toggles the -F (@code{--multibuffer}) command line option.

@item Smart Home Key Toggle (Meta-H)
toggles the -A (@code{--smarthome}) command line option.

@item Auto Indent Toggle (Meta-I)
toggles the -i (@code{--autoindent}) command line option.

@item Cut To End Toggle (Meta-K)
toggles the -k (@code{--cut}) command line option.

@item Long Line Wrapping Toggle (Meta-L)
toggles the -w (@code{--nowrap}) command line option.

@item Mouse Support Toggle (Meta-M)
toggles the -m (@code{--mouse}) command line option.

@item No Conversion From DOS/Mac Format Toggle (Meta-N)
toggles the -N (@code{--noconvert}) command line option.

@item More Space For Editing Toggle (Meta-O)
toggles the -O (@code{--morespace}) command line option.

@item Whitespace Display Toggle (Meta-P)
toggles whitespace-display mode.
See @xref{Whitespace}, for more info.

@item Tabs to Spaces Toggle (Meta-Q)
toggles the -E (@code{--tabstospaces}) command line option.

@item Smooth Scrolling Toggle (Meta-S)
toggles the -S (@code{--smooth}) command line option.

@item Expert/No Help Toggle (Meta-X)
toggles the -x (@code{--nohelp}) command line option.

@item Color Syntax Highlighting Toggle (Meta-Y)
toggles color syntax highlighting if you have color syntaxes in your
nanorc.  See @xref{Syntax Highlighting}, for more info.

@item Suspend Toggle (Meta-Z)
toggles the -z (@code{--suspend}) command line option.

@item Soft Wrapping Toggle (Meta-$)
toggles the -$ (@code{--softwrap}) command line option.

@end table


@node Nanorc Files
@chapter Nanorc Files

The nanorc files contain the default settings for @code{nano}.  They
should be in Unix format, not in DOS or Mac format.  During startup,
@code{nano} will first read the system-wide settings, from /etc/nanorc
(the exact path might be different), and then the user-specific settings,
from ~/.nanorc.

A nanorc file accepts a series of "set" and "unset" commands, which can
be used to configure @code{nano} on startup without using command-line
options.  Additionally, there are some commands to define syntax highlighting
and to rebind keys -- @xref{Syntax Highlighting}, and @xref{Rebinding Keys}.
@code{nano} will read one command per line.

Options in nanorc files take precedence over @code{nano}'s defaults, and
command-line options override nanorc settings.  Also, options that do not
take an argument are unset by default.  So using the @code{unset} command
is only needed when wanting to override a setting of the system's nanorc
file in your own @file{~/.nanorc}.  Options that take an argument cannot
be unset.

Quotes inside string parameters don't have to be escaped with
backslashes.  The last double quote in the string will be treated as its
end.  For example, for the "brackets" option, @code{""')>]@}"} will match
@code{"}, @code{'}, @code{)}, @code{>}, @code{]}, and @code{@}}.

@menu
* Settings::
* Syntax Highlighting::
* Rebinding Keys::
@end menu

@node Settings
@section Settings

The supported settings in a nanorc file are:

@table @code

@item set allow_insecure_backup
When backing up files, allow the backup to succeed even if its
permissions can't be (re)set due to special OS considerations.
You should NOT enable this option unless you are sure you need it.

@item set autoindent
Use auto-indentation.

@item set backup
When saving a file, back up the previous version of it to the current
filename suffixed with a tilde (@code{~}).

@item set backupdir "directory"
Set the directory where @code{nano} puts unique backup files, if file
backups are enabled.

@item set backwards
Do backwards searches by default.

@item set boldtext
Use bold instead of reverse video for the titlebar, statusbar, key combos,
and selected text.  This can be overridden for the first three by setting
the options "titlecolor", "statuscolor", and "keycolor".

@item set brackets "@var{string}"
Set the characters treated as closing brackets when justifying
paragraphs.  This may not include blank characters.  Only closing
punctuation (see "punct"), optionally followed by the specified
closing brackets, can end sentences.  The default value is

@quotation
""')>]@}"
@end quotation

@item set casesensitive
Do case-sensitive searches by default.

@item set const
Constantly display the cursor position in the status bar.

@item set cut
Use cut-to-end-of-line by default, instead of cutting the whole line.

@item set fill @var{number}
Hard-wrap lines at column number @var{number}.  If @var{number} is 0 or less,
the maximum line length will be the screen width less @var{number} columns.
The default value is -8.

@item set functioncolor @var{fgcolor},@var{bgcolor}
Specify the color combination to use for the function descriptions
in the two help lines at the bottom of the screen.
See @code{set titlecolor} for more details.

@item set historylog
Enable the use of @file{~/.nano/search_history} for saving and reading
search/replace strings.

@item set keycolor @var{fgcolor},@var{bgcolor}
Specify the color combination to use for the shortcut key combos
in the two help lines at the bottom of the screen.
See @code{set titlecolor} for more details.

@item set locking
Enable vim-style lock-files for when editing files.

@item set matchbrackets "@var{string}"
Set the opening and closing brackets that can be found by bracket
searches.  This may not include blank characters.  The opening set must
come before the closing set, and the two sets must be in the same order.
The default value is

@quotation
"(<[@{)>]@}"
@end quotation

@item set morespace
Use the blank line below the titlebar as extra editing space.

@item set mouse
Enable mouse support, so that mouse clicks can be used to place the
cursor, set the mark (with a double click), or execute shortcuts.

@item set multibuffer
Allow inserting files into their own buffers.

@item set noconvert
Don't convert files from DOS/Mac format.

@item set nofollow
Don't follow symlinks when writing files.

@item set nohelp
Don't display the help lists at the bottom of the screen.

@item set nonewlines
Don't add newlines to the ends of files.

@item set nowrap
Don't hard-wrap text at all.

@item set operatingdir "directory"
@code{nano} will only read and write files inside "directory" and its
subdirectories.  Also, the current directory is changed to here, so
files are inserted from this directory.  By default, the operating
directory feature is turned off.

@item set poslog
Save the cursor position of files between editing sessions.

@item set preserve
Preserve the XON and XOFF keys (^Q and ^S).

@item set punct "@var{string}"
Set the characters treated as closing punctuation when justifying
paragraphs.  This may not include blank characters.  Only the
specified closing punctuation, optionally followed by closing brackets
(see "brackets"), can end sentences.  The default value is "!.?".

@item set quickblank
Do quick statusbar blanking.  Statusbar messages will disappear after 1
keystroke instead of 25.

@item set quiet
When set, @code{nano} will not report errors in the nanorc file nor ask them
to be acknowledged by pressing Enter at startup.  If this option is used, it
should be placed at the top of the file to be fully effective.

@item set quotestr "@var{string}"
The email-quote string, used to justify email-quoted paragraphs.  This
is an extended regular expression if your system supports them,
otherwise a literal string.  The default value is

@quotation
"^([ \\t]*[#:>\\|@}])+"
@end quotation

if you have extended regular expression support, and "> " otherwise.
Note that '\\t' stands for a literal Tab character.

@item set rebinddelete
Interpret the Delete key differently so that both Backspace and Delete
work properly.  You should only need to use this option if Backspace
acts like Delete on your system.

@item set rebindkeypad
Interpret the numeric keypad keys so that they all work properly.  You
should only need to use this option if they don't, as mouse support
won't work properly with this option enabled.

@item set regexp
Do extended regular expression searches by default.

@item set smarthome
Make the Home key smarter.  When Home is pressed anywhere but at the
very beginning of non-whitespace characters on a line, the cursor will
jump to that beginning (either forwards or backwards).  If the cursor is
already at that position, it will jump to the true beginning of the
line.

@item set smooth
Use smooth scrolling by default.

@item set softwrap
Enable soft line wrapping for easier viewing of very long lines.

@item set speller "spellprog"
Use spelling checker "spellprog" instead of the built-in one, which
calls "spell".

@item set statuscolor @var{fgcolor},@var{bgcolor}
Specify the color combination to use for the statusbar.
See @code{set titlecolor} for more details.

@item set suspend
Allow @code{nano} to be suspended.

@item set tabsize @var{number}
Use a tab size of @var{number} columns.  The value of @var{number} must be
greater than 0.  The default value is 8.

@item set tabstospaces
Convert typed tabs to spaces.

@item set tempfile
Save automatically on exit, don't prompt.

@item set titlecolor @var{fgcolor},@var{bgcolor}
Specify the color combination to use for the titlebar.
Valid color names for foreground and background are:
white, black, red, blue, green, yellow, magenta, and cyan.
And either @var{fgcolor} or @var{,bgcolor} may be left out.

@item set view
Disallow file modification.

@anchor{Whitespace}
@item set whitespace "@var{string}"
Set the two characters used to indicate the presence of tabs and
spaces.  They must be single-column characters.  The default pair
for a UTF-8 locale is "»·", and for other locales ">.".

@item set wordbounds
Detect word boundaries more accurately by treating punctuation
characters as part of a word.

@end table

@node Syntax Highlighting
@section Syntax Highlighting

Coloring the different syntactic elements of a file
is done via regular expressions (see the @code{color} command below).
This is inherently imperfect, because regular expressions are not
powerful enough to fully parse a file.  Nevertheless, regular
expressions can do a lot and are easy to make, so they are a
good fit for a small editor like @code{nano}.

A separate syntax can be defined for each kind of file
via the following commands in a nanorc file:

@table @code

@item syntax "str" ["fileregex" @dots{}]
Defines a syntax named "str" which can be activated via the -Y/--syntax
command-line option, or will be automatically activated if the current
filename matches the extended regular expression "fileregex".  All
following "color" and "icolor" statements will apply to this "str"
syntax until a new syntax is defined.

The "none" syntax is reserved; specifying it on the command line is the
same as not having a syntax at all.  The "default" syntax is special: it
takes no "fileregex", and applies to files that don't match any other
syntax's "fileregex".

@item linter program [arg @dots{}]
For the currently defined syntax, use the given program to invoke the
linter (this overrides the speller function when defined).

@item formatter program [arg @dots{}]
For the currently defined syntax, use the given program to automatically
reformat text.  Useful in certain programming languages (e.g. go).

@item header "regex" @dots{}
For the currently defined syntax, add one or more regexes which will
be compared against the very first line of the file to be edited,
to determine whether this syntax should be used for that file.

@item magic "regex" @dots{}
For the currently defined syntax, add one or more regexes which will be
compared against the result of querying the magic database about the file
to be edited, to determine whether this syntax should be used for that
file.  This functionality only works when libmagic is installed on the
system and will be silently ignored otherwise.

@item color fgcolor,bgcolor "regex" @dots{}
For the currently defined syntax, display all expressions matching the
extended regular expression "regex" with foreground color "fgcolor" and
background color "bgcolor", at least one of which must be specified.
Valid colors for foreground and background are: white, black, red,
blue, green, yellow, magenta, and cyan.  You may use the prefix "bright"
to get a stronger color highlight for the foreground.  If your
terminal supports transparency, not specifying a "bgcolor" tells @code{nano}
to attempt to use a transparent background.

@item icolor fgcolor,bgcolor "regex" @dots{}
Same as above, except that the expression matching is case insensitive.

@item color fgcolor,bgcolor start="sr" end="er"
Display expressions which start with the extended regular expression
"sr" and end with the extended regular expression "er" with foreground
color "fgcolor" and background color "bgcolor", at least one of which
must be specified.  This allows syntax highlighting to span multiple
lines.  Note that all subsequent instances of "sr" after an initial "sr"
is found will be highlighted until the first instance of "er".

@item icolor fgcolor,bgcolor start="sr" end="er"
Same as above, except that the expression matching is case insensitive.

@item include "syntaxfile"
Read in self-contained color syntaxes from "syntaxfile".  Note that
"syntaxfile" can only contain the above commands, from "syntax" to
"icolor".

@item extendsyntax str directive [arg @dots{}]
Extend the syntax previously defined as str to include new information.
Allows you to add a new color, icolor, magic, header, or linter directive
to an already defined syntax.  Useful when you want to add to definitions
from the system-installed syntax definitions (which are normally not writable).

@end table

@node Rebinding Keys
@section Rebinding Keys

Key bindings may be reassigned via the following two commands in a
nanorc file:

@table @code

@item bind key function menu
Rebinds @code{key} to @code{function} in the context of @code{menu}
(or in all menus where the function exists by using @code{all}).

@item unbind key menu
Unbinds @code{key} from @code{menu}
(or from all menus where it exists by using @code{all}).

@end table

The format of @code{key} should be one of:

@table @code

@item ^
followed by an alpha character or the word "Space".
Example: @code{^C}

@item M-
followed by a printable character or the word "Space".
Example: @code{M-C}

@item F
followed by a numeric value from 1 to 16.
Example: @code{F10}

@end table

Valid names for the @code{function} to be bound are:

@table @code

@item help
Invokes the help viewer.

@item cancel
Cancels the current command.

@item exit
Exits from the program (or from the help viewer or the file browser).

@item writeout
Writes the current buffer to disk.

@item insert
Inserts a file into the current buffer (or into a new buffer when multibuffer
is enabled).

@item whereis
Searches for text in the current buffer -- or for filenames matching
a string in the current list in the file browser

@item searchagain
Repeats the last search command.

@item replace
Interactively replaces text within the current buffer.

@item cut
Cuts and stores the current line (or the marked region).

@item copytext
Copies the current line (or the marked region) without deleting it.

@item uncut
Copies the currently stored text into the current buffer at the
current cursor position.

@item mark
Sets the mark at the current position, to start selecting text.

@item cutrestoffile
Cuts all text from the cursor position till the end of the buffer.

@item curpos
Shows the current cursor position: the line, column, and character positions.

@item wordcount
Counts the number of words, lines and characters in the current buffer.

@item speller
Invokes a spell-checking program (or a linting program, if the current
syntax highlighting defines one).

@item justify
Justifies the current paragraph.

@item fulljustify
Justifies the entire current buffer.

@item indent
Indents (shifts to the right) the currently marked text.

@item unindent
Unindents (shifts to the left) the currently marked text.

@item left
Goes left one position (in the editor or browser).

@item right
Goes right one position (in the editor or browser).

@item up
Goes one line up (in the editor or browser).

@item down
Goes one line down (in the editor or browser).

@item scrollup
Scrolls up one line of text from the current position.

@item scrolldown
Scrolls down one line of text from the current position.

@item nextword
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next word.

@item prevword
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous word.

@item home
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the current line.

@item end
Moves the cursor to the end of the current line.

@item beginpara
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the current paragraph.

@item endpara
Moves the cursor to the end of the current paragraph.

@item prevpage
Goes up one screenful.

@item nextpage
Goes down one screenful.

@item firstline
Goes to the first line of the file.

@item lastline
Goes to the last line of the file.

@item gotoline
Goes to a specific line (and column if specified).

@item gototext
Switches from targeting a line number to searching for text.

@item findbracket
Moves the cursor to the bracket (brace, parenthesis, etc.) that matches
(pairs) with the one under the cursor.

@item prevbuf
Switches to editing/viewing the previous buffer when using multibuffer mode.

@item nextbuf
Switches to editing/viewing the next buffer when using multibuffer mode.

@item verbatim
Inserts the next character verbatim into the file.

@item tab
Inserts a tab at the current cursor location.

@item enter
Inserts a new line below the current one.

@item delete
Deletes the character under the cursor.

@item backspace
Deletes the character before the cursor.

@item undo
Undoes the last performed text action (add text, delete text, etc).

@item redo
Redoes the last undone action (i.e., it undoes an undo).

@item refresh
Refreshes the screen.

@item suspend
Suspends the editor (if the suspending function is enabled, see the
"suspendenable" entry below).

@item casesens
Toggles case sensitivity in searching (search/replace menus only).

@item regexp
Toggles whether searching/replacing is based on literal strings or regular expressions.

@item backwards
Toggles whether searching/replacing goes forward or backward.

@item prevhistory
Shows the previous history entry in the prompt menus (e.g. search).

@item nexthistory
Shows the next history entry in the prompt menus (e.g. search).

@item flipreplace
Toggles between searching for something and replacing something.

@item flipexecute
Toggles between inserting a file and executing a command.

@item flipnewbuffer
Toggles between inserting into the current buffer and into a new
empty buffer.

@item dosformat
When writing a file, switches to writing a DOS format (CR/LF).

@item macformat
When writing a file, switches to writing a Mac format.

@item append
When writing a file, appends to the end instead of overwriting.

@item prepend
When writing a file, 'prepends' (writes at the beginning) instead of overwriting.

@item backup
When writing a file, creates a backup of the current file.

@item tofiles
Starts the file browser, allowing to select a file from a list.

@item gotodir
Goes to a directory to be specified, allowing to browse anywhere
in the filesystem.

@item firstfile
Goes to the first file when using the file browser (reading or writing files).

@item lastfile
Goes to the last file when using the file browser (reading or writing files).

@item nohelp
Toggles the presence of the two-line list of key bindings at the bottom of the screen.

@item constupdate
Toggles the constant display of the current line, column, and character positions.

@item morespace
Toggles the presence of the blank line which 'separates' the titlebar from the file text.

@item smoothscroll
Toggles smooth scrolling (when moving around with the arrow keys).

@item softwrap
Toggles the displaying of overlong lines on multiple screen lines.

@item whitespacedisplay
Toggles the showing of whitespace.

@item nosyntax
Toggles syntax highlighting.

@item smarthome
Toggles the smartness of the Home key.

@item autoindent
Toggles whether new lines will contain the same amount of whitespace as the preceding line.

@item cuttoend
Toggles whether cutting text will cut the whole line or just from the current cursor
position to the end of the line.

@item nowrap
Toggles whether long lines will be hard-wrapped to the next line.

@item tabstospaces
Toggles whether typed tabs will be converted to spaces.

@item backupfile
Toggles whether a backup will be made of the file to be edited.

@item multibuffer
Toggles the use of multiple file buffers (if available).

@item mouse
Toggles mouse support.

@item noconvert
Toggles automatic conversion of files from DOS/Mac format.

@item suspendenable
Toggles whether the suspend sequence (normally ^Z) will suspend the editor window.

@end table

Valid names for @code{menu} are:

@table @code

@item main
The main editor window where text is entered and edited.

@item search
The search menu (AKA whereis).

@item replace
The 'search to replace' menu.

@item replacewith
The 'replace with' menu, which comes up after 'search to replace'.

@item gotoline
The 'goto line (and column)' menu.

@item writeout
The 'write file' menu.

@item insert
The 'insert file' menu.

@item extcmd
The menu for inserting output from an external command, reached from the insert menu.

@item help
The help-viewer menu.

@item spell
The interactive spell checker Yes/no menu.

@item linter
The linter menu.

@item browser
The file browser for inserting or writing a file.

@item whereisfile
The 'search for a file' menu in the file browser.

@item gotodir
The 'go to directory' menu in the file browser.

@item all
A special name that encompasses all menus.  For @code{bind} it means
all menus where the specified @code{function} exists; for @code{unbind}
it means all menus where the specified @code{key} exists.
@end table


@node The File Browser
@chapter The File Browser

When reading or writing files, pressing ^T will invoke the file browser.
Here, one can navigate directories in a graphical manner in order to
find the desired file.

Basic movement in the file browser is accomplished with the arrow keys,
page up, and page down.  More advanced movement is accomplished by
searching via ^W (or 'w') and changing directories via ^_ (or 'g').  The
behavior of the Enter (or 's') key varies by what is currently selected.
If the currently selected object is a directory, the file browser will
enter and display the contents of the directory.  If the object is a
file, this filename and path are copied to the statusbar, and the file
browser exits.


@node Pico Compatibility
@chapter Pico Compatibility

@code{nano} attempts to emulate Pico as closely as possible, but there
are certain differences between the editors:

@table @code
@item Search and Replace History
As of version 1.1.99pre1 of @code{nano}, text entered as search or
replace strings will be stored and can be accessed with the up/down
arrow keys.  Previously, @code{nano} offered a more consistent, but
incompatible with Pico, method for entering search and replace strings.
In the old method, previous entries would be displayed by default as
editable text in front of the cursor, as opposed to being bracketed and
uneditable as it is in Pico.  The old behavior could be made compatible
with Pico via the @code{-p} option, but recent versions of Pico use the
@code{-p} option to preserve the XON and XOFF sequences within the
editor.  Since, with the new method, search and replace strings can
still be edited by simply hitting the up arrow key once, the old method
was removed completely.


@item Writing, Appending, or Prepending Selected Text to Files
Text selected using the marking key (^^) can be written out, appended,
or prepended to a new or existing file using the WriteOut key (^O).

@item Toggles
Many options which alter the functionality of the program can be
"toggled" on or off using Meta key sequences, meaning the program does
not have to be restarted to turn a particular feature of the editor on
or off.  Please see the internal help function (^G) for a list of what
functions can be toggled for a particular version of @code{nano}.  See
@xref{Feature Toggles}, for more info.

@item Cursor Position Display
The output of the "Display Cursor Position" in @code{nano} displays
the current line position of the cursor, as well as the column and
total character position.

@item Interactive Replace and Spell Checker
It is worth noting that @code{nano}'s replace function is interactive,
i.e. it does not stop after one search string was found and automatically
replaced.  The @code{nano} implementation will pause at each found
search string and query whether to replace this instance or not.  The
internal spell checker operates similarly.  Note that there is no way to
force these functions to behave in the Pico fashion.  As of version
1.1.99pre1, misspelled words are sorted and trimmed for uniqueness in
the internal spell checker such that the words 'apple' and 'Apple' will
be prompted for correction separately.
@end table


@node Building and Configure Options
@chapter Building and Configure Options

Building @code{nano} from source is fairly straightforward if you are
familiar with compiling programs with autoconf support:

@itemize @bullet
@item tar xvfz nano-x.y.z.tar.gz (where x.y.z is the version of
@code{nano})
@item cd nano-x.y.z/
@item ./configure
@item make
@item make install
@end itemize

The possible options to @code{./configure} are:

@table @code

@item --disable-browser
Disable the mini file browser when reading or writing files.

@item --disable-color
Disable support for the syntax coloring of files.  This also eliminates
the -Y command-line option, which chooses a specific syntax.

@item --disable-extra
Disable extra features.  At the moment, this is just easter-egg-type
stuff.

@item --disable-help
Disable the help function.  Doing this makes the binary much smaller,
but makes it difficult for new users to learn more than very basic
things about using the editor.

@item --disable-histories
Disable the code for the handling of the history files: the search and
replace strings that were used, and the cursor position at which each
file was closed.  This also eliminates the -H and -P command-line
options, which switch on the logging of search/replace strings and
cursor positions.

@item --disable-justify
Disable the justify and unjustify functions.

@item --disable-libmagic
Disable the use of the library of magic-number tests (for determining
the file type and thus which syntax to use for colouring -- often the
tests on filename extension and header line will be enough).

@item --disable-mouse
Disable all mouse functionality.  This also eliminates the -m
command-line option, which enables the mouse functionality.

@item --disable-multibuffer
Disable support for opening multiple files at a time and switching
between them on the fly.  This also eliminates the -F command-line
option, which switches the use of multiple file buffers on.

@item --disable-nanorc
Disable support for reading the nanorc files at startup.  With such
support, you can store custom settings in a system-wide and a per-user
nanorc file rather than having to pass command-line options to get
the desired behavior.  See @xref{Nanorc Files}, for more info.
Disabling this also eliminates the -I and -q command-line options;
the first inhibits the reading of nanorcfiles, and the second
suppresses warnings about errors in those files.

@item --disable-operatingdir
Disable setting the operating directory.  This also eliminates the -o
command-line option, which sets the operating directory.

@item --disable-speller
Disable use of the spell checker.  This also eliminates the -s
command-line option, which allows specifying an alternate spell checker.

@item --disable-tabcomp
Disable the tab completion code when reading or writing files.

@item --disable-wrapping
Disable hard-wrapping of overlong lines.  This also eliminates the -w
command-line option, which enables long-line wrapping.

@item --enable-tiny
This option disables all the above.  It also disables some of the larger
internals of the editor, like the marking code and the cut-to-end-of-line
code.  It also disables the function toggles.  By using the enabling
counterpart of the above options together with --enable-tiny, specific
features can be switched back on.

@item --enable-debug
Enable support for runtime debug output.  This can get pretty messy, so
chances are you only want this feature when you're working on the nano source.

@item --disable-nls
Disables Native Language support.  This will disable the use of any
available GNU @code{nano} translations.

@item --disable-wrapping-as-root
Disable hard-wrapping of overlong lines by default when @code{nano}
is run as root.

@item --enable-utf8
Enable support for reading and writing Unicode files.  This will require
either a wide version of curses, or a UTF-8-enabled version of Slang.

@item --disable-utf8
Disable support for reading and writing Unicode files.  Normally the
configure script auto-detects whether to enable UTF-8 support or not.
You can use this or the previous option to override that detection.

@item --with-slang
Compile @code{nano} against Slang instead of against ncurses or other
curses libraries.

@end table

@contents
@bye