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ARPSTOCK --- For you programmers who don't yet use the new Rapid Application Development tools and still write your code line-by-line, Bill Schindler spent an hour and a half disclosing his personal tricks for fine-tuning EPM, the free "Editor for PM" that comes with every version of OS/2.

           Starting with a clean version of EPM (the Warp version is 6.03b, but there's a newer version on Hobbes at os2/apps/editors/epm/ -- make sure you get the .exe, the .dll, the macros and the tools), Bill proceeded to quickly modify it for colors, preferred line length, autosave, font (Bill suggests changing it to a small fixed width font such as the 10×8 System VIO), showed how to squeeze the status and message lines, change key combination functions, turn off the scroll bars, get rid of the background bitmap, turn off CUA marking and instead use EPM enhanced marking (Bill especially recommends you do this), switch to stream mode editing, use long file names, menu accelerators (turn this off if you want to use EPM keyboard functionality without going through the menus), mouse pointer type, cursor type, toolbars and toolbar styles, showed how to use the ring buttons, use a Command dialog ("trim" resizes the window for complete lines), Help for Editor commands (read the entire list), use REXX for internal EPM macros (use EPMREXX), undo, how to use .EX macros, extra right mouse button functionality, use of the spell checker even as you type (and you'll need LEXAM.DLL), synonyms, antonyms, .ERX EPM-REXX routines, the .E macro language, creating MYCNF.E and then running EPPM to modify EPM to your tastes (back up your .EX files first), and how to put startup REXX commands (such as "expand off") into PROFILE.EX.

           Too bad you missed it.

           To learn this stuff, do two things.  One, download the files from Hobbes.  And two, read the online Help.  All of it.  The information is all there, but you have to read it all (and try it) to know what's available.

           Bill explained that even with embedded fonts, an EPM file remains a text file because the fonts and formatting information are stored in the file's extended attributes.

           EPM is a powerful editor.  If you're not up to speed on its capabilities, take another look at what it can do.

           For other Warpstock '98 articles see the Warpstock '98 Article Index.