Managing Text: Using PFE

We will create and manipulate text files using an application called the Programmer's File Editor or PFE for short. PFE will allow you to enter text for a new file, save it on your diskette, edit it again, save it again, print it, and so on.

You will find PFE in the Tools group in Program Manager. Start it up now. Once it is started up, you might want to move and resize both its window and the Netscape window so that they do not overlap too much, and you can see both easily.

Explore and experiment with the use of PFE for a while. Have a look at the various menus. Read through the online help. Try out the buttons on the button bar to see what (if any) effect they have.

Now carry out the following exercise:

• Create a new text editing window.

• Type up a couple of paragraphs of text on any subject of your choice.

• Save the file on your diskette, under the name TESTING.TXT.

• Exit from PFE.

• Start up PFE afresh.

• Create a text editing window for the file TESTING.TXT.

• Make some modifications to the file. In particular, insert a line at the top with your own name, and today's date. Save the file again.

  Note carefully that, while you are editing the file within PFE, this is only changing a "copy" of the file loaded into "main" memory. This is a kind of semiconductor memory, which is completely volatile - the information will be lost is there is a power failure or the machine is otherwise reset. The copy of the file on your diskette is not being modified. To update the diskette copy, you must save the file from within PFE. It is very important to get into the habit of saving early and often.

• Print your file out. As everybody will be trying to print at more or less the same time, you needn't wait until it is physically printed, but continue on with the exercise.

• Exit from PFE again.

At this point you should be satisfied that, using PFE you know how to create, save, re-edit, and print, ASCII text files.