This is GNU Emacs 'forms-mode', version 1.2 (patchlevel 9).

This GNU Emacs major mode implements editing a structured file (i.e. a
file with 'records' and 'fields' in it) using a forms. 
It is fully documented in the source file 'forms.el' and in the
texinfo file 'forms.texinfo'.

This kit contains:

	README		- this file
	MANIFEST	- list of files
	forms.el	- the lisp source
	forms.texinfo	- texinfo file
	forms-passwd	- simple demo using /etc/passwd
	forms-demo	- advanced demo using 'forms-data'
	forms-data	- data for forms-demo

Load the lisp source, and execute

	forms-find-file forms-passwd

to look at your password file in a unconventional (but read-only) way.

	forms-find-file forms-demo

gives you something to clobber with data and multi-line fields.

This program has been donated to the Free Software Foundation to be
part of their GNU Emacs programming system.

Have fun!

	Johan Vromans	<jv@mh.nl>

HISTORY
-------

1.2.9  Released: Jan 14, 1992

  * Add LCD entry for the lisp archive.

  * Add (provide 'forms) but retain (provide 'forms-mode) for
    compatibility. 

  * Changed the names of the files so they all start with 'forms'.
    To ease integration with the GNU Emacs sources.

1.2.7  Released: Jul 1, 1991

 New features:
  * Is it now possible to define a function
    `forms-modified-record-filter' in the control file, that gets
    called when a new record is created.  It can be used to change
    values in fields.

  * The filter functions may also point to a function.

  * Support for functions and lisp symbols in forms-format-list.

  * Function forms-enumerate can be helpful when defining 'symbolic
    names' for fields.

  * 'demo2' has been enhanced to exploit most of the new features.

 Misc.:
  * Internally optimized the forms-format-list.

  * Added support for debugging.

  * Stripped duplicate documentation.

1.2.3  Released: May 21, 1991

 Fixed bug:
  * Make argument to scroll-{up,down} &optional.

1.2.2  Released: May 20, 1991

 Fixed bug:
  * The modifications to the last field of a form were not handled
    correctly if that field was not followed by fixed text.

1.2.1  Released: Sep 18, 1990

 New feature:
  * Is it now possible to define a function `forms-new-record-filter' in
    the control file, that gets called when a new record is created.
    It can be used to insert default values in fields.
    Thanks to Harald Hanche-Olsen <hanche@imf.unit.no> .

 Fixed bugs:
  * `save-buffer' was redefined as (interactive "P"). This should have
    been (interactive "p").
    Thanks to Jonathan Kamens <jik@pit-manager.MIT.EDU> .
  * `forms--checkmod' was not called often enough to prevent modified
    records from getting lost in spurious situations.
    Thanks to u502sou@mpirbn.uucp (Ignatios Souvatzis).
  * When updating a new record, sometimes it got prepended to the next
    record. 
    Thanks to several users.

 Other modifications:
  * Harald Hanche-Olsen <hanche@imf.unit.no> rewrote
    forms--make-format and forms--make-parser to use the more standard
    backquote construct.

 And finally:
  * Ignatios Souvatzis wrote a forms routine to sort a file on
    selected fields. I did not include it because I don't think that
    sorting belongs to the functionality of forms-mode. Ignatios
    wrote me:

      as i didn't want to look up the man page for /bin/sort, i wrote
      a sort function for you forms mode. You may include it in your
      next distribution to the net or FSF, if you want (as long as
      there remains a trace of who wrote that ~30 lines). Else tell me
      please so that i can post the sort code myself.