$ Linux Command

Text

jed

Lightweight text editor with syntax highlighting and S-Lang scripting.

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Additional Notes

jed is a text editor designed for programming and editing configuration files. It features syntax highlighting for many languages, multiple modes (emulation of Emacs, WordStar, and others), and extensibility through the S-Lang scripting language, which was developed alongside it.

The editor supports multiple windows and buffers, a built-in file manager, shell integration, abbreviation expansion, and configurable keyboard macros. It is lighter than Emacs but offers many of the same editing conveniences for terminal-based work.

Syntax

jed [options] [file...]

Parameters

  • file: One or more files to open for editing.

Common Options

  • -2: Split the window into two sections.
  • -batch: Run in batch mode (execute commands and exit).
  • -f hook: Execute the named function after loading files.
  • -g line: Go to the specified line number.
  • -i file: Load and execute an initialization file.
  • -n: Do not load user configuration files.
  • -s string: Search for the specified string upon startup.
  • -version: Show version information.
  • --help: Display help.

Modes (via -f or within the editor)

  • emacs: Emacs emulation mode.
  • wordstar: WordStar emulation mode.
  • ide: Integrated Development Environment mode.
  • c-mode: C language editing mode.
  • org-mode: Outline mode for notes and documentation.
  • html-mode: HTML editing mode.

Examples

jed file.c

Edit a C source file with syntax highlighting.

jed -2 file1.txt file2.txt

Edit two files with a split window.

jed -g 50 script.py

Open a Python file and go to line 50.

jed -f wordstar

Start jed in WordStar emulation mode.

Practical Notes

  • jed configuration is in ~/.jedrc or /etc/jed.conf.
  • The S-Lang scripting language allows writing custom editor extensions.
  • Popular editor modes (Emacs, WordStar) can be chosen at startup or toggled within the editor.
  • Syntax highlighting is available for C, C++, Python, Perl, Java, HTML, LaTeX, and many more.
  • The editor is particularly popular on older systems or minimal environments where Emacs is too heavy.
  • jed was developed by John E. Davis, who also created the S-Lang library.