brledit [_file_]BRLEDIT(1)
NAME
brledit - minimalist full-screen text editor
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SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
brledit is a small, self-contained full-screen text editor bundled with BRL-CAD. It provides a simple, friendly editing experience modeled on the pico(1) / nano(1) family of editors and is intended for quick edits of plain ASCII files (for example, BRL-CAD scripts, command files, or configuration text) without depending on an external editor being installed.
If file is given it is loaded into the buffer; otherwise brledit starts with an empty, unnamed buffer that is given a name the first time it is written out. Files are read and written as plain text, one line per line, with a trailing newline omitted on the final line.
brledit runs on an alternate terminal screen and restores the original
screen and terminal state on exit. The bottom status line shows the file
name, a modified indicator ([+]), an overwrite indicator ([OVR]),
transient status messages, and the current line and column. A help line of
common key bindings is shown beneath the status line when space permits.
The editor is controlled entirely through interactive key bindings; it accepts no command-line options. The principal bindings are:
- ^X
-
Exit (prompts to save if there are unsaved changes).
- ^O
-
Write out (save) the buffer, prompting for a file name if none is set.
- ^W
-
Search forward for a string (empty input repeats the last search).
- ^K
-
Cut the current line into the cut buffer.
- ^U
-
Uncut (paste) the cut buffer below the current line.
- ^Y / PgUp
-
Scroll up one page.
- ^V / PgDn
-
Scroll down one page.
- ^_
-
Go to a given line number.
- INS
-
Toggle insert / overwrite mode.
- ^D / Delete
-
Delete the character under the cursor (joining lines at end of line).
Arrow keys, Home, End, Enter, and Backspace behave as expected.
If the environment variable BRLEDIT_REPLACE_FILE is set to a non-empty path, brledit does not start interactively. Instead it copies the contents of that file over the target file argument (which becomes mandatory in this mode) and exits. This allows scripts and other BRL-CAD tools to invoke brledit as a non-interactive "replace this file with that file" helper.
EXAMPLES
Example 1. Edit a BRL-CAD command script
brledit build.tclOpen the existing file build.tcl for editing. Make changes, press ^O to
write the file out, then ^X to exit. This is a convenient way to tweak an
mged(1) command script when no other editor is available.
Example 2. Non-interactive file replacement from a script
BRLEDIT_REPLACE_FILE=new_model.g brledit model.gOverwrite model.g with the contents of new_model.g and exit immediately,
without entering the interactive editor. This form is useful inside shell
scripts or automated pipelines that drive brledit programmatically.
SEE ALSO
brlcad(1), mged(1)
AUTHOR
BRL-CAD Team
COPYRIGHT
This software is Copyright (c) 1989-2026 by the United States Government as represented by U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
BUG REPORTS
Reports of bugs or problems should be submitted via electronic mail to devs@brlcad.org