Before reading this, read the appropriate install file for you system, e.g.,
INSTALL.unx.  For MSDOS, WINDOWS, or OS/2, read INSTALL.pc.

This file contains hints for customizing jed in such a way that it is easy
to upgrade to later releases.

When jed starts up, it loads the file `site.sl' which is located in the lib
directory under $JED_ROOT.  This file contains much of the code that defines
the look of the editor.  For instance, it defines how the command line
parameters are to be interpreted and the name of the user's personal
initialization file.

One could always edit site.sl and tailor it to the needs of a given system.
However, one would have to do this with every upgrade.  There is a better
way.  

Immediately after loading site.sl, the editor will attempt to load a
file called `defaults.sl' from $JED_ROOT/lib.  If it fails to find
such a file, then on Unix systems it will look a file called jed.conf
in /etc/, /usr/local/etc/, and finally in /usr/etc/.  This file
is not distributed with jed.  It is up to the installer to create this
file if that is the desire.  Two examples are provided: lib/jed.conf,
and lib/linux.sl.

What is this file used for?  It is used to modify site.sl.  Since site.sl is
written in S-Lang, any of the functions defined in it can simply be
redefined by creating new ones.  The same is true for the variables that it
defines.

For example, many systems have a directory where info files are kept.  Let's
assume that this directory is `/usr/info'.  Then one should point the
`Info_Directory' variable defined by `site.sl' to this directory:

% defaults.sl
Info_Directory = "/usr/info";

It is probably a good idea to copy the files in $JED_ROOT/info to directory
where the info files are kept and edit the info DIR file appropriately.

Another idea is to take advantage of the fact that jed's info reader has the
ability to search along a path list.  Simply edit the /usr/info/DIR file and
add jed to the tree but leave jed's info files in JED_ROOT/info.  Then, use
something like:

%defaults.sl
Info_Directory = strcat ("/usr/info,", Info_Directory);

Other things that may be customized include the default emulation and
color scheme, e.g.,

   _Jed_Default_Emulation = "ide";
   _Jed_Default_Color_Scheme = "blue2";

Enjoy.
