Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!rochester!PT.CS.CMU.EDU!TEMP.IUS.CS.CMU.EDU!ralphw
From: ralphw@TEMP.IUS.CS.CMU.EDU (Ralph Hyre)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: My structure vs text vs syntax-directed editor confusion
Summary: I confused structure and syntax-directed editors
Keywords: emacs Xerox
Message-ID: <530@PT.CS.CMU.EDU>
Date: 16 Dec 87 18:55:15 GMT
References: <487@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> <460@cresswell.quintus.UUCP> <499@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> <3375@bigburd.PRC.Unisys.COM>
Sender: netnews@PT.CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 17

>In article <3375@bigburd.PRC.Unisys.COM> fritzson (Richard Fritzson) writes:
>>In article <499@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> ralphw@IUS2.CS.CMU.EDU (Ralph Hyre) writes:
>>...
>>My interest is in an ... editor which [provides] decoupling between editing
>>a document and a representation of a document could even be used to great
>>advantage in many environments:

>You're right. An editor which is really editing the structure underlying
>the visual presentation of it IS a useful thing. 

At this point I realised I'd been confusing syntax-directed editors
(like those that might come with Pascal or Modula-2 environments to help
make sure you have semicolons at the end of each line.) with structure
editors.  I see now that structure editors aren't as inherently restrictive
as syntax directed editors. 

Thanks for the additional comments which made me realize my error.