The first chapter of the manual, entitled `Getting Acquainted', is an overview of the editor and provides a tour through the basics of using the program. It serves both as a tutorial and as an introduction to some of the advanced features of the editor. Next come chapters, arranged topically, which treat the various features of the editor in detail. A list of error messages is included with explanations. Finally there is an index.
It is not necessary to read the entire manual prior to using stedi because many of the editor's commands do exactly what one might expect them to do. For some users, a cursory glance through the chapters on various commands may suffice to get started. Alternatively, a reading of the first chapter of the manual should be sufficient to get an overview of the basic features of the editor. However, for greater versatility and more exhaustive use of the advanced features that set this editor apart from others, a thorough reading of the manual is recommended.