diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2544b62..8ad764c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -217,9 +217,14 @@ A simple line-oriented text editor and page-oriented text viewer for MicroPython
 
 Exports the following functions:
 
-- `edit(filename)`: start an `ed`-like text editor (see below)
-- `edbuf()`: create an empty buffer, run the editor interface on it and return the result as a string (without creating any files)
+- `edit(filename)`: start an `ed`-like text editor on a file (see below)
+- `edbuf(bufstr='')`: create an empty buffer, fill it with the input string (if any), run the editor interface on it and return the result as a string (without creating any files)
+- `edurl(url)`: download the URL contents via HTTP, run the editor interface on it and return the result as a string (without creating any files)
 - `view(filename, lno=False)`: start a `more`-like pager for viewing a text file (pass an additional parameter to view it with line numbers)
+- `viewbuf(text, lno=False)`: same as `view` but for string variables instead of files
+- `viewurl(url, lno=False)`: download the URL contents via HTTP and run `viewbuf` method on the result
+
+Note: with `edbuf` and `edurl` methods, you can always save the file locally while inside the editor interface. Use the `f` command to specify the name (see below).
 
 The editor mode supports the following subset of POSIX ed commands in the standard `[range][command][param]` syntax:
 
diff --git a/app/ed.py b/app/ed.py
index b389991..797c1d8 100644
--- a/app/ed.py
+++ b/app/ed.py
@@ -201,20 +201,35 @@ def edit(fname):
   editor = Ed(fname)
   editor.run()
 
-def edbuf():
+def edbuf(bufstr=''):
   editor = Ed()
+  editor.buffer = bufstr.split('\n')
+  editor.current_line = len(editor.buffer)
   editor.run()
   return '\n'.join(editor.buffer)
 
+def edurl(url):
+  from deck.http import http_fetch
+  status, text = http_fetch(url)
+  return edbuf(text)
+
+def viewbuf(text, lno=False):
+  if lno:
+    buf = text.split('\n')
+    for i in range(0, len(buf) - 1):
+      buf[i] = f'{(i+1):<5} {buf[i]}'
+    text = '\n'.join(buf)
+  print_paged(text)
+
 def view(fname, lno=False):
   try:
     with open(fname, 'r') as f:
       text = f.read()
-      if lno:
-        buf = text.split('\n')
-        for i in range(0, len(buf) - 1):
-          buf[i] = f'{(i+1):<5} {buf[i]}'
-        text = '\n'.join(buf)
-      print_paged(text)
+      viewbuf(text, lno)
   except:
     print('Error opening the input file!')
+
+def viewurl(url, lno=False):
+  from deck.http import http_fetch
+  status, text = http_fetch(url)
+  viewbuf(text, lno)
diff --git a/tdeckboot.py b/tdeckboot.py
index 6628a95..e7a29ac 100644
--- a/tdeckboot.py
+++ b/tdeckboot.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from deck.hwinfo import board_id, battery_v, cpu_f, REAL_HW
 from deck.http import wget, wput, http_fetch, http_set_ua
 from deck.http import auth_header, url_escape, form_encode
 from deck import xlat
-from app.ed import edit, view, edbuf
+from app.ed import edit, view, edbuf, viewbuf, edurl, viewurl
 from app.blog import blogpost, blogpost_str, bloged
 try:
   from deck import net