114 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
114 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
# qedit
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qedit is a simple and easy to maintain editor, designed to run portably on as many
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operating systems and architectures as possible. It does so by leveraging the cross-compile
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features of Go, and the very portable [tcell](https://github.com/gdamore/tcell)
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terminal library. A side effect of using Go is the absolute simplicity with which
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the project can be maintained. For an open source project under the very permissive
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MIT license, this is important.
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## Table of Contents
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- [Goals](#goals)
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- [Screenshots](#screenshots)
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- [Development](#development)
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+ [Building](#building)
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+ [Layout](#layout)
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- [Contributing](#contributing)
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- [FAQ](#for-answers-and-questions-%28FAQ%29)
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---
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## Goals
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* An editor designed in the [KISS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle) principle.
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* DOS-like user interface library for Go/tcell (pkg/ui)
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* Modern [rope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_(data_structure)) buffer (used in emacs)
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* Modern text editing, including: copy/paste, mouse support, selection, etc.
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* Btree-based tiling and floating window management (panels)
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* Extensions via IPC or some scripting language
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* Built-in terminal
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## Screenshots
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## Development
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### Building
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You will need:
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* A clone or download of this repository
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* A Go compiler version supporting Go 1.16+
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* A temporary internet connection
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With Go successfully in your path variable, open a terminal and navigate to the
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directory containing go.mod, and execute the following command:
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```
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go build -o qedit ./cmd/qedit.go
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```
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But I prefer to use `go run ./cmd/qedit.go` while developing.
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#### Profiling
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Insert the `-cpuprofile` or `-memprofile` flags before the list of files when running qedit, like so:
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```sh
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go run ./cmd/qedit.go -cpuprofile cpu.prof [files]
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# or
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qedit -cpuprofile cpu.prof [files]
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```
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### Layout
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This project follows the [project layout standard for Go projects](https://github.com/golang-standards/project-layout). At first glance it nearly makes no sense without the context, but here's the rundown for our project:
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- **cmd/** ‒ Program entries.
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- **internal/** ‒ Private code only meant to be used by qedit.
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- **pkg/** ‒ Public code in packages we share with anyone who wants to use them.
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+ **pkg/buffer/** ‒ Buffers for text editors and contains an optional syntax highlighting system.
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+ **pkg/ui/** ‒ The custom DOS-like user interface library used in qedit.
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## Contributing
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I love contributions!
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Currently, I am focused on working solo, so there aren't many issues authored and I'm
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doing most work quietly. If I know there are people interested in contributing, I will
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change how I am working on qedit.
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As for types of contributions: I am currently seeking bug fixes, and resolving all of
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my `TODO` comments in the code. Or possibly removing them and turning them into issues.
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Possibly the best contribution I could receive is someone using my editor as a daily-driver
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(bless them for their troubles) and reporting issues or improvements.
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If you would like to communicate, you can message me on Matrix: `@fivemoreminix:matrix.org`,
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or Discord: `fivemoreminix#7637`, or even email: thelukaswils ATT (the google one)
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## For Answers and Questions (FAQ)
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### Why another text editor?
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I like using my own software. I also like retro aesthetic, so I designed my own
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modern text editor around the simple and stylish MS-DOS EDIT.COM editor. I am
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pleased to use it for all of my text editing purposes, and it is what 80% of qedit
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has been edited with.
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I made qedit simple and easy to maintain, and MIT licensed, so anyone like
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you can make a fork and have your own personal editor.
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### Why Go?
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Truthfully, I spent about a year delaying work on the editor, because I didn't want
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to use Go, Python, or any other language. I wanted to use Zig, because it was portable,
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fast, and efficient. I spent months working on [termelot](https://github.com/minierolls/termelot),
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a terminal library similar to tcell, but for Zig. When Zig is ready, I will continue
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work on the library, but this editor is likely to forever remain in Go.
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I finally came around when I decided that the tcell library is excellent, and would
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make programming my editor easy. I started working, and I haven't regretted choosing Go,
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and the performance of the editor is fantastic.
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