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A lightweight, terminal-based text editor inspired by vim, built in C with a focus on simplicity and performance

Features Installation Usage Commands License

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DISCLAIMER

this is a learning project! dont take it too serious. Also, any contributions would be welcome

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Usage
  • Basic Usage
  • Opening Files
  • Navigation
  • Editing
  • Command Mode
• Commands
• Key Bindings
• Technical Details
• Building from Source
• Contributing
• License

Features

• Dual Mode Interface: Input mode for editing and command mode for file operations
• File Operations: Open, save, and create files with vim-like commands
• Dynamic Window Sizing: Automatically adapts to terminal size
• Line Numbers: Grey-colored line numbers for easy navigation
• Large File Support: Handles files up to 1000 lines with 120 columns
• Scrolling: Both horizontal and vertical scrolling for large documents
• Syntax-Free: Clean, distraction-free editing environment
• Fast Startup: Minimal dependencies and quick load times
• Cross-Platform: Works on Linux and Unix-like systems

Installation

Prerequisites

• GCC compiler
• Make
• Linux/Unix terminal

Quick Install

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/VERBATRON.git
cd VERBATRON
make

Usage

Basic Usage

Start VERBATRON:

./VERBATRON(or whatever you may call it)

Open a specific file:

./VERBATRON(or whatever you may call it) filename.txt

Opening Files

VERBATRON starts in Input Mode by default. You can immediately start typing to create content.

Navigation

In Input Mode:

• Arrow keys: Move cursor
• Enter: New line
• Backspace: Delete previous character

In Command Mode:

• Arrow keys: Move cursor without editing
• Type commands after the : prompt

Editing

1. Input Mode (default): Type normally to insert text
2. Command Mode: Press ESC to enter, type commands

Command Mode

Press ESC to enter command mode. You'll see a : prompt at the bottom of the screen.

Commands

Command	Description
:i or :input	Switch to input mode
:w	Save current file
:w filename	Save as specific filename
:o filename	Open file
:q	Quit
:wq	Save and quit

Key Bindings

Input Mode

Key	Action
ESC	Enter command mode
Arrow Keys	Navigate cursor
Backspace	Delete character
Enter	New line
Ctrl+D	Exit program
Printable chars	Insert character

Command Mode

Key	Action
ESC	Return to input mode
Arrow Keys	Move cursor position
Enter	Execute command
Backspace	Delete command character

Technical Details

Architecture

• Buffer Size: 1000 rows 120 columns
• Display: Dynamic window sizing (adapts to terminal)
• Memory: Static allocation for predictable performance
• I/O: Raw terminal mode for immediate key response

File Format Support

• Plain text files
• Unix line endings
• Printable ASCII characters (32-126)

Performance

• Startup: < 1 second (includes splash screen)
• File Loading: Efficient character-by-character reading
• Memory Usage: ~120KB for text buffer
• Scrolling: Smooth horizontal and vertical scrolling

Building from Source

Build Commands

# Clean build
make re

# Regular build
make

# Clean only
make clean

# Remove all generated files
make fclean

Project Structure

VERBATRON/
 includes/
    editor.h        # Function declarations
    includes.h      # System includes
    typedefs.h      # Type definitions and constants
 srcs/
    editor.c        # Core editor functions
    input.c         # Input handling and display
    main.c          # Program entry point
    term.c          # Terminal management
 obj/                # Object files (generated)
 Makefile           # Build configuration
 README.md          # This file
 verbatron.txt      # Splash screen content

Compilation Flags

• -Wall -Wextra -Werror: Strict error checking
• -Iincludes: Include directory
• C99 standard

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Code Style

• Follow the existing code style
• Use tabs for indentation
• Keep functions under 25 lines when possible
• Comment complex logic

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by vim and other terminal-based editors
• Built as a learning project to understand terminal programming
• Thanks to the open-source community for inspiration

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VERBATRON - Simple, fast, distraction-free editing.

• this readme was written with VERBATRON v1.0