Ink

Overview

This project is a minimalistic Vim-inspired text editor implemented in C, using the ncurses library for terminal-based rendering.

Features

• Command, Insert, and Visual Modes:
  • Command mode for navigation and commands.
  • Insert mode for editing text.
  • Visual mode for selecting and copying text.
• Undo/Redo Stack: Unlimited undo and redo operations within the defined history limit.
• Text Navigation: Cursor movement across lines and columns.
• File Operations:
  • Load a file when starting the editor.
  • Save changes back to the file.
• Clipboard Support:
  • Copy selected text in visual mode.
  • Paste clipboard contents.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• GCC (GNU Compiler Collection)
• ncurses library

Compilation

To compile the project, run:

gcc -o ink ink.c -lncurses

This command compiles the vim_editor.c source file and links it with the ncurses library.

Usage

Run the compiled binary:

./ink [filename]

• If a filename is provided, the file will be loaded into the editor. If not, a blank buffer is opened.

Key Bindings

General

• q - Quit the editor
• s - Save the file

Modes

• i - Enter insert mode
• v - Enter visual mode
• Esc - Exit insert or visual mode, returning to command mode

Navigation

• h - Move cursor left
• j - Move cursor down
• k - Move cursor up
• l - Move cursor right

Editing

• u - Undo the last action
• r - Redo the last undone action
• y - Copy selected text in visual mode
• p - Paste clipboard contents
• Backspace - Delete the character before the cursor
• Enter - Insert a new line

Visual Mode

• Start by pressing v in command mode.
• Use navigation keys (h, j, k, l) to select text.
• Press y to copy the selection.

Clipboard

• After copying text in visual mode, press p in command mode to paste the contents at the cursor's position.

Code Structure

Main Components

1. TextBuffer: Manages the text being edited, including line lengths and cursor positions.
2. Undo/Redo System: Tracks changes to allow reversing or reapplying edits.
3. File I/O:
   • loadFile(): Loads the contents of a file into the editor.
   • saveFile(): Saves the current buffer to a file.
4. Rendering: Displays the text buffer in the terminal with line numbers and mode indicators.

Key Functions

• insertChar(): Inserts a character at the current cursor position.
• deleteChar(): Deletes the character before the cursor.
• undo() and redo(): Manage the history of edits.
• render(): Refreshes the screen to reflect changes.

Dependencies

• ncurses: Used for terminal rendering and handling user input.