Buffer

Buffer is a persistent scratchpad editor for macOS using C++ and Cocoa integration. The project uses CMake for builds and is structured for Xcode and command-line development.

Structure

• src/ - Source files
• include/ - Header files
• resources/ - App resources (icons, etc.)
• plugins/ - Plugin support
• tests/ - Unit and integration tests

Build Instructions

Command Line (macOS)

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make
open Buffer.app

Scintilla editor core

If external/scintilla exists, the macOS build uses Scintilla's Cocoa editor by default and builds its sources as a static library with the current command-line toolchain:

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build

To force the older NSTextView editor, pass -DUSE_SCINTILLA=OFF. To use a checkout outside this repo, pass -DSCINTILLA_ROOT=/actual/path/to/scintilla. LEXILLA_ROOT is optional at configure time, but is needed once lexer-backed syntax highlighting is enabled.

Xcode

• Open the generated Xcode project from the build directory after running cmake .. -G Xcode.

Cocoa Integration

Cocoa integration is prepared in the CMake file for future UI development.

License

Buffer is open source under the MIT License. Third-party components retain their own licenses; see NOTICE.