pcode-editor

Personal Code Editor - A lightweight, cross-platform Vim-like GUI text editor for programmers.

Built with Dear ImGui + GLFW + ImGuiColorTextEdit - one codebase, runs everywhere.

Version

pcode-editor v0.2.95 (2026-04-19)

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Supported Platforms

Platform	Backend	Status
Windows	Win32	Supported
Linux	Wayland	Supported
FreeBSD	X11	Supported
OpenBSD	X11	Supported
NetBSD	X11	Supported
macOS	Cocoa	Supported

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Features

Editing

• Syntax highlighting for 20+ languages (C, C++, Python, JavaScript, etc.)
• Line numbers with change history tracking
• Code folding
• Bookmarks
• Multiple tabs with split windows
• Find and replace
• Word wrap

Vim Mode

• NORMAL mode for navigation and commands
• INSERT mode for text entry
• COMMAND mode for ex commands (:w, :q, :sp, etc.)
• Visual mode support

Interface

• Split windows (:sp horizontal, :vsp vertical)
• Minimap for quick navigation
• Floating command palette (Ctrl+P)
• Sidebar with Files/Git/Symbols
• Status bar with mode, cursor position, encoding
• Gutter with line numbers and change indicators

Terminal Integration

• Built-in terminal (:term, :shell, :sh)
• Direct keyboard input to shell
• Independent font zoom for terminal (Ctrl++/-)

Settings

• Cross-platform settings file (pcode-settings.json)
• Font customization (size, family)
• Theme toggle (dark/light)
• Recent files management

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Full keyboard-first navigation
• Vim-style keybindings
• Ctrl+W for split navigation
• Command palette

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Quick Start

Universal Build Script

# Auto-detects platform and builds accordingly
./scripts/build.sh Release

Platform-Specific Build Scripts

# FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD (X11)
./scripts/build-freebsd.sh Release

# Linux (Wayland)
./scripts/build-linux.sh Release

# Windows (MSVC)
scripts\build-windows.bat Release

# Windows (MinGW/MSYS2 PowerShell)
.\scripts\build-windows-mingw.ps1 Release

Running the Editor

# Windows
.\build\Release\pcode-editor.exe

# Linux/macOS/BSD
./build/Release/pcode-editor

# Open a file
pcode-editor filename.cpp

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Detailed Build Instructions

Windows (MSVC)

Requirements:

• Visual Studio 2022 (or Build Tools)
• CMake 3.16+

Build:

mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build . --config Release
.\Release\pcode-editor.exe

Or use the build script:

scripts\build-windows.bat Release

Linux (Wayland)

Install dependencies:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install cmake build-essential libwayland-dev wayland-protocols \
  libxkbcommon-dev libgtk-3-dev libgl1-mesa-dev pkg-config

Build:

mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DGLFW_BUILD_WAYLAND=ON
make -j$(nproc)
./pcode-editor

FreeBSD / OpenBSD / NetBSD (X11)

Install dependencies:

# FreeBSD
sudo pkg install cmake xorg-libX11 xorgproto gtk3 mesa-libs pkgconf

Build:

mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DGLFW_BUILD_X11=ON
make -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
./pcode-editor

macOS

Install dependencies:

brew install cmake

Build:

mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
make -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
./pcode-editor

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Command Reference

File Commands

Command	Action
:w	Save file
:q	Close tab
:q!	Close without saving
:wq	Save and close
:e filename	Open file

View Commands

Command	Action
:sp	Horizontal split
:vsp	Vertical split
:set nu	Show line numbers
:set nonu	Hide line numbers
:set wrap	Enable word wrap
:set nowrap	Disable word wrap

Terminal Commands

Command	Action
:term	Open terminal
:shell	Open default shell
:sh	Open default shell

Zoom Commands

Command	Action
Ctrl++	Zoom in
Ctrl+-	Zoom out
Ctrl+0	Reset zoom

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Keyboard Shortcuts

File Operations

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New tab
Ctrl+O	Open file
Ctrl+S	Save
Ctrl+W	Close tab

Edit Operations

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+C	Copy
Ctrl+V	Paste
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo
Ctrl+F	Find

View Operations

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+P	Command palette
`Ctrl+``	Toggle terminal

Split Navigation

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+W h	Focus left
Ctrl+W j	Focus down
Ctrl+W k	Focus up
Ctrl+W l	Focus right
Ctrl+W o	Close others

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Settings

Settings are stored in pcode-settings.json:

{
  "window_w": 1280,
  "window_h": 800,
  "dark_theme": true,
  "font_size": 18,
  "font_name": "JetBrains Mono",
  "tab_size": 4,
  "word_wrap": true,
  "show_line_numbers": true,
  "show_minimap": true
}

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Architecture

src/
+-- main.cpp          - Entry point
+-- editor_app.h      - Class definitions
+-- editor_app.cpp    - Main implementation

scripts/
+-- build.sh          - Universal build script
+-- build-freebsd.sh  - BSD (X11)
+-- build-linux.sh    - Linux (Wayland)
+-- build-windows.bat - Windows (MSVC)
+-- build-windows-mingw.ps1 - Windows (MinGW)

docs/
+-- userguide.md      - User documentation
+-- developer.md     - Developer guide
+-- imgui_tutorial.md - Dear ImGui guide
+-- faq.md           - FAQ

CMakeLists.txt        - Cross-platform build config
VERSION              - Version file
pcode-settings.json - User settings

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Dependencies

All dependencies are fetched automatically via CMake FetchContent:

Library	Purpose	License
Dear ImGui	Immediate mode GUI	MIT
GLFW	Window/input management	zlib
ImGuiColorTextEdit	Syntax highlighting	MIT
Native File Dialog	Cross-platform file dialogs	zlib

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Design Principles

1. Keyboard-first - every action has a keybinding
2. Fast - immediate mode rendering, minimal dependencies
3. Minimal - no bloat, no telemetry, no auto-updates
4. Portable - one codebase, Windows + Linux + BSD + macOS

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Troubleshooting

Fonts too small on HDPI

Edit pcode-settings.json:

"font_size": 18

Terminal not responding

Click on the terminal window to focus it before typing.

Build fails

1. Ensure all platform-specific dependencies are installed
2. Use the provided build scripts
3. See docs/faq.md for detailed solutions

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Documentation

• User Guide - For end users
• Developer Guide - For contributors
• Dear ImGui Tutorial - ImGui learning resource
• Versioning Strategy - Release and tagging process
• FAQ - Common issues and solutions

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License

BSD 2-Clause License - see LICENSE file.