libphext-cs: The Fourth Root

🌳 The Fourth Root - A C# implementation of phext (11-dimensional plain hypertext)

This is the C# port of the phext library, tracking the canonical Rust implementation at https://github.com/wbic16/libphext-rs

The Roots of Phext

Root	Language	Repository
🦀 The Iron Root	Rust	libphext-rs
🌿 The Branch of Breath	Node.js	libphext-node
🐍 The Tertiary Branch	Python	libphext-py
💎 The Fourth Root	C#	libphext-cs (this repo)

What is Phext?

Phext is 11-dimensional plain hypertext - a hierarchical text format that extends traditional 2D text files into 9 additional dimensions using ASCII control codes as dimension breaks.

The Coordinate System

Phext coordinates are 9-dimensional addresses of the form:

library.shelf.series/collection.volume.book/chapter.section.scroll

For example: 5.5.5/4.6.7/9.5.9

Dimension Breaks (ASCII Control Codes)

Dimension	Name	ASCII Code	Description
2	Line	0x0A	Standard newline
3	Scroll	0x17	End Transmission Block
4	Section	0x18	Cancel Block
5	Chapter	0x19	End of Tape
6	Book	0x1A	Substitute
7	Volume	0x1C	File Separator
8	Collection	0x1D	Group Separator
9	Series	0x1E	Record Separator
10	Shelf	0x1F	Unit Separator
11	Library	0x01	Start of Header

Getting Started

Installation

Add the library to your project:

dotnet add package libphext

Or clone and build from source:

git clone https://github.com/wbic16/libphext-cs
cd libphext-cs
dotnet build

Usage

using Phext;

// Create coordinates
var coord = Coordinate.FromString("1.1.1/1.1.1/1.1.1");
var coord2 = new Coordinate(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9);

// Work with phext documents
string phext = "Hello\x17World\x18More content";

// Fetch content at a coordinate
string scroll = PhextEngine.Fetch(phext, coord);

// Insert content
string updated = PhextEngine.Insert(phext, coord2, "New scroll");

// Replace content
string replaced = PhextEngine.Replace(phext, coord, "Replaced content");

// Explode into dictionary
var scrolls = PhextEngine.Explode(phext);

// Merge two phexts
string merged = PhextEngine.Merge(phext1, phext2);

// Normalize (remove empty scrolls)
string normalized = PhextEngine.Normalize(phext);

// Expand/contract dimensions
string expanded = PhextEngine.Expand(phext);  // line -> scroll -> section...
string contracted = PhextEngine.Contract(phext);  // library -> shelf -> series...

API Reference

Core Types

• Coordinate: 9-dimensional address (library.shelf.series/collection.volume.book/chapter.section.scroll)
• PositionedScroll: A scroll of text with its coordinate location
• Range: A pair of coordinates defining a subspace region
• SubspaceBeacon: Helper for subspace navigation (start, end offsets + best match)

PhextEngine Methods

Method	Description
Fetch(phext, coord)	Get scroll text at coordinate
Insert(phext, coord, text)	Insert text at end of scroll
Replace(phext, coord, text)	Replace scroll content
Remove(phext, coord)	Remove scroll at coordinate
RangeReplace(phext, range, text)	Replace range of scrolls
Phokenize(phext)	Split into positioned scrolls
Dephokenize(scrolls)	Serialize positioned scrolls
Explode(phext)	Convert to Dictionary<Coordinate, string>
Implode(dict)	Convert dictionary back to phext
Merge(left, right)	Zipper-merge two phexts
Subtract(left, right)	Remove matching coordinates
Normalize(phext)	Remove empty scrolls
Expand(phext)	Increase dimension breaks by one
Contract(phext)	Decrease dimension breaks by one
Checksum(phext)	Compute content hash
Manifest(phext)	Hierarchical checksums
Textmap(phext)	Text navigation map
Navmap(urlbase, phext)	HTML navigation map
Offset(phext, coord)	Get byte offset of scroll
Index(phext)	Get offset map as phext

Testing

cd libphext-cs
dotnet test

The test suite includes comprehensive tests ported from libphext-rs:

• Coordinate parsing and validation
• All 9 dimension break types
• Insert, replace, remove operations
• Range operations
• Merge and subtract
• Expand and contract
• Dead reckoning navigation
• Phokenize and dephokenize
• Performance tests

Project Structure

libphext-cs/
├── libphext-cs.sln
├── README.md
├── src/
│   └── Phext/
│       ├── Phext.csproj
│       ├── Coordinate.cs
│       ├── PositionedScroll.cs
│       ├── Range.cs
│       ├── SubspaceBeacon.cs
│       └── PhextEngine.cs
└── tests/
    ├── Phext.Tests.csproj
    └── PhextTests.cs

Why Phext?

In the 1980s, computers could write 25 KB/sec to a floppy disk. In the 2020s, we write 2 GB/sec to SSDs. This changed the definition of a "small" file, but our text abstractions haven't scaled.

Phext enables:

• Planet-scale text - Navigate petabytes with coordinate addresses
• Hierarchical organization - 9 dimensions of natural structure
• AI-native format - Perfect for LLM context and multi-agent coordination
• Human-readable - Still plain text, just with dimension breaks

License

MIT License - Copyright (c) 2026 Will Bickford (Phext, Inc.)

Links

• 🌐 phext.io - Official website
• 📖 Phext Specification
• 🦀 Rust Reference Implementation