NIMPAD TEXT EDITOR

Overview

This is a project that started as a school assignment and transitioned to be a bit more to me.

However, NimPad is sadly not ready to be your main text editor just yet. I would appreciate if you checked it out and potentially added improvements or suggestions.

How to test algorithm for project:

1. open or make file using ./nimp filename.ext
2. hit ctrl-F to start search
3. search using back slashes to separate patterns
4. When you click enter on search you can exit the file and a file should be created in the build folder that includes all the lines where your patterns were included.

Warning: File Loading Limitation

Nimpad currently does not support automatic line wrapping. Please ensure that any files loaded into the editor contain manual line breaks (physical \n) where necessary. Files without these line breaks may result in text extending beyond the visible frame without wrapping.

If you're loading a file with code, it should generally be safe to load. However, if text extends past the screen, press F1 to quit the editor.

If you do open a file that is too large to view but you are just planning on using the live-grep (Ctrl-f) you can still do that. The live-grep feature will still analyze the entire file efficiently and will grep the results for you by line.

Note: Nimpad is a project focused on low-level terminal communication, built using ncurses. I'm a student working to deepen my understanding of terminal interfaces, so certain features are still under development.

Automatic Installation

To get started with NimPad, follow these steps:

1. Clone or Download the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/jTawadros/nimpa

2. Navigate to the NimPad build directory

   cd nimpa/build

3. Build NimPad

   ./build.sh

4. Run NimPad

   ./nimp filename.ext

Manual Installation

Before running Nimpad, ensure you have the following depndencies installed on your device!

On Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ncurses-dev g++ make

macOS with Homebrew

brew install ncurses

1. Navigate to build directory

   make

2. Run NimPad

   ./nimp filename.ext

Controls

• Arrow Keys: Move the cursor up, down, left, and right.
• Enter: Add a new line.
• Backspace: Delete the character to the left of the cursor.
• F1: Quit the editor.
• F2: Save.
• F3: Save and Quit.
• Ctrl-F: Live grep multi-pattern search (Aho-Corasick)

Current Features

• Aho-Corasick Live grep search (main assignment functionality): Efficiently search for multiple patterns in the text at once using the Aho-Corasick algorithm. This feature allows you to specify search terms and returns all matches within the file, displaying their positions. The search is triggered by pressing Enter after typing the search query, ensuring accurate and responsive results. This implementation is optimized for multi-pattern searching, making it ideal for users who need to locate multiple keywords or phrases in a single operation!
• Basic Text Editing: You can write, edit, and delete text within a file.
• Text Insertion: Add text mid-file without overwriting existing content.
• Line Tracking: Navigate and edit across multiple lines efficiently with advanced line tracking capabilities.
• Cursor Navigation: Move the cursor in all directions using arrow keys.
• File Handling: Create, save, and edit files now. Run the program using ./nimp filename.ext

Recent fixes and Updates

Dec 7

• Aho-Corasick Update: Search feature now incorporates the use of backslashes() to search multiple patterns. E.g. app\cout\return will return lines including all of those words. Nov 19
• Cursor movement Bug fix 1: Fixed bug where moving cursor down forced cursor to end of file.
• Cursor movement Bug fix 2: Fixed bug where moving cursor up would delete text and input random special characters.

Data Structures and Algorithms

• Gap Buffer: NimPad uses a custom gap buffer implementation to efficiently manage text, particularly for insertions and deletions. This ensures minimal reallocation and provides fast editing even for large files.
• Line Tracking: An additional line tracking mechanism is implemented to facilitate efficient multi-line navigation and cursor positioning, improving the experience when working with larger documents.
• Aho-Corasick Algorithm: The multi-pattern search feature is powered by the Aho-Corasick algorithm, a trie-based string-searching technique that preprocesses a set of patterns into a finite state machine. This allows Nimpad to perform efficient live grep functionality, matching multiple patterns in a single pass through the text. This implementation is especially beneficial for users handling complex search operations or keyword highlighting.

Planned Features

• Text Shortcuts: Additional commands for more advanced text manipulation, such as copying, cutting, and pasting.
• Syntax Highlighting
• Line Numbers
• Custom Cursor
• Customization Options