https://github.com/bz-interactive/bz-nota
A high-performance, terminal-based text editor built on C++. It combines the intuitive editing of Micro with a modern, btop-style dashboard interface for a modern TUI experience.
https://github.com/bz-interactive/bz-nota
cplusplus cpp fast ftxui lightweight terminal-app terminal-based text-editor
Last synced: 15 days ago
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A high-performance, terminal-based text editor built on C++. It combines the intuitive editing of Micro with a modern, btop-style dashboard interface for a modern TUI experience.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/bz-interactive/bz-nota
- Owner: BZ-Interactive
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-02-04T14:31:33.000Z (5 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-06-09T20:30:10.000Z (15 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-06-09T21:21:27.195Z (15 days ago)
- Topics: cplusplus, cpp, fast, ftxui, lightweight, terminal-app, terminal-based, text-editor
- Language: C++
- Homepage: https://bz-interactive.github.io/BZ-Nota/
- Size: 2.47 MB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 15
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
BZ-Nota
A high-performance, terminal-based text editor built on C++. It combines the intuitive editing of Micro with a modern, btop-style dashboard interface for a modern TUI experience.
Explore the docs »
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[![CPP][CPP-shield]][CPP-url]
Table of Contents
-
About The Project
-
Getting Started
-
Usage
- Tested Terminals
- Planned features
- Contributing
- License
- Contact
- Acknowledgments
## 🧐 About The Project
BZ-Nota is a terminal-based text editor that aims to provide a modern and efficient editing experience in the terminal. It's designed for developers and power users who want the simplicity and keybindings of editors like Micro, combined with a powerful, integrated dashboard, inspired by `btop`.
Key Features:
* **Intuitive Editing**: Familiar keybindings and a focus on simplicity.
* **Modern TUI**: Clear and modern looks with emoji support.
* **High Performance**: Built with C++ for speed and low resource usage.
* **Minimal Resource Usage**: Uses less than 6MB on an empty file and close to zero CPU usage when editing.
* **Safe Renaming & Saving**: Prompts before overwriting existing files and privilege elevation to save files requiring elevated permissions.
(Privilege elevation is currently being worked on)
### Built With
* [![CPP][CPP-shield]][CPP-url]
* [![ftxui][ftxui-shield]][ftxui-url]
## 🚀 Getting Started
To get a local copy up and running, follow these simple steps.
### Prerequisites
You'll need a modern C++ compiler and CMake to build BZ-Nota. Installing the standard build tools is sufficient for most builds.
**Note:** Pre-packaged versions will be available upon reaching version 1.0.
* **C++ Compiler**: Recommended — install `build-essential` (includes `g++`, `gcc`, and `make`)
* **Alternative compilers**: Clang or MSVC are also supported
* **CMake**: Version 3.10 or higher
**System Clipboard Support:**
* **Linux (X11)**: `xclip` or `xsel`
* **Linux (Wayland)**: `wl-clipboard`
* **macOS**: Built-in clipboard commands (no installation needed) — Not tested yet.
* **Windows**: Built-in clipboard commands (`clip` for copy, PowerShell's `Get-Clipboard` for paste) — Won't be implemented.
Example (Debian/Ubuntu):
```sh
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake
```
For other platforms, use the equivalent package manager (e.g., `brew`, `pacman`, etc.).
### Installation
1. Clone the repo (including submodules)
```sh
git clone --recursive https://github.com/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota.git
```
If you already cloned the repository without `--recursive`, initialize submodules with:
```sh
git submodule update --init --recursive
```
2. Create a build directory
```sh
cd BZ-Nota
mkdir build && cd build
```
3. Configure and build the project
```sh
cmake ..
make
```
4. (Optional) Install to your system
```sh
sudo make install
```
This will install the `bznota` executable to your system's binary directory (typically `/usr/local/bin`), making it available system-wide.
5. Run the editor
```sh
# If installed
bznota
# Or run directly from build directory
./bznota
```
**Note:** macOS systems follow the same steps.
## ✍️ Usage
if intalled you can run it from anywhere:
```sh
bznota
```
if not installed run from local folder:
```sh
./bznota
```
### Basic Usage
Run the editor without a file path, it will create but not save a new file "Untitled". File can be renamed via F2 during editing.
```sh
bznota
```
To launch the editor with a pre-existing file, run the executable with the file path:
```sh
bznota
```
**Options:**
* `-h`, `--help` — Show usage and option explanations
* `-d`, `--debug` — Enable debug mode (displays key sequence information in the status bar)
* `-v`, `--version` — Display version information and exit
* `-l`, `--license` — Display license information and exit
* `--splash`, `--logo` — Display Unicode ANSI Logo and exit
**Examples:**
```sh
# Open a file for editing
bznota example.txt
# Display version information
bznota -v
# Open with debug mode enabled
bznota -d example.txt
```
### Keybindings
**File Operations:**
* `Ctrl+S` — Save file
* `Ctrl+Q` — Quit (prompts if unsaved changes)
* `F2` — Rename file (interactive)
**Editing:**
* `Ctrl+A` — Select All
* `Ctrl+C` — Copy to system clipboard
* `Ctrl+X` — Cut to system clipboard
* `Ctrl+V` — Paste from system clipboard
* `Ctrl+Insert` / `Shift+Insert` — Traditional clipboard shortcuts (alternative)
* `Ctrl+Shift+C` / `Ctrl+Shift+V` — Modern terminal clipboard (Alacritty, WezTerm)
* `Ctrl+Z` — Undo
* `Ctrl+Y` — Redo
* `Tab` — Insert tab
* `Shift+Tab` — Remove leading tab (unindent)
**Formatting**
* `Alt+B` — Bold
* `Alt+I` — Italic
* `Alt+U` — Underline
* `Alt+T` — Strikethrough
All work on selection, can use this to write formatted or apply any format to a pre-written text.
All can be applied on top of each other.
**Editor Modes (F7):**
* `BASIC` — Plain text, no markdown parsing (shows raw **bold** markers)
* `FANCY` — Markdown parsing enabled (**bold**, *italic*, etc. rendered live)
* `CODE` — Syntax highlighting, no markdown (Will be implemented after 1.0 relase, may be removed)
* `DOCUMENT` — FANCY + grammar features (Will be implemented after 1.0 relase, may be removed)
**Appearance (F8):**
* `F8` — Toggle between dark mode (default) and light mode
**Navigation:**
* `Arrow Keys` — Move cursor
* `Shift+Arrow` — Select text while moving
* `Ctrl+Arrow` — Jump by word
* `Ctrl+Shift+Arrow` — Select by word (Alacritty)
* `Alt+Shift+Arrow` — Select by word (alternative)
* `Home` — Jump to start of line (smart: toggles between first non-whitespace and column 0)
* `End` — Jump to end of line
**Line Operations:**
* `Ctrl+O` — Insert blank line above
* `Ctrl+K` — Insert blank line below
**Note:** Uses Kitty Keyboard Protocol. However, some keybindings may still be intercepted by your terminal emulator. If none of the alternative keys work for you disable conflicting terminal shortcuts.
**System Clipboard:** The system clipboard feature requires external tools (`xclip`/`xsel` for X11, `wl-clipboard` for Wayland, built-in on macOS). See [CLIPBOARD.md](CLIPBOARD.md) for detailed setup instructions.
_For more examples, please refer to the [Documentation](https://github.com/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota)_
## 🖥️ Tested Terminals
Below are terminals that are tested and their known quirks.
Linux:
- alacritty — **Works perfectly**.
- Konsole — **Works perfectly**.
- gnome-terminal — **Works perfectly**.
- kitty — `Ctrl+Shift+Arrow` won't work; use `Alt+Shift+Arrow` instead.
- XTerm and UXterm — **Works perfectly**, switches to unicode symbols (fixed/courier).
macOS:
- To be tested.
Windows:
- **Not supported** — Windows support will not be implemented.
## 📅 Planned features
These are short-term items planned as next priorities; the editor will focus on core editing and the dashboard first.
- Bullet Point Integration
- Privilege Elevation similar to **[Micro](https://micro-editor.github.io/)**
- User customization for UI colors
- Limited user customization for controls
- PgUp / PgDn support for navigation
- Search, Find and Replace, including Batch Replace
- Mouse Support
## 📖 Documentation
- **[Technical Design Document (PDF)](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota/refs/heads/main/Documents/BZ-Nota_TDD.pdf)**
- **[TDD Source (.tex)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota/refs/heads/main/Documents/BZ-Nota_TDD.tex)**
## 🤝 Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:
- Submit feature requests via [Issues](https://github.com/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota/issues)
- Report bugs via [Issues](https://github.com/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota/issues)
- Create pull requests
## 📝 License
Distributed under the MIT License. See `LICENSE` for more information.
## 📧 Contact
[](mailto:barkin.zorlu.bz@gmail.com)
[](https://github.com/ZorluBarkin)
[](https://www.linkedin.com/in/barkin-zorlu)
Project Link: [https://github.com/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota](https://github.com/BZ-Interactive/BZ-Nota)
## 🙏 Acknowledgments
* [Micro Text Editor](https://github.com/zyedidia/micro)
* [btop++](https://github.com/aristocratos/btop)
* [Img Shields](https://shields.io)
* [Choose an Open Source License](https://choosealicense.com)
[linkedin-shield]: https://img.shields.io/badge/-LinkedIn-black.svg?style=for-the-badge&logo=linkedin&colorB=555
[linkedin-url]: www.linkedin.com/in/barkin-zorlu
[CPP-shield]: https://img.shields.io/badge/C++(23)-015B97?style=flat-square&logo=cplusplus&logoColor=ffffff
[CPP-url]: https://isocpp.org/
[ftxui-shield]: https://img.shields.io/badge/ftxui-UI-blue
[ftxui-url]: https://github.com/ArthurSonzogni/ftxui