https://github.com/peter-l-svk/pyline
Simple CLI based text editor in Python3 for Unix-like OSes
https://github.com/peter-l-svk/pyline
cross-platform editor linux-app open-source python python-3 python3 terminal terminal-app terminal-based
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Simple CLI based text editor in Python3 for Unix-like OSes
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/peter-l-svk/pyline
- Owner: Peter-L-SVK
- License: gpl-3.0
- Created: 2025-03-24T14:21:06.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-06-30T12:44:58.000Z (11 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-06-30T13:40:24.297Z (11 months ago)
- Topics: cross-platform, editor, linux-app, open-source, python, python-3, python3, terminal, terminal-app, terminal-based
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 962 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# PyLine - Lightweight Terminal Text Editor
[](https://buymeacoffee.com/leukanic.peter) - If you wish to support me for future updates with some spare change
PyLine is a minimalist command-line text editor designed for Linux/BSD systems, written in Python 3 with use of systems calls. Originally created in 2018 and modernized after long pause in 2025, it combines improved text management with a simple, line-by-line workflow.
(*Note: This is a hobby project, not a professional application.*)
## Features
- **Theme System**:
- Customizable color schemes with only coloring syntax and listing, adjustable for dark and light themes
- basic text and bacground still from terminal theme (for now)
- Inhouse solution for editing themes in theme manager
- **Configuration Management**:
- Persistent settings with JSON-based configuration
- Run time config modifying and checking
- **Lightweight & Fast**: Runs entirely in terminal with minimal dependencies
- **Advanced Hook System**:
- Extensible plugin architecture with support for multiple languages (Python, JavaScript, Perl, Ruby, Lua, PHP, Shell)
- Fully interconnected Hook manager with Config manager
- Incudes core hook utils for search and replace, smart tab, shell syntax highligting and more
- **File Operations**:
- Edit existing files with full hook integration
- Create new files with directory structure creation
- Truncate existing files
- Count words, lines and characters with hookable word counting
- **Navigation**:
- Move between lines and scroll file with arrow keys
- Scroll file by keys PageUp and PageDown
- Jump to specified line number by J
- Jump to end of file (Ctrl+D for EOF)
- Smart viewport management
- Stylized helpscreen
- Search and replace functionality provided by core util hook
- **Editing**:
- Line-by-line editing with hook-integrated input handling
- Preserves existing text when modifying lines
- Insert/delete line operations with pre/post hooks
- Comprehensive Undo/Redo system (history limit set to 120)
- Multi-line text selection with visual indicators
- Cross-platform clipboard support (X11, Wayland, macOS, Windows)
- Smart indentation preservation during paste operations
- Syntax highlighting for Python with advanced token recognition
- Aditional syntax highlighting for shells and JSON via core hooks
- **File Browser**:
- Colorized directory listings
- Change working directories with path persistence
- Make new directories
- Remove files and directories
- Rename files and directories
- **Hook Management**:
- Visual hook manager interface (`hm` command)
- Priority-based hook execution (90 → 10)
- Runtime enable/disable without restart
- Support for multiple scripting languages
- Hook categories: input handlers, event handlers, syntax handlers, editing operations, clipboard operations, session handlers
## Example screens
Complete screenshot example galery in [screenshot-gallery](https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine/blob/main/scrshots/README.md)
PyLine after the initialization:
Open file option screen:
Example of line selection:
After pasting the selection from clipboard:
Editing text:
Execmode(Filemanager):
Hook manager:
## Installation
1st method: Manual run
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine.git
cd PyLine/src/
chmod +x main.py
#Run pwd and copy result path
pwd
#add to your shell config file to run from everywhere
alias pyline='/main.py'
#run separate install-all.sh in hooks directory
../hooks/install-all.sh
#copy themes to editor's config directory
cp -r $(pwd)/../themes ~/.pyline/
#restart terminal
```
2nd method (script will run sudo command):
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine.git
cd PyLine/
./install.sh
```
## Configuration
PyLine stores configuration in `~/.pyline/config.json` with the following structure:
```json
{
"paths": {
"source_path": "/home//PyLine/src"
"original_path": ""
"default_path": "/home/",
},
"editor": {
"theme": "black-on-white"
},
"hooks": {
"enabled": true,
"auto_reload": false
},
"theme": {
"current": "black-on-white",
"available_themes": [
"black-on-white",
"white-on-black"
]
}
}
```
## Detailed Structure
### 1. Root Directory (`~/.pyline/`)
```
~/.pyline/
├── config.json # Main JSON configuration
├── themes/ # Color theme definitions
└── hooks/ # Extension hook system
```
## Usage
In case of manual run:
```bash
./main.py
```
If you used install script:
```bash
pyline #works from anywhere
```
Editor accpets input arguments:
```bash
# Edit existing file
./main.py existing_file.txt # pyline existing_file.txt
# Create new file
./main.py new_file.txt # pyline new_file.txt
```
The editor will:
1. For existing files:
- Load the file
- Enter edit mode immediately
2. For new files:
- Create new buffer with specified filename
- Create new directory in file path if doesn't exist already
- Enter edit mode
3. With no arguments:
- Show the original interactive menu
4. -i, --info Show program information and exit
5. -h, --help show help message and exit
To unninstall the program:
```bash
./install.sh -u
```
## Core Hook System Structure with all possible features and hooks in mind
**Advanced Hook System**
More about hooks in: [hooks-creation](https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine/blob/main/hooks/hooks-creation.md) and [hooks-overview](https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine/blob/main/hooks/hooks-overview.md)
Manual on how to perform various types of search and replace within core hook in [serach-replace manual](https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine/blob/main/hooks/search_replace/readme.md)
Manual on AI asisted grammar hook in [AI-grammar-check](https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine/blob/main/hooks/AI-grammar-check/readme.md)
For it's proper usage and functionality, install:
```sh
pip install language-tool-python numpy pandas
```
PyLine features a comprehensive hook system that allows extending functionality through plugins. The hook system supports multiple programming languages and follows a structured directory hierarchy:
```
~/.pyline/hooks/
├── input_handlers/ # Input processing hooks
│ └── edit_line/ # Line editing handlers
│ ├── smart_tab__90.py # Priority 90 (high)
│ └── auto_complete.py
├── event_handlers/ # Event-based hooks
│ ├── pre_save/ # Before saving
│ ├── post_save/ # After saving
│ ├── pre_load/ # Before loading
│ ├── post_load/ # After loading
│ └── on_error/ # Error handling
├── syntax_handlers/ # Syntax processing
│ ├── highlight/ # Syntax highlighting
│ └── lint/ # Code linting
├── editing_ops/ # Editing operations
│ ├── pre_insert/ # Before line insertion
│ ├── post_insert/ # After line insertion
│ ├── pre_delete/ # Before line deletion
│ └── post_delete/ # After line deletion
├── clipboard_ops/ # Clipboard operations
│ ├── pre_copy/ # Before copying
│ ├── post_copy/ # After copying
│ ├── pre_paste/ # Before pasting
│ └── post_paste/ # After pasting
└── session_handlers/ # Session management
├── pre_edit/ # Before editing session
└── post_edit/ # After editing session
```
## Theme System
### Built-in Themes
- **black-on-white**: Classic black text on white background
- **white-on-black**: White text on black background (dark mode)
### Custom Themes
Create custom themes in `~/.pyline/themes/`:
More about themes in: [themes-reference](https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine/blob/main/themes/ColorReference.md)
```bash
# Create a new theme based on existing one
pyline
# Then type 'tm' for theme manager
# Then 'create my-theme' to create a new theme
```
Theme file structure (`~/.pyline/themes/my-theme.json`):
```json
{
"name": "My Custom Theme",
"description": "A custom color scheme",
"background": "\\033[48;5;COLORm",
"setterm_background": "color-name",
"setterm_foreground": "color-name",
"colors": {
"reset": "\\033[0m",
"menu_title": "\\033[1;30m",
"menu_item": "\\033[34m",
"line_numbers": "\\033[90m",
"selection": "\\033[47m\\033[30m",
"keyword": "\\033[34m",
"string": "\\033[31m",
"comment": "\\033[32m",
"variable": "\\033[33m",
"number": "\\033[35m",
"function": "\\033[36m",
"class": "\\033[1;35m",
"error": "\\033[1;31m",
"module": "\\033[1;34m",
"decorator": "\\033[1;36m",
"annotation": "\\033[1;33m",
"directory": "\\033[1;34m",
"executable": "\\033[1;32m",
"symlink": "\\033[1;36m",
"hook_category": "\\033[1;35m",
"hook_type": "\\033[1;36m",
"hook_enabled": "\\033[1;32m",
"hook_disabled": "\\033[1;31m"
}
}
```
### Editor Menu
|Command|Action|
|---|---|
|`1`|Edit existing file|
|`2`|Create new file|
|`3`|Truncate existing or create new file|
|`cls`|Clear screen|
|`cw`|Count words in the file|
|`hm`|Hook manager|
|`hs`|Hook status|
|`tm`|Theme manager|
|`x`|Enter file management mode (exec mode)|
|`i`|Info|
|`q`|Exit program|
|`Ctrl+D`|Escape from function|
|`Ctrl+C`|Interupt the program|
### Hook Management Commands
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
| `hm` | Enter hook manager interface |
| `ls` | List all available hooks |
| `info` | Show detailed hook information |
| `enable` | Enable a specific hook |
| `disable` | Disable a specific hook |
| `reload` | Reload hook system from filesystem |
### Editor Controls
|Command|Action|
|---|---|
|`↑`/`↓`|Navigate between lines / Scroll by lines|
|`PgUp` / `PgDn`|Scroll by 52 lines buffer|
|`Ctrl+B` / `F`|Undo/Redo|
|`Ctrl+D` / `End`|Jump to end of the file|
|`Ctrl+Alt+f`|Search for text|
|`Ctrl+Alt+r`|Search and replace|
|`c`|Copy current line or multiple selected|
|`d`|Delete current line or multiple selected|
|`Enter`/`e`|Edit current line|
|`g`|Grammar check|
|`h`|Help screen|
|`Home`|Jump to beginning of the file|
|`i`|Insert new line|
|`j`|Jump to user specified line|
|`v`|Paste from clipboard|
|`o`|Overwrite lines|
|`s`|Start / End of selection|
|`q` /`Esc`|Quit editor|
|`w`|Write/save changes|
### File Management Mode
| Command | Action |
|-----------|--------------------------------------|
| `af` | List all files |
| `cwd` | Change working directory |
| `cdp` | Change the default path |
| `mkdir` | Create new directory |
| `rename` | Rename a file/directory |
| `rmdir` | Remove a non empty/empty directory |
| `rmfile` | Remove a file |
| `cls` | Clear screen |
| `q` | Exit file management |
| `Ctrl+D` | Escape from function |
### Theme Manager Commands
| Command | Action |
|---------|--------|
| `tm` | Enter theme manager |
| `ls` | List all available themes |
| `use ` | Switch to specified theme |
| `info ` | Show theme details |
| `create ` | Create new theme based on current |
| `delete ` | Delete a theme (cannot delete built-in) |
| `edit ` | Show theme file location for editing |
## Requirements
- **Hook Language Support**:
- Python: Built-in
- JavaScript: `node` runtime
- Perl: `perl` interpreter
- Ruby: `ruby` interpreter
- Lua: `lua` interpreter
- PHP: `php` interpreter
- Shell: `bash` or `zsh` interpreter
- Python 3.6+
- Linux(or WSL)/FreeBSD/MacOS system (tested on Fedora 27 MATE, 40/42 Cinnmanon)
- Bash or Zsh shell
- Clipboard: xclip (X11) or wl-clipboard (Wayland) for copy/paste (Comes with GUI/DE)
## Known Limitations
- **Forground Colors**: Only partialy applied for now, when editor colors the syntax of when listing.
- **Background Colors**: For now not implemeted but counted for in themes and code.
## License
GNU GPL v3 - See [LICENSE](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html) file for details.
## Testing
To run all tests:
```bash
cd PyLine/tests/
./run_tests.py # preferred
# or
python -m unittest discover # traditional
```
Or run a specific test file:
```bash
python -m unittest test_dirops.py
```
All tests require only Python’s built-in `unittest` module.
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome!
See [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/Peter-L-SVK/PyLine/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) file for details.
For contact please see my email in profile info or use GitHub’s built-in communication tools.
Please open an issue or pull request for any:
- Bug fixes
- Feature suggestions
- Documentation improvements
---
_Created by Peter Leukanič in 2018 - A simple editor for when you need to edit text files quickly without leaving the terminal._