Vim2

This started as a project for UConn's CSE 3150 course with Professor Yufeng Wu. The task was to design and implement a text editor that replicated Vim's functionality somewhat simplistically. Now, I just add stuff to it periodically because it's fun. Unfortunately, it will never outpace the real thing, or VSCode, or really any other text editor. Fun project, though!

Tutorial

Building the Editor

1. Navigate to the TextViewImpCode/ directory:

   cd TextViewImpCode/

2. Build the editor:

   make

3. The executable myeditor will be created in the same directory.

Running the Editor

Demo Mode (No File)

Run without arguments to start the editor with an empty document:

./myeditor

This will show "Press ctrl-q to quit" and you can start typing immediately. Press Ctrl+Q to quit.

Editing a File

Open an existing file or create a new one:

./myeditor filename.txt

Using the Editor

The editor has two modes, similar to Vim:

Command Mode (Default)

• Navigation: Use arrow keys to move the cursor
• Switch to Edit Mode: Press i to enter insert mode
• Quit: Press q to quit immediately, or Ctrl+Q to quit and save

Edit Mode

• Insert Text: Type normally to insert characters at cursor position
• New Line: Press Enter to create a new line
• Backspace: Press Backspace to delete characters
• Exit Edit Mode: Press Escape to return to command mode

Undo/Redo

• Undo: Ctrl+Z (works in both modes)
• Redo: Ctrl+Y (works in both modes)

Key Controls

Key	Action
Arrow Keys	Navigate cursor
i	Enter edit/insert mode
Escape	Enter command mode
q	Quit immediately (command mode)
Enter	New line (edit mode)
Backspace	Delete character
Ctrl+Q	Quit and save
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo

Example Session

1. Start the editor:

   ./myeditor myfile.txt

2. Press i to enter edit mode

3. Type some text:

   Hello, World!
   This is my text editor.
   

4. Press Escape to return to command mode

5. Use arrow keys to navigate

6. Press Ctrl+Q to save and quit

The file will be automatically saved when you quit the editor.