NickolasDDiazTextEditor

A text editor built using C++ and Windows API.

Features

Multi-Document Interface

• Tabbed Interface:
• Create New Files:
• Open Existing Files:

File Operations

• Save:
• Save As:
• Save All:

Editing Capabilities

• Undo/Redo
• Cut, Copy, and Paste

Technical Details

• Language: C++
• Build System: CMake
• Main Components:
  • TextEditor: Main application class
  • TabControl: Manages the tabbed interface
  • DocumentText: Handles text storage and manipulation
• Key Files:
  • TextEditor.cpp: Core editor functionality
  • TabControl.cpp: Tab management
  • DocumentText.cpp: Text document handling

Getting Started

Download from the release https://github.com/nickolasddiaz/NickolasDiaz-Text-Editor/blob/master/nickolasddiazeditor.exe

To build and run NickolasDDiazTextEditor:

1. Ensure you have CMake and a C++ compiler installed.
2. Clone the repository.
3. Navigate to the project directory.
4. Run the following commands:

   mkdir build
   cd build
   cmake ..
   cmake --build .
   

Inspired by

https://austinhenley.com/blog/challengingprojects.html

https://www.catch22.net/tuts/neatpad/

Gap Buffer Implementation

The Gap Buffer is a data structure used in text editing to efficiently manage text insertion and deletion. It involves an array with a "gap" between two pieces of text, which allows for efficient editing around that gap

Structure: The gap buffer is implemented in the DocumentText class. It consists of a character array (buffer) with a "gap" in the middle. Gap Positioning: The gap is defined by two indices: gapStart and gaspEnd. Text before gapStart and after gapEnd represents the actual document content. Insertion: When text is inserted, it's placed at the start of the gap. The gapStart is then moved forward, effectively shrinking the gap. Deletion: When text is deleted, the gap expands to cover the deleted region. This is done by adjusting gapStart or gapEnd. Cursor Movement: When the cursor moves, the gap is relocated to the cursor position using the moveGap function. This involves copying text from one side of the gap to the other. Efficiency: This approach makes insertions and deletions at or near the cursor position very efficient, typically O(1) operations. Buffer Expansion: If the gap becomes too small to accommodate new text, the expandBuffer function is called to increase the buffer size.

Command Pattern for Undo/Redo

The editor implements the Command Pattern to provide undo and redo functionality:

Command Interface: An abstract Command class defines the interface for all commands with execute() and undo() methods. Concrete Commands:

InsertCommand: Represents text insertion operations. DeleteCommand: Represents text deletion operations.

Command Execution: When a user types or deletes text, a corresponding command object is created and executed. The command object stores all necessary information to perform and reverse the action. Command History: The CommandHistory class maintains two stacks:

undoStack: Stores executed commands redoStack: Stores undone commands

Undo Operation:

Pops the top command from the undoStack Calls its undo() method Pushes the command onto the redoStack

Redo Operation:

Pops the top command from the redoStack Calls its execute() method Pushes the command back onto the undoStack

Cursor Position Tracking: Each command stores the cursor position after its execution, allowing for accurate cursor placement during undo/redo operations.