# Manual: Creating a New TUI Text Editor - The Improved Nano

## Table of Contents
1. [Introduction](#introduction)
2. [System Requirements](#system-requirements)
3. [Development Environment Setup](#development-environment-setup)
4. [Architecture Overview](#architecture-overview)
5. [Core Features Implementation](#core-features-implementation)
6. [Advanced Features](#advanced-features)
7. [User Interface Enhancements](#user-interface-enhancements)
8. [Performance Optimizations](#performance-optimizations)
9. [Testing and Debugging](#testing-and-debugging)
10. [Distribution and Installation](#distribution-and-installation)
11. [Future Enhancements](#future-enhancements)

## Introduction

This manual provides comprehensive guidance for building a modern, improved TUI
text editor inspired by GNU Nano. The goal is to create a lightweight, feature-rich
editor that maintains Nano's simplicity while adding powerful functionality for
modern development workflows.

**Project Goals:**
- Maintain Nano's intuitive interface and ease of use
- Add modern features like syntax highlighting and auto-completion
- Improve performance for large files
- Enhance customization options
- Maintain cross-platform compatibility

## System Requirements

### Development Environment

- **Operating System**: macOS 10.15+ (primary), Linux, BSD
- **Shell**: Fish 4.0.2+ (or Bash/Zsh compatibility)
- **Compiler**: GCC 9+ or Clang 10+
- **Build System**: Make 4.0+ or CMake 3.16+
- **Version Control**: Git 2.25+

### Runtime Dependencies

- **ncurses**: 6.2+ (TUI framework)
- **libmagic**: File type detection
- **libiconv**: Character encoding support
- **libpcre2**: Regular expression support (optional)
- **libtree-sitter**: Syntax parsing (optional, for advanced highlighting)

### Optional Dependencies

- **lua**: Scripting support
- **libssl**: Encrypted file support
- **libz**: Compression support

## Development Environment Setup

### 1. Install Dependencies (macOS)

```bash
# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
# Install required packages
brew install ncurses libmagic pcre2 lua tree-sitter
brew install cmake make gcc

# Install development tools

brew install valgrind lldb gdb
```

### 2. Project Structure Setup

```bash
mkdir improved-nano
cd improved-nano
git init

# Create directory structure

mkdir -p {src,include,tests,docs,examples,scripts}
mkdir -p src/{core,ui,plugins,utils}
mkdir -p include/{core,ui,plugins,utils}
```

### 3. Build System Configuration

Create `CMakeLists.txt`:

```cmake
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
project(ImprovedNano VERSION 1.0.0 LANGUAGES C)

set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD 11)
set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)

# Find packages
find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)
pkg_check_modules(NCURSES REQUIRED ncurses)
find_library(MAGIC_LIB magic REQUIRED)
find_library(PCRE2_LIB pcre2-8)

# Include directories
include_directories(include)
include_directories(${NCURSES_INCLUDE_DIRS})

# Source files
file(GLOB_RECURSE SOURCES "src/*.c")

# Create executable
add_executable(improved-nano ${SOURCES})

# Link libraries
target_link_libraries(improved-nano
${NCURSES_LIBRARIES}
${MAGIC_LIB}
${PCRE2_LIB}
)

# Compiler flags
target_compile_options(improved-nano PRIVATE
-Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic -O2 -g
)
```

## Architecture Overview

### Core Components

```
improved-nano/
├── src/core/
│ ├── buffer.c # Text buffer management
│ ├── file_io.c # File operations
│ ├── search.c # Search and replace
│ ├── undo_redo.c # Undo/redo system
│ └── config.c # Configuration management
├── src/ui/
│ ├── display.c # Screen rendering
│ ├── input.c # Keyboard input handling
│ ├── menu.c # Menu system
│ ├── statusbar.c # Status bar
│ └── dialog.c # Dialog boxes
├── src/plugins/
│ ├── syntax.c # Syntax highlighting
│ ├── autocomplete.c # Auto-completion
│ ├── linting.c # Code linting
│ └── snippets.c # Code snippets
└── src/utils/
├── utf8.c # UTF-8 utilities
├── regex.c # Regular expressions
├── logging.c # Logging system
└── memory.c # Memory management
```

### Data Structures

```c
// Core buffer structure
typedef struct {
char **lines; // Array of line pointers
size_t *line_lengths; // Length of each line
size_t line_count; // Total number of lines
size_t capacity; // Allocated capacity
bool modified; // Modification flag
char *filename; // Associated filename
char *encoding; // File encoding
} Buffer;

// Editor state
typedef struct {
Buffer *buffer; // Current buffer
Buffer **buffers; // Multiple buffers
size_t buffer_count; // Number of open buffers
size_t current_buffer; // Active buffer index

// Cursor position
size_t cursor_row;
size_t cursor_col;
size_t screen_row;
size_t screen_col;
 // View state
size_t top_line; // First visible line
size_t left_col; // First visible column

// Editor settings
Config *config;
SyntaxHighlighter *syntax;
AutoCompleter *autocomplete;
} Editor;
```

## Core Features Implementation

### 1. Text Buffer Management

**Multi-line Buffer System:**

```c
// buffer.c
typedef struct Line {
char *data;
size_t length;
size_t capacity;
struct Line *next;
struct Line *prev;
} Line;

typedef struct Buffer {

Line *first_line;
Line *last_line;
Line *current_line;
size_t line_count;
size_t cursor_col;
bool modified;
char *filename;
time_t last_modified;
} Buffer;

// Efficient line insertion

int buffer_insert_line(Buffer *buf, size_t line_num, const char *content);
int buffer_delete_line(Buffer *buf, size_t line_num);
int buffer_insert_char(Buffer *buf, size_t line, size_t col, char c);
int buffer_delete_char(Buffer *buf, size_t line, size_t col);
```

**Gap Buffer for Line Editing:**

```c
// Efficient character insertion/deletion within lines
typedef struct {
char *buffer;
size_t gap_start;
size_t gap_end;
size_t buffer_size;
} GapBuffer;

void gap_buffer_insert(GapBuffer *gb, char c);

void gap_buffer_delete_backward(GapBuffer *gb);
void gap_buffer_move_cursor(GapBuffer *gb, int offset);
```
### 2. Advanced File I/O

**Encoding Detection and Conversion:**

```c
// file_io.c
typedef enum {
ENCODING_UTF8,
ENCODING_UTF16LE,
ENCODING_UTF16BE,
ENCODING_ASCII,
ENCODING_LATIN1
} FileEncoding;

typedef struct {
char *content;
size_t size;
FileEncoding encoding;
bool has_bom;
} FileContent;

FileContent* file_read_with_encoding(const char *filename);

int file_write_with_encoding(const char *filename, FileContent *content);
FileEncoding detect_file_encoding(const char *data, size_t size);
```

**Large File Handling:**

```c
// Lazy loading for large files
typedef struct {
FILE *file;
long *line_offsets; // File positions of each line
size_t line_count;
size_t loaded_start; // First loaded line
size_t loaded_end; // Last loaded line
char **loaded_lines; // Cached lines
} LargeFileBuffer;

int large_file_load_range(LargeFileBuffer *lfb, size_t start, size_t count);

```

### 3. Search and Replace System

**Advanced Search Features:**

```c
// search.c
typedef struct {
char *pattern;
bool case_sensitive;
bool whole_word;
bool regex_mode;
bool wrap_around;
SearchDirection direction;
} SearchContext;

typedef struct {
size_t line;
size_t column;
size_t length;
} SearchResult;
SearchResult* search_find_all(Buffer *buf, SearchContext *ctx, size_t *count);
int search_replace_all(Buffer *buf, SearchContext *ctx, const char *replacement);
int search_incremental(Buffer *buf, SearchContext *ctx, const char *partial);
```

**Regular Expression Support:**

```c
#include <pcre2.h>

typedef struct {
pcre2_code *compiled;
pcre2_match_data *match_data;
char *error_message;
} RegexEngine;

RegexEngine* regex_compile(const char *pattern, int flags);

SearchResult* regex_search(RegexEngine *re, const char *text, size_t *count);
```

### 4. Undo/Redo System

**Action-Based Undo:**
```c
// undo_redo.c
typedef enum {
ACTION_INSERT_CHAR,
ACTION_DELETE_CHAR,
ACTION_INSERT_LINE,
ACTION_DELETE_LINE,
ACTION_PASTE,
ACTION_CUT
} ActionType;

typedef struct Action {

ActionType type;
size_t line;
size_t column;
char *data;
size_t data_length;
struct Action *next;
struct Action *prev;
} Action;

typedef struct {
Action *current;
Action *head;
Action *tail;
size_t max_actions;
size_t action_count;
} UndoStack;

void undo_push_action(UndoStack *stack, ActionType type, size_t line, size_t col,

const char *data);
Action* undo_pop_action(UndoStack *stack);
Action* redo_get_action(UndoStack *stack);
```

## Advanced Features
### 1. Syntax Highlighting

**Tree-sitter Integration:**
```c
// syntax.c
#include <tree_sitter/api.h>

typedef struct {
TSLanguage *language;
TSParser *parser;
TSTree *tree;
TSQuery *highlight_query;
} SyntaxHighlighter;

typedef struct {
uint32_t start_byte;
uint32_t end_byte;
uint16_t color_id;
uint16_t style_flags; // bold, italic, underline
} HighlightRange;

SyntaxHighlighter* syntax_create(const char *language_name);

HighlightRange* syntax_get_highlights(SyntaxHighlighter *sh, const char *text,
size_t *count);
void syntax_update_tree(SyntaxHighlighter *sh, const char *text, size_t start_byte,
size_t old_end_byte, size_t new_end_byte);
```

**Language Support:**
```c
// Built-in language support
typedef struct {
const char *name;
const char *extensions[16];
TSLanguage *(*get_language)(void);
const char *highlight_query;
} LanguageDefinition;

static LanguageDefinition languages[] = {

{"c", {".c", ".h", NULL}, tree_sitter_c, c_highlight_query},
{"python", {".py", ".pyx", NULL}, tree_sitter_python, python_highlight_query},
{"javascript", {".js", ".jsx", ".mjs", NULL}, tree_sitter_javascript,
js_highlight_query},
{"rust", {".rs", NULL}, tree_sitter_rust, rust_highlight_query},
{"go", {".go", NULL}, tree_sitter_go, go_highlight_query},
// ... more languages
};
```

### 2. Auto-completion System

**Context-Aware Completion:**
```c
// autocomplete.c
typedef struct {
char *text;
char *detail;
char *documentation;
 CompletionKind kind; // keyword, function, variable, etc.
int priority;
} CompletionItem;

typedef struct {
CompletionItem *items;
size_t count;
size_t capacity;
size_t selected;
} CompletionList;

typedef struct {
SyntaxHighlighter *syntax;
Dictionary *keywords;
Dictionary *user_symbols;
LRUCache *recent_completions;
} AutoCompleter;

CompletionList* autocomplete_get_suggestions(AutoCompleter *ac, Buffer *buf, size_t

line, size_t col);
void autocomplete_learn_symbol(AutoCompleter *ac, const char *symbol,
CompletionKind kind);
```

**LSP Integration (Language Server Protocol):**

```c
// lsp.c - Optional Language Server Protocol support
typedef struct {
int socket;
char *server_command;
bool active;
json_t *pending_requests;
} LSPClient;

LSPClient* lsp_start_server(const char *language);

CompletionList* lsp_get_completions(LSPClient *client, const char *uri, size_t
line, size_t col);
DiagnosticList* lsp_get_diagnostics(LSPClient *client, const char *uri);
```

### 3. Multiple Buffer Management

**Tab-like Buffer System:**

```c
// multi_buffer.c
typedef struct BufferTab {
Buffer *buffer;
char *display_name;
bool pinned;
struct BufferTab *next;
struct BufferTab *prev;
} BufferTab;

typedef struct {
BufferTab *tabs;
BufferTab *current;
size_t count;
size_t max_tabs;
} BufferManager;
BufferTab* buffer_manager_new_tab(BufferManager *bm, const char *filename);
void buffer_manager_close_tab(BufferManager *bm, BufferTab *tab);
void buffer_manager_switch_tab(BufferManager *bm, size_t index);
BufferTab* buffer_manager_find_by_filename(BufferManager *bm, const char
*filename);
```

### 4. Plugin System

**Lua Scripting Interface:**

```c
// plugins.c
#include <lua.h>
#include <lualib.h>
#include <lauxlib.h>

typedef struct {
lua_State *L;
char *name;
char *version;
bool enabled;
} Plugin;

typedef struct {
Plugin **plugins;
size_t count;
size_t capacity;
char *plugin_dir;
} PluginManager;

PluginManager* plugin_manager_create(const char *plugin_dir);

Plugin* plugin_load(PluginManager *pm, const char *filename);
int plugin_call_function(Plugin *plugin, const char *func_name, int argc, ...);
```

**Plugin API:**
```lua
-- Example plugin API
nano = {
buffer = {
get_text = function() end,
set_text = function(text) end,
insert = function(line, col, text) end,
delete = function(line, col, length) end,
},
ui = {
show_message = function(msg) end,
show_dialog = function(title, content) end,
set_status = function(text) end,
},
editor = {
get_cursor = function() end,
set_cursor = function(line, col) end,
save_file = function() end,
open_file = function(filename) end,
}
}
```
## User Interface Enhancements

### 1. Modern Color Themes

**Theme System:**
```c
// themes.c
typedef struct {
int foreground;
int background;
int attributes; // A_BOLD, A_ITALIC, etc.
} ColorPair;

typedef struct {
char *name;
ColorPair colors[COLOR_COUNT];
bool use_256_colors;
bool use_true_color;
} Theme;

typedef enum {
COLOR_NORMAL,
COLOR_KEYWORD,
COLOR_STRING,
COLOR_COMMENT,
COLOR_NUMBER,
COLOR_OPERATOR,
COLOR_FUNCTION,
COLOR_VARIABLE,
COLOR_TYPE,
COLOR_CONSTANT,
COLOR_PREPROCESSOR,
COLOR_ERROR,
COLOR_WARNING,
COLOR_SELECTION,
COLOR_CURSOR_LINE,
COLOR_LINE_NUMBER,
COLOR_STATUS_BAR,
COLOR_MENU,
COLOR_DIALOG,
COLOR_COUNT
} ColorType;

Theme* theme_load(const char *filename);

void theme_apply(Theme *theme);
```

**Built-in Themes:**
- Default (classic Nano colors)
- Dark (modern dark theme)
- Light (clean light theme)
- Solarized Dark/Light
- Monokai
- Tomorrow Night
- VS Code Dark

### 2. Enhanced Status Bar

**Information Display:**
```c
// statusbar.c
typedef struct {
char *filename;
char *encoding;
char *file_type;
size_t line_count;
size_t current_line;
size_t current_column;
size_t selection_length;
bool modified;
bool read_only;
char *git_branch; // Git integration
char *lsp_status; // Language server status
} StatusInfo;

void statusbar_update(StatusInfo *info);

void statusbar_show_message(const char *message, int timeout);
void statusbar_show_progress(const char *operation, int percentage);
```

### 3. Enhanced Menus and Dialogs

**Context Menus:**
```c
// menu.c
typedef struct MenuItem {
char *text;
char *shortcut;
void (*callback)(void *data);
void *data;
bool enabled;
bool separator;
struct MenuItem *submenu;
} MenuItem;

typedef struct {
MenuItem *items;
size_t count;
size_t selected;
int x, y, width, height;
bool visible;
} Menu;

Menu* menu_create_file_menu(void);
Menu* menu_create_edit_menu(void);
Menu* menu_create_search_menu(void);
Menu* menu_create_context_menu(size_t line, size_t col);
```

**Modern Dialog System:**

```c
// dialog.c
typedef enum {
DIALOG_INFO,
DIALOG_WARNING,
DIALOG_ERROR,
DIALOG_QUESTION,
 DIALOG_INPUT,
DIALOG_FILE_BROWSER,
DIALOG_FIND_REPLACE,
DIALOG_GOTO_LINE,
DIALOG_PREFERENCES
} DialogType;

typedef struct {
DialogType type;
char *title;
char *message;
char **buttons;
size_t button_count;
char *input_value;
size_t input_max_length;
void (*callback)(int result, const char *input, void *data);
void *callback_data;
} Dialog;

Dialog* dialog_create_input(const char *title, const char *prompt, const char

*default_value);
Dialog* dialog_create_file_browser(const char *title, const char *initial_dir,
const char *filter);
int dialog_show_modal(Dialog *dialog);
```

### 4. File Browser Integration

**Built-in File Explorer:**

```c
// file_browser.c
typedef struct FileItem {
char *name;
char *full_path;
bool is_directory;
size_t size;
time_t modified;
mode_t permissions;
struct FileItem *next;
} FileItem;

typedef struct {
FileItem *items;
FileItem *selected;
char *current_path;
char *filter;
bool show_hidden;
SortMode sort_mode;
} FileBrowser;

FileBrowser* file_browser_create(const char *initial_path);

void file_browser_navigate(FileBrowser *fb, const char *path);
FileItem* file_browser_get_selected(FileBrowser *fb);
void file_browser_refresh(FileBrowser *fb);
```

## Performance Optimizations

### 1. Memory Management

**Custom Memory Allocator:**
```c
// memory.c
typedef struct MemoryPool {
void *memory;
size_t size;
size_t used;
size_t block_size;
struct MemoryPool *next;
} MemoryPool;

typedef struct {
MemoryPool *pools;
size_t total_allocated;
size_t total_used;
bool debug_mode;
} MemoryManager;

void* mem_alloc(size_t size);

void* mem_realloc(void *ptr, size_t old_size, size_t new_size);
void mem_free(void *ptr, size_t size);
MemoryStats mem_get_stats(void);
```

### 2. Efficient Rendering

**Dirty Region Tracking:**

```c
// display.c
typedef struct {
size_t start_line;
size_t end_line;
size_t start_col;
size_t end_col;
bool full_refresh;
} DirtyRegion;

typedef struct {
DirtyRegion *regions;
size_t count;
size_t capacity;
bool needs_cursor_update;
} RenderQueue;

void render_mark_dirty(RenderQueue *rq, size_t line, size_t col, size_t width,

size_t height);
void render_process_queue(RenderQueue *rq, Buffer *buffer);
void render_optimize_regions(RenderQueue *rq);
```

**Double Buffering:**
```c
typedef struct {
WINDOW *front_buffer;
WINDOW *back_buffer;
bool buffer_swapped;
} DoubleBuffer;
void double_buffer_swap(DoubleBuffer *db);
void double_buffer_clear_back(DoubleBuffer *db);
```

### 3. Lazy Loading and Caching

**Line Caching System:**

```c
// cache.c
typedef struct CacheEntry {
size_t line_number;
char *rendered_line;
HighlightRange *highlights;
size_t highlight_count;
time_t last_accessed;
struct CacheEntry *next;
} CacheEntry;

typedef struct {
CacheEntry **buckets;
size_t bucket_count;
size_t max_entries;
size_t current_entries;
} LineCache;

CacheEntry* cache_get_line(LineCache *cache, size_t line_number);

void cache_put_line(LineCache *cache, size_t line_number, const char *content,
HighlightRange *highlights, size_t highlight_count);
void cache_evict_old_entries(LineCache *cache);
```

## Testing and Debugging

### 1. Unit Testing Framework

**Test Structure:**
```c
// tests/test_buffer.c
#include "unity.h"
#include "../src/core/buffer.h"

void setUp(void) {
// Called before each test
}

void tearDown(void) {
// Called after each test
}

void test_buffer_create(void) {
Buffer *buf = buffer_create();
TEST_ASSERT_NOT_NULL(buf);
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(0, buf->line_count);
buffer_destroy(buf);
}

void test_buffer_insert_line(void) {
Buffer *buf = buffer_create();
buffer_insert_line(buf, 0, "Hello, World!");
 TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(1, buf->line_count);
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_STRING("Hello, World!", buffer_get_line(buf, 0));
buffer_destroy(buf);
}

int main(void) {
UNITY_BEGIN();
RUN_TEST(test_buffer_create);
RUN_TEST(test_buffer_insert_line);
return UNITY_END();
}
```

### 2. Integration Testing

**File I/O Tests:**

```c
// tests/test_integration.c
void test_open_save_cycle(void) {
const char *test_content = "Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3\n";
const char *temp_file = "/tmp/nano_test.txt";

// Create test file

FILE *f = fopen(temp_file, "w");
fputs(test_content, f);
fclose(f);

// Open in editor
Buffer *buf = buffer_create_from_file(temp_file);
TEST_ASSERT_NOT_NULL(buf);
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(3, buf->line_count);

// Modify and save

buffer_insert_line(buf, 1, "Inserted line");
buffer_save_to_file(buf, temp_file);

// Verify changes
Buffer *buf2 = buffer_create_from_file(temp_file);
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(4, buf2->line_count);
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_STRING("Inserted line", buffer_get_line(buf2, 1));

buffer_destroy(buf);
buffer_destroy(buf2);
unlink(temp_file);
}
```

### 3. Memory Leak Detection

**Valgrind Integration:**
```bash
# Run with memory leak detection
valgrind --leak-check=full --show-leak-kinds=all --track-origins=yes ./improved-
nano

# Automated memory testing

make test-memory
```
**AddressSanitizer Support:**
```cmake
# Add to CMakeLists.txt for debug builds
if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "Debug")
target_compile_options(improved-nano PRIVATE -fsanitize=address -fno-omit-
frame-pointer)
target_link_options(improved-nano PRIVATE -fsanitize=address)
endif()
```

### 4. Performance Profiling

**Built-in Profiler:**
```c
// profiler.c
typedef struct {
const char *name;
double total_time;
size_t call_count;
double min_time;
double max_time;
} ProfileEntry;

#define PROFILE_START(name) \
struct timespec _prof_start_##name; \
clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &_prof_start_##name);

#define PROFILE_END(name) \
do { \
struct timespec _prof_end; \
clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &_prof_end); \
double _prof_elapsed = (_prof_end.tv_sec - _prof_start_##name.tv_sec) + \
(_prof_end.tv_nsec - _prof_start_##name.tv_nsec) /
1e9; \
profile_record(#name, _prof_elapsed); \
} while(0)

void profile_record(const char *name, double elapsed);

void profile_print_report(void);
```

## Distribution and Installation

### 1. Package Creation

**Debian Package:**
```bash
# Create debian package structure
mkdir -p improved-nano-1.0.0/DEBIAN
mkdir -p improved-nano-1.0.0/usr/bin
mkdir -p improved-nano-1.0.0/usr/share/man/man1
mkdir -p improved-nano-1.0.0/usr/share/improved-nano

# Control file
cat > improved-nano-1.0.0/DEBIAN/control << EOF
Package: improved-nano
Version: 1.0.0
Section: editors
Priority: optional
Architecture: amd64
Depends: libncurses6, libmagic1
Maintainer: Your Name <[email protected]>
Description: Improved version of the nano text editor
Enhanced TUI text editor with syntax highlighting, auto-completion,
and modern features while maintaining nano's simplicity.
EOF

# Build package
dpkg-deb --build improved-nano-1.0.0
```

**Homebrew Formula:**
```ruby
# improved-nano.rb
class ImprovedNano < Formula
desc "Enhanced TUI text editor based on nano"
homepage "https://github.com/yourusername/improved-nano"
url "https://github.com/yourusername/improved-nano/archive/v1.0.0.tar.gz"
sha256 "your_sha256_hash_here"
license "GPL-3.0"

depends_on "ncurses"
depends_on "libmagic"
depends_on "pcre2"
depends_on "cmake" => :build

def install
mkdir "build" do
system "cmake", "..", *std_cmake_args
system "make", "install"
end
end

test do
system "#{bin}/improved-nano", "--version"
end
end
```

### 2. Installation Script

```bash
#!/bin/bash
# install.sh

set -e

# Configuration
INSTALL_DIR="/usr/local/bin"
MAN_DIR="/usr/local/share/man/man1"
CONFIG_DIR="$HOME/.config/improved-nano"

# Check dependencies
check_dependencies() {
echo "Checking dependencies..."

if ! command -v pkg-config &> /dev/null; then

echo "Error: pkg-config is required"
 exit 1
fi

if ! pkg-config --exists ncurses; then

echo "Error: ncurses development libraries are required"
exit 1
fi

echo "Dependencies OK"

}

# Build application
build_application() {
echo "Building improved-nano..."

if [ -d "build" ]; then
rm -rf build
fi

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)
cd ..

echo "Build complete"

}

# Install files
install_files() {
echo "Installing files..."

sudo cp build/improved-nano "$INSTALL_DIR/"

sudo cp docs/improved-nano.1 "$MAN_DIR/"

# Create user config directory

mkdir -p "$CONFIG_DIR"
cp config/default.conf "$CONFIG_DIR/"
cp -r themes "$CONFIG_DIR/"
cp -r plugins "$CONFIG_DIR/"

echo "Installation complete"

}

# Main installation process

main() {
echo "Installing Improved Nano..."
check_dependencies
build_application
install_files
echo "Installation successful! Run 'improved-nano' to start."
}

main "$@"
```

## Future Enhancements

### 1. Advanced Features

**Git Integration:**
- Show git status in status bar
- Highlight changed lines
- Git blame integration
- Commit message editing mode

**Remote Editing:**
- SFTP/SCP support
- Remote file browser
- Automatic backup and sync

**Collaborative Editing:**
- Real-time collaboration
- Conflict resolution
- Comment system

### 2. AI Integration

**Code Intelligence:**
- AI-powered auto-completion
- Code explanation and documentation
- Refactoring suggestions
- Bug detection

**Natural Language Interface:**

- Voice commands
- Natural language search
- Automated code generation

### 3. Modern Development Features

**Integrated Terminal:**
- Embedded terminal emulator
- Command palette
- Task runner integration

**Project Management:**
- Project-wide search and replace
- File tree view
- Build system integration
- Debugging support

### 4. Platform Extensions

**Mobile Support:**
- iOS/Android versions
- Touch interface optimization
- Cloud synchronization

**Web Version:**
- WebAssembly compilation
- Browser-based editor
- Progressive Web App

## Conclusion

This manual provides a comprehensive foundation for creating an improved version of

the nano text editor. The modular architecture allows for incremental development,
starting with core functionality and gradually adding advanced features.

Key success factors:

1. **Start Simple**: Implement basic editing first
2. **Test Thoroughly**: Use comprehensive testing at each stage
3. **Performance First**: Optimize for responsiveness
4. **User Experience**: Maintain nano's simplicity while adding power
5. **Community**: Engage users for feedback and contributions

The resulting editor should feel familiar to nano users while providing modern
development capabilities that rival more complex editors.

---

**Note**: This manual represents a comprehensive development plan. Actual

implementation should be done incrementally, with regular testing and user feedback
to guide development priorities.