Built-in Editor

GenieBuilder includes a full-featured code editor powered by a modern editing component. It provides syntax highlighting, editing capabilities, and integration with the workspace—all without leaving the desktop app.

Supported Languages

The editor provides first-class support for:

Programming Languages

Language	Syntax Highlighting	Notes
Java	✅ Full	JDTLS integration for LSP features
TypeScript	✅ Full	Includes JSX/TSX support
JavaScript	✅ Full	ES2023+ support
Python	✅ Full	Python 3.x syntax
Go	✅ Full	Go 1.21+ support
Rust	✅ Full	Rust 2021 edition

Markup & Config

Language	Syntax Highlighting
HTML	✅ Full
XML	✅ Full
JSON	✅ Full
YAML	✅ Full
Markdown	✅ Full
CSS/SCSS	✅ Full

Fallback

Files with unsupported extensions open as plain text with basic editing capabilities.

Editor Features

Core Editing

• Multi-cursor editing — Alt/Cmd + Click to place multiple cursors
• Block selection — Alt/Cmd + Shift + Drag for column selection
• Auto-indentation — Smart indentation based on language
• Bracket matching — Highlight matching brackets
• Code folding — Collapse/expand code blocks

Search & Replace

• Find — Ctrl/Cmd + F
• Replace — Ctrl/Cmd + H
• Find in files — Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F (project-wide)
• Regex support — Pattern matching in search

Navigation

• Go to line — Ctrl/Cmd + G
• Symbol navigation — Jump to definitions (Java with JDTLS)

Visual

• Line numbers — Toggle in settings
• Active line highlight — Current line indication
• Selection highlight — Occurrence highlighting
• Whitespace rendering — Optional visible whitespace

Workspace Integration

File Operations

Files are opened through workspace-scoped IPC:

1. File selected in explorer
2. IPC request to main process
3. Path validation — Ensure within workspace root
4. Size check — Reject files > 1 MiB
5. Content loaded and sent to renderer
6. Editor tab opened with content

Save Flow

User presses Ctrl+S
        ↓
Editor content sent via IPC
        ↓
Main process validates path
        ↓
File written to disk
        ↓
Success/error returned
        ↓
Editor shows save status

Auto-save

Optional auto-save on:

• Focus change
• Delay after typing (configurable)
• Window close

File Explorer Integration

Opening Files

• Click — Open in current tab
• Double-click — Open in new tab
• Right-click — Context menu options

File Tree

• Respects .gitignore — Hidden files filtered
• Folder expansion — Lazy-loaded children
• File icons — Language-based icons
• Active file highlight — Current tab indicated

Limits

For predictable performance:

Limit	Value	Rationale
Visible items	5,000	Prevent UI freezing
File size	1 MiB	Large files open as unsupported
Nesting depth	20 levels	Prevent stack overflow

Security Considerations

Path Validation

• Workspace root enforcement — Files outside root rejected
• Symlink rejection — Prevents path escape
• Path normalization — Resolve .. segments

Content Handling

• Binary file detection — Open as unsupported
• Large file protection — Size limits enforced
• Encoding — UTF-8 default, BOM handling

Java Language Server (JDTLS)

For Java projects, optional JDTLS integration provides:

LSP Features

• Go to definition — F12 or Ctrl/Cmd + Click
• Find references — Shift + F12
• Hover information — Type information on hover
• Diagnostics — Compile errors and warnings
• Code actions — Quick fixes and refactorings

Setup

1. Install JDTLS: brew install jdtls (macOS) or equivalent
2. Set path if not in PATH: DG_JDTLS_COMMAND=/path/to/jdtls
3. The editor auto-detects and uses JDTLS for Java support

Fallback

Without JDTLS:

• Source scanning for basic navigation
• Basic compiler diagnostics
• Lighter resource usage

Editor Settings

Configurable options:

Setting	Options	Default
Theme	Light, Dark, System	System
Font size	10-24px	14px
Font family	Monospace fonts	JetBrains Mono
Line numbers	On, Off	On
Word wrap	On, Off	Off
Tab size	2, 4, 8	4
Insert spaces	Yes, No	Yes
Auto-save	On, Off	Off

Keyboard Shortcuts

The built-in editor supports standard keyboard shortcuts:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + S	Save file
Ctrl/Cmd + F	Find
Ctrl/Cmd + H	Replace
Ctrl/Cmd + G	Go to line
Ctrl/Cmd + /	Toggle comment
Ctrl/Cmd + D	Select next occurrence
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + K	Delete line
Alt/Cmd + ↑/↓	Move line up/down
F12	Go to definition (Java with JDTLS)
Shift + F12	Find references (Java with JDTLS)

Java Features

Go to definition and find references require JDTLS (Java Language Server) to be installed and configured.

Troubleshooting

File Won't Open

If a file fails to open:

1. Check file size (must be < 1 MiB)
2. Verify file permissions
3. Ensure file is within workspace root
4. Check for binary content

Syntax Highlighting Missing

If code appears as plain text:

1. Verify file extension is recognized
2. Check theme settings
3. Reload window (Ctrl/Cmd + R)

Java Features Not Working

If Java navigation/diagnostics fail:

1. Verify JDTLS is installed
2. Check DG_JDTLS_COMMAND if not in PATH
3. Ensure Java project has proper structure
4. Check the editor logs

Slow Performance

If editing feels sluggish:

1. Close unused tabs
2. Disable auto-save if not needed
3. Reduce file explorer visible items
4. Check for large files open in background