Ehwaz

Ehwaz is a native code editor built in Rust with Slint. It focuses on speed, split-pane editing, strong keyboard workflows, and local-first tooling.

Current version: 0.0.4

Quick start

1) Prerequisites

• Rust stable toolchain (install with rustup)
• Optional: ffplay (from FFmpeg) for Markdown audio/video playback

Install FFmpeg:

• Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg
• Fedora: sudo dnf install ffmpeg
• Arch: sudo pacman -S ffmpeg
• macOS (Homebrew): brew install ffmpeg

2) Build and run

cargo build
cargo run

3) Install locally on Linux (optional)

cargo build --release
./installer.sh install

To update an existing local install:

cargo build --release
./installer.sh update

If the launcher icon was cached by your desktop, run ./installer.sh update again to rewrite the desktop entry with the full icon path.

Useful development commands:

cargo test
cargo test --test buffer
cargo test --test parser
cargo test --test markdown
cargo bench --no-run

Integration tests are grouped by domain under tests/ (buffer, parser, markdown). Private implementation-focused unit tests may still remain colocated in src/ modules.

What you can do in Ehwaz

• Edit multiple files with tab reordering and close actions.
• Split the editor into left/right panes and drag tabs across panes.
• Use project/file search and replace with optional regex mode.
• Work with Markdown preview (including tables, code blocks, and media links).
• Use command palette actions for navigation, snippets, theme switching, and tool setup.
• Install and update LSP servers and formatters into local Ehwaz tool directories.
• Use syntax highlighting, code folding, bracket matching, indentation highlights, and ruler support.

Supported languages

Ehwaz currently includes syntax support and language tooling flows for:

• Rust
• Python
• JavaScript / TypeScript
• Vue
• HTML / CSS
• JSON / YAML / XML / TOML
• Dockerfile
• Bash
• Markdown
• OCaml

First-time usage flow

1. Open Ehwaz with cargo run.
2. Open a project folder (Alt+F).
3. Open files in the explorer.
4. Open command palette (Ctrl+P) and test:
   • file search
   • @symbol navigation in the active file
   • :line navigation
5. Open search (Ctrl+F) or replace (Ctrl+H).
6. Split tabs with View -> Split Left or View -> Split Right.
7. Open tools panel from the View menu to manage themes, formatters, and LSPs.

Keyboard shortcuts

File and UI

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New file
Alt+O	Open file
Alt+F	Open folder
Ctrl+S	Save file
Ctrl+W	Close active tab
Ctrl+T	Toggle terminal panel
Ctrl+K	Open configuration file
Ctrl++ / Ctrl+=	Increase UI/editor font size
Ctrl+-	Decrease UI/editor font size

Editing

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Shift+Z / Ctrl+Y	Redo
Ctrl+X	Cut (selection, or current line if no selection)
Ctrl+C	Copy (selection, or current line if no selection)
Ctrl+V	Paste
Tab	Indent at cursor by tab size
Shift+Tab	Outdent current line by tab size
Ctrl+A	Select all
Ctrl+D	Duplicate line
Ctrl+Shift+K	Delete line
Ctrl+Enter	Insert line below
Ctrl+Shift+Enter	Insert line above
Ctrl+]	Indent
Ctrl+[	Outdent
Ctrl+/	Toggle line comment
Alt+Shift+R	Format document (external formatter)

Navigation and tools

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+P	Open command palette
Ctrl+P, then @query	Symbol navigation in active file
Alt+G, then :<line>	Go to line
Ctrl+F	Open search panel
Ctrl+H	Open replace panel
Alt+Shift+H	LSP hover
Alt+Shift+C	LSP completion hints
Alt+Shift+D	LSP go-to-definition

Configuration

Ehwaz creates settings.json on first launch. Missing fields fall back to defaults.

Settings file location

OS	Path
Linux	~/.config/ehwaz/settings.json
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/ehwaz/settings.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\ehwaz\settings.json

Common settings

{
  "font_family": "monospace",
  "font_size": 14.0,
  "line_height": 22.0,
  "letter_spacing": 0.0,
  "cursor_width": "thin",
  "tab_size": 4,
  "max_column": 120,
  "ruler_color": "#3a3a3a",
  "ruler_width": 1.0,
  "theme": "One Dark Pro",
  "format_on_save": false,
  "bracket_matching_highlight": true,
  "indentation_rainbow_highlight": true,
  "window_width": 1200,
  "window_height": 800
}

Persistent UI/session data

Ehwaz stores recent files, explorer roots, and split-pane tab state in storage.json in the same config directory:

• Linux: ~/.config/ehwaz/storage.json
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/ehwaz/storage.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\ehwaz\storage.json

Recommended first-run settings

If you are starting from defaults, these are usually the most useful values to review first:

Setting	Why it matters
font_size	Controls editor and panel readability
line_height	Improves text scanning comfort
tab_size	Keeps indentation style consistent across files
max_column	Enables a visual line-length guide
theme	Improves contrast and visual comfort
format_on_save	Automates formatting on save when tools are installed

Themes

Built-in themes (22):

• One Dark Pro
• Dracula
• Monokai Pro
• Tokyo Night
• Ayu Dark
• GitHub Dark
• Night Owl
• Cobalt2
• Hagalaz
• Nauthiz
• Eihwaz
• Algiz
• Catppuccin Mocha
• Catppuccin Macchiato
• Catppuccin Frappe
• Catppuccin Latte
• One Light
• Solarized Light
• Sowilo
• Dagaz
• Berkano
• Ingwaz

LSP and formatter management

Ehwaz can install/update tools through command palette and tools panel actions. Installed tools live inside Ehwaz-owned local directories:

• LSP: ~/.config/ehwaz/lsp (Linux)
• Formatters: ~/.config/ehwaz/formatters (Linux)

Install logs are written under each toolchain's logs/ directory.

Examples from command palette:

• LSP: Install/Update rust-analyzer (Rust)
• LSP: Install/Update pyright (Python)
• Formatter: Install/Update rustfmt (Rust)
• Formatter: Install/Update prettier (TypeScript)

Useful command palette queries:

• @name to jump to symbols in the active file
• :120 to jump to line 120
• theme to quickly switch color themes
• lsp / formatter to find tool actions quickly

Project structure (high level)

src/
  main.rs                app startup and wiring
  app.rs                 core AppState and editor model
  config.rs              settings and storage management
  command_palette.rs     command palette logic
  lsp_sync.rs            LSP sync and UI updates
  formatting.rs          formatter integration
  tools_panel.rs         tools panel actions and data
  ui/handlers/           keyboard/mouse/file/tab/explorer handlers
ui/
  main.slint             window composition
  editor.slint           editor component
  search_panel.slint     search/replace UI
  tools_panel.slint      themes/formatter/LSP panel UI
  terminal_pane.slint    terminal and output panel UI
tests/
  buffer.rs              buffer domain integration suite entrypoint
  parser.rs              parser domain integration suite entrypoint
  markdown.rs            markdown domain integration suite entrypoint

Troubleshooting

• If media controls fail in Markdown preview, check ffplay -version.
• If LSP/formatter install fails, inspect logs in:
  • ~/.config/ehwaz/lsp/logs/
  • ~/.config/ehwaz/formatters/logs/
• If UI font size becomes too large/small, edit font_size in settings.json.
• If syntax highlighting looks stale after heavy edits, save and reopen the file to force a clean refresh.

License

MIT — https://git.rdenadai.dev/rdenadai/ehwaz