phantom

phantom is a lightweight, terminal-based linux text editor written in Rust. It combines the simplicity of a basic text editor with some powerful features inspired by Vim.

Features

• Simple and intuitive interface
• Vim-like modal editing (Normal, Insert, Visual, and Command modes)
• Syntax highlighting
• System clipboard integration
• Customizable (Currently Keybindings and Colors)
• Directory Navigation (Sidebar)
• Debug Output Menu
• Search in file
• Undo and Redo
• Tabs
• Minimap
• Git status
• Smart auto-indentation
• Enhanced search with regex and case-insensitive options
• Intelligent undo/redo with operation grouping
• Swappable Themes

Cross-Plaform Status

• Linux: 100%
• MacOS: Not Planned
• Windows: Not Planned

Installation

Arch User Repository

Binary

Git

Binary Release

Download latest phantom executable from releases

Place executable in /usr/bin (or in any folder in your path)

Build From Source

1. Ensure you have Rust and Cargo installed on your system. If not, install them from https://www.rust-lang.org/.

2. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/0xGingi/phantom.git
   

3. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd phantom
   

4. Build the project:

   cargo build --release
   

5. The executable will be created in the target/release directory.

Usage

To start phantom:

phantom
phantom file.txt
phantom ~/Project

If a filename is provided, phantom will attempt to open that file. Otherwise, it will start with a blank document. If a directory is provided, phantom will enter directory navigation mode

Default Keybinds and Commands

Config file locations

• Linux: ~/.config/phantom

Global

• Ctrl+Q: Quit the editor
• ?: Show keybinding help

Normal Mode

• i or Insert : Enter Insert mode
• a: Enter Insert mode after the cursor
• o: Insert a new line below and enter Insert mode
• O: Insert a new line above and enter Insert mode
• dd: Delete the current line
• yy: Yank (copy) the current line
• p: Paste after the current line
• Ctrl+Y: Copy the current line to system clipboard
• Ctrl+P: Paste from system clipboard below the current line
• v: Enter Visual mode
• Arrow keys: Move the cursor
• Home: Move to the start of the line
• End: Move to the end of the line
• Delete: Delete the character under the cursor
• :: Enter Command mode
• Ctrl+B: Toggle debug menu visibility
• Ctrl+E: Enter directory navigation mode
• /: Enter Search mode
• n: Go to next search result
• N: Go to previous search result
• PageUp: Scroll up one page
• PageDown: Scroll down one page
• Ctrl+U: Undo
• Ctrl+R: Redo
• Ctrl+T: New Tab
• Ctrl+W: Close Tab
• F1-F9: Switch to Tab 1-9
• Tab: Swap Between Tabs
• Ctrl+M: Toggle Minimap
• Ctrl+L: Toggle line number mode (Off/Absolute/Relative/Hybrid)
• Ctrl+I: Toggle auto-indentation
• Ctrl+J: Toggle word wrap
• Shift+T: Cycle through color themes
• ?: Show keybinding help
• Mouse Click: Move cursor to clicked position
• Mouse Wheel: Scroll up/down (3 lines)
• Shift+Mouse Wheel: Scroll left/right (5 columns)

Insert Mode

• Esc: Return to Normal mode
• Enter: Insert a new line with smart auto-indentation
• Backspace: Delete the character before the cursor
• Any character key: Insert the character at the cursor position

Visual Mode

• Esc: Return to Normal mode
• y: Copy selected text to system clipboard
• Arrow keys: Extend selection

Command Mode

• :w: Save the current file
• :w filename: Save the current file as 'filename'
• :q: Quit the editor
• :wq: Save and quit
• :e filename: Open 'filename' for editing

Search Mode

• Enter: Perform search and return to Normal mode
• Esc: Cancel search and return to Normal mode
• Alt+I: Toggle case-sensitive search
• Alt+R: Toggle regex search mode
• Any character: Live search as you type

Enhanced Features

Smart Auto-Indentation

• Automatically indents new lines based on the previous line
• Recognizes common programming constructs (if, for, while, brackets)
• Supports both tabs and spaces with configurable indent size
• Toggle with Ctrl+I

Advanced Search

• Live Search: Results update as you type
• Case Sensitivity: Toggle with Alt+I in search mode
• Regex Support: Toggle with Alt+R in search mode
• Multiple Matches: Finds all occurrences in the file
• Use n and N to navigate between search results

Intelligent Undo/Redo

• Groups consecutive character insertions/deletions into logical operations
• Time-based grouping (operations within 1 second)
• More intuitive undo behavior for better editing flow

Mouse Support

• Click to Position: Click anywhere in the editor to move cursor
• Vertical Scrolling: Mouse wheel scrolls up/down
• Horizontal Scrolling: Shift+mouse wheel scrolls left/right
• Text Selection: Drag to select text, right-click to copy

Line Numbers

• Absolute: Shows actual line numbers (1, 2, 3...)
• Relative: Shows distance from current line
• Hybrid: Shows current line number + relative distances
• Toggle modes with Ctrl+L

Color Themes

• One Dark (default): Modern dark theme inspired by Atom/VS Code
• Dracula: Popular purple and pink accent theme
• Solarized Dark: Scientifically designed color scheme, easy on eyes
• Nord: Arctic-inspired cool blue theme
• Monokai: Classic warm colors, popular in Sublime Text
• Gruvbox: Retro groove colors with warm, earthy tones
• Cycle through themes with Shift+T

Debug Output

phantom includes a debug output area that displays information about key presses, cursor position, and the results of operations like saving files.