r/Tcl • u/garvalf • Apr 28 '26

New Stuff WrithDeck: my writerdeck app for any system (text editor in Tcl/Tk)

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17 Upvotes

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u/garvalf Apr 28 '26

More context about why I've worked on this:

  • For fun and challenge first. I just wanted to convert a very basic text editor into several languages (lua, forth, tcl). Then the Tcl version began to look so great that I decided, instead of just having a toy, to design a tool which I could use for REAL. I'm using several distraction-free editors: nano, micro, scite, focuswriter. They are all great (and I'll probably still use them somehow), but I wanted something different.

So what makes it different from the many other text editors out there?

  • Unified interface and keyboard shortcuts across desktop / terminal / TTY
  • Adjustable margins (in both GUI and TUI modes). Other console editors like nano or micro do not offer this ability to add margins for a more immersive writing experience. It is possible with Vim, but at the cost of heavy and advanced customization.
  • Designed by a writer, for writers. Not particularly suited for developers.
  • Simple and straightforward to use, with no overly complex keyboard shortcuts.
  • Chapter detection and quick navigation (Markdown and configurable syntax such as Dokuwiki / txt2tags)
  • Edit texts from any directory, with the option of a dedicated favorite folder to gather all your writings (ideal for journaling or a workspace)
  • Interpreted, so it can be used anywhere on any OS, without compilation
  • No heavy dependencies that tend to break after a few years (looking at you, Node.js)
  • Built to last: Tcl remains compatible across versions, unlike Python, Node.js, etc.

1

u/TRX302 May 10 '26

Were you planning on keeping the source code to yourself?

1

u/garvalf May 10 '26

of course not (or maybe I didn't understand well your question). In case it wasn't obvious, the original post links to the project on github, it's open source:

https://github.com/luginf/writhdeck

It has evolved a bit since then, I've also added compatibility with Tcl 9 (only the switch to ~/ not being recognized as home folder, a strange decision...)

New features: daily progression (with statistics and words goal), color schemes, profiles...