Jachar: Zero-dependency Java 21 Text Editor

[round merlin]

Hello everyone,

I recently completed the visual iteration of Jachar, a lightweight text editor built with Java 21 using zero external dependencies.

Repository: https://github.com/Bri-idk/Jachar

Current Focus:
I tried to keep the architecture clean by decoupling the persistence layer (FileManager) from the display and rendering layer (WindowManager).

Questions for review:

What are your thoughts on the current separation between disk operations and the GUI?

What is the idiomatic way to structure file and buffer state in Java (tracking dirty state, cursors, line offsets, etc.) to keep it extensible?

Are there any Java 21 features or patterns I could leverage better here to make the design more robust?

Appreciate any pointers, code review, or advice!

[ripe timber]

<@&987246883653156906> please have a look, thanks.

[silk berry]

Good start!

[round merlin]

Thanks! im actually getting a lot of knowledge just from making this project

[quasi edge]

thank god its not an ai thing - reading your code now

My rules for my agent (learning case)

RULES.md
GEMINI.md
Goddamn it

at least the code is yours, but write your own readmes

[dusky cave]

public class WindowManager {
    //* Elementos globales
    public static Path currentPath = null;
    private static JFrame window;
    private static JTextArea area;
    private static boolean isDark = false;
    private static JButton btnOpenFile, btnNewFile, btnSave, btnTheme;
    private static JPanel panel;

Don't abuse static, use objects

    public static void createWindow(){
        try{
            UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
        }catch (Exception e){
        }

Don't hide exceptions, handle them

public class FileManager {
    public static boolean writer(Path location, String text){
        /*!Estructura necesaria para poder usar archivos de la maquina en Java, writer seria nuestro item con los metodos dentro, la estructura de Files necesita de un parametro PATH (literalmente unpath donde trabajar). Un Charset (este caso uso UTF-8). Y metodos Standar para cuando se abre o se usa el metodo (ejemplo: CREATE -> crea el archivo si no existe, APPEND -> incerta el contenido al archivo existente). Files necesita estar en un try ya que es necesaria la recoleccion del error en caso de no poder abri el archivo
         */
        try {
            Files.writeString(location, text);
            return true;
        } catch (IOException e) {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public static String reader(Path location){
        try  {
            return Files.readString(location);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            return "Error: " + e;
        }
    }
}

At least you are not technically hiding exception here but still, you might want to improve handling or at least print them to the console here
Also why do you return the exception in reader as the reading string ????
And finally, this class and those methods seem a bit useless

Ah and stop abusing comments please, a lot is redundant

@round merlin

[round merlin]

I didnt doit because i spend actually like 8 hours coding de software, so i get a little tired and i has to make somethings, can u gimme some tricks or something for making the readme’s? I get bored writing them because is idk like writing html

Im sorry if that is bad, im going to make a readme by my self when i get a little bit further with the project

[quasi edge]

eh just dont worry about one

kinda the point of writing is communication

if you aren't actually writing it to communicate with an audience its always going to be hard to make a readme

like an easy readme would be what you did here - "hey guys this is my project looking for feedback"

[round merlin]

About static objects, yeah i might use a lot of them im going to read some documentation so i can see how to change that.
The exceptions i haven’t like, handled them cause i was focused on functionality, but it is the next step.
And yeah i returned that cause im silly sorry.

[quasi edge]

but you'd have to decide that that sort of audience is what you are writing for

[quasi edge]

ill see if i can make a demo for you

[round merlin]

That hard to answer cause i really don’t know who in this world want another notepad XD

[quasi edge]

right, so dont bother pretending to be a brand new awesome product

[round merlin]

Tanks man, this is actually the firts open source project i make

I feel kinda dumb because i think java its okey but for a project like this idk, doesn’t seem really optimal

Im sorry about my English, if i say something that’s not right or something pls say it to me

[quasi edge]

The program actually looks pretty nice

I cant read Spanish so idk what it says though

maybe localization would be a fun thing to learn about

[round merlin]

Yeah, I thought the same xD. My comments are in spanish too, so I might change the variable names and comments in the code

Oh important thing i got this, GEMINI.md, but im using it only for the readmes and some research, im not vibe coding this XD

[green dawn]

can you open 2 editor at the same time?

[round merlin]

i havent try that, i wold make a functionality for having to in the same window

[green dawn]

do you understand why not to use static everywhere?

[round merlin]

i have an idea

you can modify them everywhere and for testing classes alone that make it impossible

thats what i know now

now i feel kinda confused, i have to refactor my code ?

i thought that using like POO was making it to complex for the thing i was doing

[round merlin]

i take your advice and make more stuff, so, thanks it actually help me clarifying my ideas

[green dawn]

get used to refactor your code everyday, It take a while to have something that do not need it anymore.
You kinda only have 4 files.

another thing you did is making every methods public in your classes

[round merlin]

Yeah, i was going to get almost a module for everything but i thought that i was over engineering

[round merlin]

Same thing with the static objects, i read a little bit and now i now that i have to make them not static and private? Im going to test it

It confuses me a little

[green dawn]

just start by making everything private and non static, then only put public what you need

it is important as it will make you learn to use objects and scope

[round merlin]

Like the instance for the creteWindow function ?

[green dawn]

right now you kinda think globally

it work because you only have 4 files

what will you do when you are in 2000 files

you can't think globally anymore

that is why we do not code in a way that is global

[round merlin]

But how can i like think on modules instead of a global program?

[green dawn]

we focus our attention to a small part

well you do not have enough code to start thinking in module

[round merlin]

But how i like think and make that small parts? How i know how small or how big it has to be?

[green dawn]

right now you kinda only need 1 module

when you start to search for code it is time to create module by moving files to separate directories

[round merlin]

Okey, like my src directory right?

[green dawn]

the project evolve over time

it is not a one time deal

src is all global

[round merlin]

Alright, so, i got to stop thinking that my code is going to work forever

[green dawn]

in src you need a main package

[round merlin]

And start refactoring it as the project needs

[green dawn]

your project package for your entity

[green dawn]

nothing work forever, but sometimes you can decide that a small public api will be supported for a long time

it does not mean that the program behind that api cannot change, just that the api do not change

[round merlin]

Okey i get it, thaks! Im i was struggling with the idea of refactoring everything but now i want to make it better

[green dawn]

example I got 60+ java project, when I make packages, I reserve a package name for the project that is unique in all my projects

that way, I can use code from other projects

[round merlin]

Yeah like a user input package what handles exceptions right?

It is ahh

[green dawn]

it could be

anything you can imagine

[round merlin]

I dont know the word sorry

My english is pretty limited

[green dawn]

this is the thing with programming, you are free to do anything, so at first you may be lost

[round merlin]

Yeah

It is actually the problem with freedom I guess

But thanks man you changed my mind about software development

[green dawn]

really? is it for the better?

[round merlin]

Yeah

I was scared

[green dawn]

cool

[round merlin]

Actually every comment on this forum help me i was scared about joining on a developers community

[green dawn]

what were your fears?

[round merlin]

But you all helped me, thanks all, fr i feel better now about every thing

[round merlin]

Being like ignored

Matching a hard world to enter and get accepted

I mean is this kind of stuff that you overthink about and when you try it isn’t how you thought

[green dawn]

yes

[round merlin]

So, tank you for your time, you really help me

[green dawn]

btw, I do not see anywhere how you compile and build your exe

[round merlin]

For the jar i use inteliG with the artifacts builder

[round merlin]

So it is simple but for the exe i use the java sdk util for doing that , with the powershell i use a command to do it

I am on a arm laptop so i have a setup a little bit weird

I use windows only for making the exe

But wsl with debian

[green dawn]

window arm?

[round merlin]

For developing

[round merlin]

Yeah

[green dawn]

humm, does it not cause problem for the exe?

[round merlin]

Sometimes it makes me slow because i got to find specific binaries for my laptop

[green dawn]

is that exe only for arm?

[round merlin]

No with java cause it use his vm

For compiling

[green dawn]

yeah, but for the exe part

[round merlin]

So when i make the exe it save a little from that vm and doesn’t make it for arm

[green dawn]

I see

[round merlin]

You want to se the command?

Maybe im making it wrong

But all of you use it and didn’t have problems

[green dawn]

no, but in an ideal world you would want github to build your releases

that way, it could use vm for each target os and arch

[round merlin]

Yes, i see that option but i wanted to be sure i now what tha hell it does before i use it

I dont feel comfortable if i dont do it a least one time

[green dawn]

btw know not now

are you refactoring it right now?

[round merlin]

So thats why i make it that way but from now i will start using the GitHub util

Thats for asking

[quasi edge]

i do

[green dawn]

you can make a bin directory in your project btw, and make terminal script for each command you do.

that way, when you come back on an old project 6 months later, you are not lost

[round merlin]

& "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-26\bin\jpackage.exe" --name "Jachar" --input "out\artifacts\Jachar_jar" --main-jar "Jachar.jar" --main-class "Main" --type app-image --dest "$HOME\Desktop\Jachar_Build"

the last part is the destiny OUT out my wsl cause its for windows and making it inside de wsl kills my computer for som reason

[round merlin]

fr?

[quasi edge]

sure

lots of ways to do that

but if you are already using powershell, just make .ps1 files

[round merlin]

thats something that i got to study now

[round merlin]

like a bat file isn't

[quasi edge]

basically

[round merlin]

i use bats for dumb things like join to zoom calls

cause im lazy

[green dawn]

btw, using swing, you can have the normal menu bar

and status bar

[round merlin]

The component?

[green dawn]

JMenuBar

[round merlin]

Im trying it today next version will have that

Its better than my JPanel