317 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
317 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
# Deft
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Deft is my attempt to turn [Kate](https://kate-editor.org/) into a daily driver
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I actually want to use. I live in Plan 9's [acme](http://acme.cat-v.org/) most
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of the time, but I like a lot of what Kate offers — and I don't like
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menu-driven workflows. So this is a
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suite of Kate / KTextEditor plugins that pulls in ideas from the tools I reach
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for — acme, sam, and the plumber from Plan 9; `M-x` from Emacs; a Sublime-style
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fuzzy palette; and the radial/pie menus that video games have used for years to
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put actions a flick away from the cursor — and bends Kate toward them.
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The deeper reason is ergonomic: I've moved to typing one-handed, and that
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reshapes everything. A workflow built on two-handed chords and reaching across
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the keyboard simply doesn't work anymore. The mouse does the reaching, the
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keyboard stays under one hand, and no action is allowed to require a chord or an
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F-key. This isn't a preference knob — it's the constraint the whole design is
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built around.
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The aim is a text editor driven by the mouse at the cursor and by plain-letter
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keyboard input — never by hunting through nested menubars or memorizing complex
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chords.
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## Design constraints
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These are hard constraints that shape every decision:
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- **Mouse-heavy.** The fastest input is the mouse, used *locally* at the caret
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(radial / floating surfaces, in the spirit of a game's weapon wheel), not a
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trek to the menubar.
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- **One-handed typing (the driving constraint).** Input must work comfortably
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with a single hand. This is not a convenience toggle; it is why the mouse
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carries the reaching and why chords are off the table.
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- **No complex chords.** Single modifier at most (`Ctrl`+letter). No leader-key
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chord trees, no multi-cursor keybinds.
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- **Compact keyboard.** F-keys and nav clusters live on a layer toggle, so they
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carry extra cognitive cost and are avoided as primary triggers.
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- **Emacs/Sublime fluency.** `M-x` (`Alt+x`) is comfortable and welcome as a
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primary keyboard entry point, as is a Sublime-style type-to-filter palette.
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### Unifying principle
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> **One action registry. Three doors onto it:**
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> **`M-x` (keyboard), a radial caret menu (mouse), and the `:` command line (optional).**
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> **No action requires an F-key or a chord.**
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## Environment
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- Kate 25.12.3, KDE Frameworks 6, Qt 6
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- C++20, CMake, extra-cmake-modules
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- C++ is the only first-class plugin path on this install (no Python/Pâté binding present)
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- [plan9port](https://9fans.github.io/plan9port/) — the `plumb` plugin is a
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plumb client and talks to plan9port's plumber at runtime (see
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[docs/PLUMBING.md](docs/PLUMBING.md)). Only needed if you enable `plumb`
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(highly recommended!).
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## Build
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```sh
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cmake -B build -S .
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cmake --build build
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QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen ./build/bin/test_fuzzyranker # run the matcher tests
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ctest --test-dir build # or via ctest
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```
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## Install the plugins into Kate
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Deft is **one `.so` per feature**, not a monolith. The build produces six
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KTextEditor plugins under `build/bin/kf6/ktexteditor/`:
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| Plugin file | Display name | Feature |
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|------------------|-----------------------|---------|
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| `deft_palette.so`| `[deft:util] palette` | Command palette (`Alt+X` / M-x) over every window action + the `:`-verbs + the switchers, frecency-ranked |
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| `deft_switch.so` | `[deft:util] switch` | Project **Go to File** (`Alt+P`) and **Go to Symbol** (`Alt+G`) |
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| `deft_radial.so` | `[deft:util] radial` | Radial caret menu (`Alt+R` / right-mouse) |
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| `deft_acme.so` | `[deft:nineify] acme` | Acme editing gestures (line keys, pair selection, mouse chords) |
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| `deft_sam.so` | `[deft:nineify] sam` | `sam`-style structural regular expressions |
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| `deft_plumb.so` | `[deft:nineify] plumb`| Plan 9 plumber (open under cursor) |
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Drop whichever features you want where Kate scans for KTextEditor plugins. The
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simplest way is `cmake --install`, which already targets the right place:
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```sh
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cmake --install build
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```
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**By default this installs into your home directory, not system-wide.** The
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build sets `CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX` to `~/.local` when you don't pass one (these
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are personal plugins, so installing them under `/usr/local` — the stock CMake
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default — would need `root` and is the wrong place), and it points the plugin
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install dir at Qt's own plugin path. So the plugins land at:
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```
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~/.local/lib/<arch>/qt6/plugins/kf6/ktexteditor/deft_*.so
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```
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which is exactly the directory Kate scans (`QT_PLUGIN_PATH`). To install
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system-wide instead, pass an explicit prefix (and expect to need `root`):
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```sh
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cmake --install build --prefix /usr
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```
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### Making Kate find a user-local install
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Qt only loads plugins from directories on **`QT_PLUGIN_PATH`**, and that does
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*not* include `~/.local` by default — so after a home-directory install Kate
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will not list the plugins until that path is on the search list. This is a
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one-time, per-user setup step.
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The install **automates it for you**: when the prefix is inside your home, it
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writes a login snippet to
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`~/.config/plasma-workspace/env/99-deft.sh` that adds the plugin directory to
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`QT_PLUGIN_PATH`. Plasma sources it at login, so after the next **log out / log
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in** Kate finds the plugins. To use them in the *current* session without
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logging out, run the export the installer prints, e.g.:
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```sh
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export QT_PLUGIN_PATH="$HOME/.local/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt6/plugins:$QT_PLUGIN_PATH"
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```
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(For a non-Plasma session, put that same line in your shell profile. For a
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system-prefix install this step is unnecessary; the installer prints the ready
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snippet under the build dir if you still want it.)
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Then in Kate: Settings → Configure Kate → Plugins → enable each **`[deft:…]`**
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plugin you installed. See [The plugins](#the-plugins) below for what each one
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does and how to drive it.
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The plugins cooperate but do not depend on one another: palette's "Go to
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File/Symbol" entries and radial's launcher slices resolve `switch`'s actions by
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object name at runtime, so each `.so` works on its own and simply gains those
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entry points when its sibling is also enabled.
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## The plugins
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Each plugin is independent — enable only what you want. Keys shown below are the
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defaults.
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> ⚠️ **These plugins are opinionated.** They are built around one person's
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> workflow (mouse-at-the-caret, one-handed typing, no chords, Plan 9 / Emacs
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> habits), and several *reshape or suppress Kate's defaults* rather than just
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> adding features:
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>
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> - `radial` hijacks the **right mouse button** in the editor, suppressing the
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> normal context menu while enabled.
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> - `acme` rebinds `Ctrl+A/E/H/U/W`, repurposes **double-click**, turns
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> left-button **mouse chords** into Cut/Paste, and kills X11 middle-click
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> primary paste.
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> - `palette` and `switch` claim `Alt+X/P/G`; `plumb` claims `F2`.
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>
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> This is deliberate, not a bug. If you want a conventional Kate, don't enable
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> the ones whose gestures you aren't ready for — try them one at a time.
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### `[deft:util] palette` — command palette (M-x)
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A Sublime/Emacs-style launcher over **every action currently offered by the
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window**, matched with the orderless `FuzzyRanker` (space-separated tokens in
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any order, with typo tolerance) and ranked by *frecency* (frequency + recency of
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your past choices).
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- **Open:** `Alt+X`. Type to filter, `Enter` or click to run, `Esc` to dismiss.
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- Entries include all live menu/toolbar actions, the `:`-verbs below, and — when
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`switch` is enabled — **Go to File** and **Go to Symbol**.
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- Usage is remembered in `~/.config/deft/palette.frecency.json`.
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It also registers a small pack of **`:` command-line verbs** (type `:` in Kate,
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or pick them from the palette). Each transforms the selection in place, or the
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whole document when nothing is selected:
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| Verb | Effect |
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|------|--------|
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| `osort [u] [i]` | sort selected lines (`u` = unique, `i` = case-insensitive) |
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| `rsort` | reverse the order of selected lines |
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| `case <style>` | recase: `upper` / `lower` / `title` / `snake` / `camel` / `kebab` |
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| `b64enc` / `b64dec` | Base64 encode / decode |
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| `rot13` | ROT13 |
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| `uuid` | insert a random UUID at the cursor |
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| `pipe <shell>` | replace the selection with the output of `sh -c <shell>` (selection on stdin) |
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> `sort` is registered as `osort` because Kate already ships a built-in `sort`;
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> the KTextEditor registry drops a whole command object if any one name
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> collides.
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### `[deft:util] switch` — project file & symbol switchers
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Jump within the active project without the file tree. The project scope is
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Kate's loaded project when present (via the Project plugin), otherwise it is
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discovered from the active document (VCS root, else its directory).
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- **Go to File** — `Alt+P`. Fuzzy-match the full project-relative path (files
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come from VCS/discovery). `Enter`/click opens.
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- **Go to Symbol** — `Alt+G`. Fuzzy-match symbols indexed with **ctags**
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(requires `ctags` on `PATH`); jumps to the definition.
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- The index is built asynchronously and cached; the palette opens instantly and
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fills in (showing "Indexing…" on a cold project). It is invalidated when Kate
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switches projects.
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- Rankings are remembered in `~/.config/deft/switch.frecency.json`.
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### `[deft:util] radial` — radial caret menu (mouse)
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A multi-level pie menu for actions that **complete in place** (cut, copy, paste,
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comment, case changes…), so the mouse stays at the text. The model is the
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weapon/emote wheel from games: a quick flick toward a direction, not a hunt
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through a list.
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- **Open:** `Alt+R` (at the caret) **or press the right mouse button** in the
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editor (at the pointer; the normal context menu is suppressed while enabled).
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- **Choose:** move toward a slice and release, or click it. A branch slice
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(marked ▸) opens a submenu; the centre hub goes back / cancels.
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- Slices can trigger any action by name, including `palette`/`switch` doors.
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- **Pointer follows focus.** When a slice changes the active pane (split, close,
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or focus-move), the pointer is warped to the centre of the new pane so the
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mouse stays where your attention is — the same cursor-follows-focus feel as
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acme. On X11 this is a direct `QCursor::setPos`; on Wayland (which forbids
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that) it uses the pointer-constraints protocol, a technique sourced from
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[eaburns's Wayland devdraw/acme](https://github.com/eaburns/plan9port/tree/wayland).
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- **Configure:** drop a `radials.json` at `~/.config/deft/radials.json` to
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replace the built-in tree; when it is absent, empty, or invalid, the built-in
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default is used. See [docs/radials.example.json](docs/radials.example.json)
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for the format.
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### `[deft:nineify] acme` — acme editing gestures
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Plan 9 *acme* muscle memory inside Kate. Installed as a filter so it never
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clashes with Kate's own bindings.
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- **Line keys:** `Ctrl+A` beginning of line, `Ctrl+E` end of line, `Ctrl+H`
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erase char, `Ctrl+U` erase to line start, `Ctrl+W` erase previous word.
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- **Double-click** inside a bracket/quote pair selects the enclosed text.
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- **Mouse chords** (hold left, tap the other): left+middle = **Cut**,
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left+right = **Paste**. X11 middle-click primary-paste is suppressed.
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### `[deft:nineify] sam` — structural regular expressions
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Run Plan 9 *sam* structural-regexp programs against your text — the expressive
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`x/re/`, `g/re/`, `s/re/txt/`, `,` dot-addressing model, not line-at-a-time
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find/replace.
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- Opens a dockable **Sam** tool view: a program editor, a **Run** button
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(`Ctrl+Return`), and an output log.
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- Runs against the **active document**, or across open buffers with the
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multi-file `X`/`Y` loop commands.
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- Edits are applied in a single undo transaction.
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### `[deft:nineify] plumb` — Plan 9 plumber
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Make Kate a first-class *plumb* client.
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- **Plumb under the caret:** `F2`. Sends the file-path token under the cursor
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(or the selection, so `foo.cpp:42` works) through the plumber's **send** port,
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resolved relative to the active document's directory.
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- Kate also holds the **edit** port open, so files/addresses plumbed from
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elsewhere open here.
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- If no plumber is running, it falls back to opening the target directly (URLs
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via the system handler, `path[:line]` in Kate).
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## Layout
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Shared building blocks are static libraries (`fuzzy`, `palette`, `project`,
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`commands`, …); each feature is a self-contained KTextEditor plugin that links
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the libraries it needs.
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```
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CMakeLists.txt top-level KF6/Qt6/ECM project
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src/
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fuzzy/
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fuzzyranker.{h,cpp} orderless + layered fuzzy matcher
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test_fuzzyranker.cpp QTest suite
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palette/
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palettemodel.{h,cpp} ranked, filterable list model (headless)
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palettewidget.{h,cpp} frameless command-palette popup
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frecencystore.{h,cpp} persisted frecency ranking
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paletteplugin.{h,cpp} [deft:util] palette — M-x, :-verbs, switcher doors
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paletteplugin.json plugin metadata
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test_*.cpp QTest suites
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switch/
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switchplugin.{h,cpp} [deft:util] switch — Go to File (Alt+P) / Symbol (Alt+G)
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switchplugin.json plugin metadata
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radial/
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radialmodel.{h,cpp} radial tree + hit-test geometry (headless)
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radialmenu.{h,cpp} frameless multi-level radial widget
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radialconfig.{h,cpp} JSON → radial tree + built-in default
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radialplugin.{h,cpp} [deft:util] radial — caret menu plugin
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radialplugin.json plugin metadata
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test_*.cpp QTest suites
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commands/
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texttransforms.{h,cpp} pure text transforms (headless)
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deftcommands.{h,cpp} ":"-verb KTextEditor::Command pack (used by palette)
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test_*.cpp QTest suites
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project/
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projectindex / symbolindex / projectindexer / kateprojectbridge
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async, cached file & symbol index (used by switch)
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acme/
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acmeplugin.{h,cpp,json} [deft:nineify] acme — editing gestures
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sam/
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sam* + samplugin.{h,cpp,json} [deft:nineify] sam — structural regexps
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plumb/
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plumb* + plumbplugin [deft:nineify] plumb — Plan 9 plumber
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docs/
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PLUMBING.md configuring the Plan 9 plumber for Kate
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SAM.md the sam structural-regexp dialect
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radials.example.json example radial-menu config
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img/ screenshots used in this README
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```
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For contributing or working on the code, see [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md).
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