Vem - Vim Emulator

A modern, opinionated Vim emulator built from scratch in Go with GPU-accelerated rendering. Vem brings the power of modal editing with a clean, NeoVim-inspired interface and cross-platform support.

Overview

Vem is a lightweight yet powerful text editor that combines Vim's modal editing paradigm with modern features like fuzzy file finding, pane splitting, and GPU-accelerated rendering. Built with Go and Gio UI, it runs natively on Linux, macOS, Windows, and WebAssembly without external dependencies.

Features

Core Editing

Modal Editing: Full Vim-like modes (NORMAL, INSERT, VISUAL, DELETE, COMMAND, EXPLORER, SEARCH, FUZZY_FINDER, TERMINAL)
Vim Motions: Complete navigation with hjkl, word motions (w/b/e), line jumps (0/$), document jumps (gg/G)
Visual Mode: Line and character selection with copy/delete/paste operations
Undo System: Full undo support for all edit operations
Multi-Buffer Support: Open and edit multiple files simultaneously, including from command line
Search & Highlight: Case-insensitive search with match highlighting and navigation
Syntax Highlighting: Powered by Chroma with support for 200+ languages and multiple color themes
Unified Terminal: Cross-platform Bash interpreter (works identically on Linux, macOS, and Windows) with VT100/ANSI support and true color

Window Management

Pane Splitting: Split windows horizontally or vertically to view multiple files side-by-side
Pane Navigation: Navigate between panes with Alt+hjkl or Shift+Tab
Zoom Mode: Temporarily maximize any pane for focused editing
Equalize Layout: Balance all pane sizes with a single command
Active Pane Dimming: Clear visual indication of which pane is active

File Management

File Explorer: Built-in tree view with directory navigation
Fuzzy Finder: Fast file search with fuzzy matching (Ctrl+F)
File Operations: Create, rename, and delete files directly from the explorer
Directory Navigation: Move up/down directory hierarchy easily
Auto-Scroll: Explorer automatically scrolls to keep selection visible

User Experience

Fullscreen Mode: Distraction-free editing with Shift+Enter
Status Bar: Shows mode, file name, cursor position, pane info, and messages
File Type Icons: Visual file type indicators in the explorer using Nerd Font icons
Command-Line Interface: Vim-style commands (:e, :w, :q, :wq, :bd, :help, etc.)
Built-in Help: Comprehensive help system with :help command
Read-Only Buffers: Support for read-only buffers (help pages, system info)
GPU-Accelerated: Smooth, responsive interface using Gio UI
Cross-Platform: Identical experience on Linux, macOS, Windows, and WebAssembly

Installation

Quick Install

Linux and macOS:

git clone https://github.com/javanhut/Vem.git
cd Vem
make install

The Makefile automatically detects your OS/architecture, checks for dependencies, and installs Vem to /usr/local/bin.

Windows:

git clone https://github.com/javanhut/Vem.git
cd Vem
make build

This creates vem.exe in the current directory. Add it to your PATH or run directly.

Prerequisites

All Platforms

Go 1.25.3 or later
Git
Make

Linux-Specific

Vulkan headers (automatically installed by make install)
- Debian/Ubuntu: libvulkan-dev libxkbcommon-dev libwayland-dev
- Fedora/RHEL: vulkan-devel libxkbcommon-devel wayland-devel
- Arch/Manjaro: vulkan-headers vulkan-icd-loader libxkbcommon wayland
- openSUSE: vulkan-devel libxkbcommon-devel wayland-devel
- Alpine: vulkan-headers vulkan-loader-dev libxkbcommon-dev wayland-dev

Manual Build

git clone https://github.com/javanhut/Vem.git
cd Vem

# Set local build cache (recommended)
export GOCACHE="$(pwd)/.gocache"

# Build
go build -o vem

# Run
./vem

# Install to /usr/local/bin (optional)
sudo install -m 755 vem /usr/local/bin/vem

Quick Start

# Launch Vem
vem

# Open a specific file
vem main.go

# Open multiple files
vem file1.txt file2.go file3.md

# Create a new file
vem newfile.txt

Basic Workflow

Open explorer: Press Ctrl+T
Navigate files: Use j/k to move up/down
Open file: Press Enter on a file
Edit text: Press i to enter INSERT mode
Save: Press Esc, then :w and Enter
Quit: Type :q and press Enter

Keybindings

Global (Work in All Modes)

Key	Action	Description
`Ctrl+T`	Toggle Explorer	Show/hide file tree
`Ctrl+H`	Focus Explorer	Switch to file tree
`Ctrl+L`	Focus Editor	Switch to editor
`Ctrl+F`	Fuzzy Finder	Quick file search
`Ctrl+U`	Undo	Undo last operation
`Ctrl+Shift+R`	Resize Panes	Enter resize mode (use arrows or h/l/j(up)/k(down), Esc to exit)
`Ctrl+X`	Close Pane	Close active pane
`Ctrl+` `	Toggle Terminal	Open/close integrated terminal
`Shift+Enter`	Fullscreen	Toggle fullscreen mode
`Shift+Tab`	Cycle Panes	Move to next pane

Pane Management (Ctrl+S Prefix)

Press Ctrl+S followed by:

Key	Action	Description
`v`	Split Vertical	Create top/bottom split
`h`	Split Horizontal	Create left/right split
`=`	Equalize	Make all panes equal size
`o`	Zoom Toggle	Maximize/restore active pane

Pane Navigation

Key	Action	Description
`Alt+h`	Focus Left	Move to left pane
`Alt+j`	Focus Down	Move to below pane
`Alt+k`	Focus Up	Move to above pane
`Alt+l`	Focus Right	Move to right pane

NORMAL Mode

Mode Switching

Key	Action	Description
`i`	INSERT	Enter insert mode
`v`	VISUAL	Enter visual character mode
`Shift+V`	VISUAL LINE	Enter visual line mode
`d`	DELETE	Enter delete mode
`:`	COMMAND	Open command line
`/`	SEARCH	Start search

Navigation

Key	Action	Description
`h`/`j`/`k`/`l`	Move	Left/Down/Up/Right
`w`	Word Forward	Next word start
`b`	Word Backward	Previous word start
`e`	Word End	End of current word
`0`	Line Start	Jump to line beginning
`$`	Line End	Jump to line end
`gg`	First Line	Jump to top of file
`G`	Last Line	Jump to bottom of file
`<n>G`	Goto Line	Jump to line n (e.g., `42G`)

Scrolling

Key	Action	Description
`Ctrl+E`	Scroll Down	Scroll one line down
`Ctrl+Y`	Scroll Up	Scroll one line up

Search

Key	Action	Description
`/`	Start Search	Enter search mode
`n`	Next Match	Jump to next result
`Shift+N`	Previous Match	Jump to previous result
`Esc`	Clear Search	Clear search highlights

INSERT Mode

Key	Action	Description
`Esc`	Exit	Return to NORMAL mode
`Enter`	New Line	Insert newline
`Tab`	Insert Tab	Insert tab character
`Backspace`	Delete Back	Delete previous character
`Delete`	Delete Forward	Delete next character
Arrow keys	Navigate	Move cursor while typing

VISUAL Mode

Navigation

Key	Action	Description
`h`/`j`/`k`/`l`	Extend Selection	Move selection boundaries
`w`/`b`/`e`	Word Motion	Move by words
`0`/`$`	Line Bounds	Move to line start/end
`gg`/`G`	Document Bounds	Extend to top/bottom

Operations

Key	Action	Description
`c`	Copy	Copy selection to clipboard
`d`	Delete	Delete selected text
`p`	Paste	Paste from clipboard
`v`	Exit	Return to NORMAL mode
`Esc`	Exit	Return to NORMAL mode

COMMAND Mode

File Operations

Command	Description
`:e <file>`	Open file for editing
`:w`	Save current file
`:w <file>`	Save as new file
`:wq`	Save and close
`:q`	Close (fails if unsaved)
`:q!`	Force close (discard changes)

Buffer Management

Command	Description
`:bn` or `:bnext`	Next buffer
`:bp` or `:bprev`	Previous buffer
`:bd` or `:bdelete`	Close buffer
`:bd!`	Force close buffer
`:ls` or `:buffers`	List all buffers

File Explorer

Command	Description
`:ex` or `:explore`	Toggle file explorer
`:cd <path>`	Change directory
`:pwd`	Print working directory

Help System

Command	Description
`:help` or `:h`	Open comprehensive keybindings help

EXPLORER Mode

Key	Action	Description
`j`/`k`	Navigate	Move up/down in tree
`Enter`	Open/Toggle	Open file or toggle directory
`h`	Collapse	Collapse directory
`l`	Expand	Expand directory
`r`	Rename	Rename file/directory
`d`	Delete	Delete file/directory
`n`	New File	Create new file
`u`	Navigate Up	Go to parent directory
`q`	Quit	Return to editor
`Esc`	Exit	Return to NORMAL mode

SEARCH Mode

Key	Action	Description
Type text	Build Pattern	Add to search pattern
`Enter`	Execute	Find first match
`Backspace`	Delete Char	Remove last character
`Esc`	Cancel	Exit search mode

After search, use n and Shift+N in NORMAL mode to navigate matches.

FUZZY_FINDER Mode

Key	Action	Description
Type text	Filter Files	Show matching files
`↑`/`↓`	Navigate	Select different file
`Enter`	Open	Open selected file
`Backspace`	Delete Char	Remove last character
`Esc`	Cancel	Close fuzzy finder

TERMINAL Mode

Key	Action	Description
`Ctrl+` `	Toggle Terminal	Open/close terminal
`Esc`	Exit to NORMAL	Return to NORMAL mode
All other keys	Pass to Shell	Direct terminal input

Features:

Full VT100/ANSI escape sequence support
256-color and true color (24-bit) support
Bold, italic, underline, and other text attributes
Unified Bash interpreter (same shell on all platforms)
Cross-platform compatibility (Linux, macOS, Windows)
Auto-closes when shell exits
Integrates with buffer system (switch with :bn/:bp)

Documentation

Reference Guide - Complete command and feature reference
Keybindings Reference - Complete keybinding documentation
Architecture Guide - Technical implementation details
Tutorial - Step-by-step getting started guide
Installation Guide - Platform-specific installation instructions
Pane Splitting Guide - Detailed pane management guide
Navigation Guide - Pane navigation and fullscreen features
Search Guide - Search functionality documentation
Syntax Highlighting - Color themes and language support

Platform Support

Linux

Display Servers: X11 and Wayland
Graphics: Vulkan
Tested On: Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 40, Arch Linux

macOS

Graphics: Metal (built-in)
Architecture: Intel (x86_64) and Apple Silicon (arm64)
Tested On: macOS 13 (Ventura) and later

Windows

Graphics: Direct3D 11 (built-in)
Tested On: Windows 10, Windows 11

WebAssembly

Graphics: WebGL
Support: Experimental via Gio's WASM backend

Project Structure

Vem/
├── main.go                     # Application entry point
├── internal/
│   ├── appcore/               # Core application and rendering
│   │   ├── app.go            # Event handling and UI layout
│   │   ├── help.go           # Built-in help system
│   │   ├── keybindings.go    # Keybinding system
│   │   ├── pane_actions.go   # Pane management actions
│   │   ├── pane_rendering.go # Pane rendering logic
│   │   └── fuzzy.go          # Fuzzy finder implementation
│   ├── editor/                # Text editing engine
│   │   ├── buffer.go         # Buffer abstraction with read-only support
│   │   ├── buffer_manager.go # Multi-buffer management
│   │   └── buffer_test.go    # Unit tests
│   ├── filesystem/            # File system operations
│   │   ├── tree.go           # File tree data structure
│   │   ├── loader.go         # Directory loading
│   │   ├── finder.go         # File finding logic
│   │   └── icons.go          # File type icons
│   ├── panes/                 # Pane management
│   │   ├── manager.go        # Pane layout manager
│   │   ├── layout.go         # Layout calculations
│   │   ├── navigation.go     # Pane navigation
│   │   └── pane.go           # Pane abstraction
│   ├── syntax/                # Syntax highlighting
│   │   ├── highlighter.go    # Language detection and tokenization
│   │   └── theme.go          # Color theme management
│   ├── terminal/              # Integrated terminal
│   │   ├── terminal.go       # Terminal emulator core
│   │   ├── buffer.go         # Terminal buffer management
│   │   ├── colors.go         # ANSI color handling
│   │   └── input.go          # Terminal input processing
│   ├── shell/                # Unified shell interpreter
│   │   └── interpreter.go    # Cross-platform Bash interpreter
│   └── fonts/                 # Font management
│       ├── fonts.go          # Font loading and rendering
│       ├── JetBrainsMonoNerdFont-Regular.ttf
│       └── JetBrainsMonoNerdFont-Bold.ttf
├── docs/                      # Documentation
├── go.mod                     # Go module definition
├── Makefile                   # Build automation
└── README.md                  # This file

Dependencies

Vem uses minimal dependencies:

Core

Gio UI v0.9.0 - GPU-accelerated UI framework
- Vulkan (Linux)
- Metal (macOS)
- Direct3D (Windows)
- WebGL (WebAssembly)
Chroma v2.20.0 - Syntax highlighting engine
- 200+ language lexers
- Multiple color themes
- Fast tokenization
vt10x - VT100/ANSI terminal emulator
- Full escape sequence support
- 256-color and true color
mvdan/sh v3.12.0 - Pure Go Bash interpreter
- Unified shell across all platforms
- 30+ built-in commands (cd, pwd, echo, test, etc.)
- Full Bash scripting support (variables, loops, pipes)
clipboard v0.7.1 - System clipboard integration

Transitive (Automatic)

gioui.org/shader v1.0.8 - Shader compilation
github.com/go-text/typesetting v0.3.0 - Text layout
github.com/dlclark/regexp2 v1.11.5 - Advanced regex (for Chroma)
golang.org/x/exp/shiny - Platform abstraction
golang.org/x/image v0.28.0 - Image handling
golang.org/x/sys v0.33.0 - System calls
golang.org/x/text v0.26.0 - Text processing

All dependencies are managed via Go modules and installed automatically.

Development

Setup Development Environment

git clone https://github.com/javanhut/Vem.git
cd Vem

# Install dependencies (automatic)
go mod download

# Set local build cache
export GOCACHE="$(pwd)/.gocache"

# Run in development mode
go run .

Running Tests

# Run all tests
go test ./...

# Run with coverage
go test -cover ./...

# Run specific test
go test -v -run TestBufferInsert ./internal/editor

# Verbose output
go test -v ./...

Code Style

Follow standard Go formatting (gofmt)
Run go vet to catch common issues
Use descriptive variable names
Document exported functions and types
Keep functions focused and testable
Write unit tests for new features

Troubleshooting

Linux: Vulkan Headers Not Found

If using make install, Vulkan headers are installed automatically. For manual installation:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install libvulkan-dev libxkbcommon-dev libwayland-dev

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install vulkan-devel libxkbcommon-devel wayland-devel

# Arch/Manjaro
sudo pacman -S vulkan-headers vulkan-icd-loader libxkbcommon wayland

# openSUSE
sudo zypper install vulkan-devel libxkbcommon-devel wayland-devel

# Alpine
sudo apk add vulkan-headers vulkan-loader-dev libxkbcommon-dev wayland-dev

Build Cache Permission Issues

# Use local build cache
export GOCACHE="$(pwd)/.gocache"
make clean
make build

Platform-Specific Keybinding Issues

Some platforms may not report modifier keys correctly. Vem includes workarounds for these platform quirks. See docs/debugging.md for details.

Contributing

Vem is in active development. Contributions are welcome once the architecture stabilizes.

Check existing issues and documentation
Open an issue to discuss significant changes
Follow the code style guidelines
Write tests for new features
Update documentation to reflect changes

License

Vem is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPLv2).

See LICENSE for the full license text.

Current Status

Vem is feature-complete for Phase 1 and includes:

Full modal editing system (NORMAL, INSERT, VISUAL, DELETE, COMMAND, EXPLORER, SEARCH, FUZZY_FINDER, TERMINAL)
Syntax highlighting with 200+ languages
Pane splitting and management
Fuzzy file finder
File explorer with operations
Search with highlighting
Multi-buffer support with command line file opening
Unified cross-platform terminal with Bash interpreter
Built-in help system (:help command)
Read-only buffer support
Undo functionality
Cross-platform support
GPU-accelerated rendering

Acknowledgments

Vem is inspired by:

Vim - Modal editing philosophy
NeoVim - Modern text editing paradigm
Gio UI - Cross-platform GPU-accelerated framework

Special thanks to the Go and Gio communities for excellent tools and documentation.

Contact

Repository: https://github.com/javanhut/Vem
Issues: https://github.com/javanhut/Vem/issues

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 66 Commits
assets		assets
docs		docs
internal		internal
.gitignore		.gitignore
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
go.mod		go.mod
go.sum		go.sum
main.go		main.go

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Vem - Vim Emulator

Overview

Features

Core Editing

Window Management

File Management

User Experience

Installation

Quick Install

Prerequisites

All Platforms

Linux-Specific

Manual Build

Quick Start

Basic Workflow

Keybindings

Global (Work in All Modes)

Pane Management (Ctrl+S Prefix)

Pane Navigation

NORMAL Mode

Mode Switching

Navigation

Scrolling

Search

INSERT Mode

VISUAL Mode

Navigation

Operations

COMMAND Mode

File Operations

Buffer Management

File Explorer

Help System

EXPLORER Mode

SEARCH Mode

FUZZY_FINDER Mode

TERMINAL Mode

Documentation

Platform Support

Linux

macOS

Windows

WebAssembly

Project Structure

Dependencies

Core

Transitive (Automatic)

Development

Setup Development Environment

Running Tests

Code Style

Troubleshooting

Linux: Vulkan Headers Not Found

Build Cache Permission Issues

Platform-Specific Keybinding Issues

Contributing

License

Current Status

Acknowledgments

Contact

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