Penscript

A minimalist, native Linux desktop note-taking application designed for focused writing. Penscript stores your notes locally as Markdown files, providing a clean, distraction-free environment for your thoughts.

Built with Rust and GTK4, Penscript combines the performance and safety of Rust with the native look and feel of the GTK toolkit.

Features

• Minimalist Interface: Clean, modern UI with light and dark themes
• Distraction-Free Writing: Focus on your content, not the interface
• Local Markdown Storage: All notes are stored as plain .md files you can access anytime
• Rich Note Management:
  • Create, edit, rename, and delete notes
  • Sort notes by modification date
  • Search and filter notes
  • Auto-save functionality
• Modern Design Elements:
  • Custom window frame with integrated controls
  • Responsive layout with resizable sidebar
  • Fullscreen mode for complete focus
  • Keyboard shortcuts for power users

Installation

AppImage (Recommended)

The easiest way to install Penscript is using the AppImage:

1. Download the latest Penscript-x.x.x-x86_64.AppImage from the Releases page
2. Make the AppImage executable:

   chmod +x Penscript-x.x.x-x86_64.AppImage

3. Run the application:

   ./Penscript-x.x.x-x86_64.AppImage

AppImages can be run on most modern Linux distributions without installation.

From Source

1. Install Rust and Cargo:

   curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

2. Install GTK4 development libraries (system dependent):

   # For Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt install libgtk-4-dev
   
   # For Fedora
   sudo dnf install gtk4-devel
   
   # For Arch/Manjaro
   sudo pacman -S gtk4

3. Clone and build the project:

   git clone https://github.com/san0808/penscript.git
   cd penscript
   cargo build --release

4. Run the application:

   ./target/release/penscript

Usage

Basic Operations

• Creating Notes: Click the plus button in the sidebar header
• Editing Notes: Select a note from the sidebar and start typing in the editor
• Saving Notes: Notes are automatically saved when you pause typing
• Searching Notes: Type in the search bar above the note list to filter by title
• Deleting Notes: Hover over a note in the sidebar and click the trash icon
• Renaming Notes: Hover over a note in the sidebar and click the pencil icon

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+B: Toggle sidebar
• Ctrl+T: Toggle between light and dark themes
• F11: Toggle fullscreen mode
• Escape: Exit fullscreen mode
• Ctrl+K: Show keyboard shortcuts dialog

File Storage

Notes are stored as Markdown (.md) files in:

~/.local/share/penscript/notes/

Each note is saved as a separate file, with the filename corresponding to the note title.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request