elpie 0.1.1

Emacs-like Python-infused editor

elpie

elpie is a minimalist Emacs-style command-line text editor written in Python, developed by AI (Microsoft Copilot) and product architect Francis Peck. It leverages only the standard library (curses, dataclasses) to deliver a familiar editing experience without external dependencies.

Features

• Emacs-style keybindings for navigation and editing
• Kill-ring support with Ctrl-k (kill-line) and Ctrl-y (yank)
• Auto-save via Ctrl-s and graceful exit with Ctrl-x Ctrl-c
• Zero external dependencies; runs on Python 3.8+
• Easy pip installation and console-script usage

Installation

# From your project directory (with pyproject.toml present)
pip install .

or ...

pip install elpie

Usage

elpie [path/to/file.txt]

Providing a filename opens (or creates) that file. Omitting the argument opens an empty buffer.

Key Combination	Action
Ctrl-f / →	Move cursor forward one character
Ctrl-b / ←	Move cursor backward one character
Ctrl-n / ↓	Move cursor to next line
Ctrl-p / ↑	Move cursor to previous line
Enter	Insert newline
Backspace	Delete character or join current with previous line
Ctrl-k	Kill from cursor to end of line
Ctrl-y	Yank (paste) last killed text
Ctrl-s	Save current buffer
Ctrl-x, Ctrl-f	Open file
Ctrl-x, b	Switch buffer
Ctrl-x, Ctrl-c	Exit editor

Configuration

At present, elpie does not support a user configuration file or custom keybindings. Future releases may introduce:

• Custom keybinding profiles
• Plugin hooks for additional functionality
• Syntax highlighting via curses color pairs

Development

To work on elpie locally:

git clone https://github.com/frncspeck/elpie.git
cd elpie
pip install -e .

When tests are available, run them with:

pytest

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open issues for bug reports or feature requests, and submit pull requests for enhancements.

License

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