clin-rs 0.2.1

Encrypted terminal note-taking app

clin-rs-0.2.1 is not a library.

clin - Your notes. Encrypted. Instant. Private. Simple.

clin is not a text editor!

clin is originally a app i made when i got into C it was really rough and basic, i decided to remake it in Rust with more features and improved user experience to better fit your workflow!

Highlights

Unicode gylphs, requires a nerd font
ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption (optional)
Binary .clin files
Full-screen TUI with list + editor + help views
Mouse support + bracketed paste
Folders & Tags
Continuous Auto-save (with panic crash safety logic)

Future Plans

Configuration & Customization

Smart folders: Automatic movement of specific tagged notes to specific folders.
Custom storage path: Change where the encrypted vault lives.
User-defined templates: Boilerplate for new notes.
Custom keybinds: Remap controls to fit the user's workflow.
Git integration: Automate backups and versioning via Git.

Editor Enhancements

OCR Paste: Pasting from screenshots using ocrs or tesseract.
Word & Character metrics: Real-time word counts and progress goals.
Status line customization: Flexible status_fornat = "{title} | {word_count} words | {encryption_status}" )
External editor support: Opening notes in nvim, helix, etc.
Improved mouse support: Right-click context menus within the editor.

Note Management & Navigation

Folders & Tags: Hierarchical and metadata-based organization.
Mouse support: Navigation and selection within the notes list.
Enhanced UI: Sorting options, line numbers, and a preview pane.
Fast Search: Immediate note discovery using the fd utility.
Asset management: Icon rendering and assigning icons to specific notes.
Data portability: Easy backup/restore and text file importing.

Integration & CLI Usage

Pre-piping: Routing notes through external tools for custom rendering.
Markdown integration: Using glow.
Expanded CLI: More argument options for command-line interactions.

Experimental & Advanced

Lua Scripting: Allowing users to write scripts to extend app functionality.
Steganography: Hiding encrypted vaults inside other file types.

User Defined Templates

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ba827fee-eff2-40e1-97ba-0429410b915e

Template popup can be accessed with the default t key.

You can create your own templates in ~/.local/share/clin/templates folder with .toml format to quickly use in your editor! Template format should simply be:

name = "<TEMPLATE_NAME>"
[title]
template = "<TEMPLATE_TITLE>"
[content]
template = """
<TEMPLATE_CONTENT>

Folders

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/820cc746-adce-4f9f-b0c6-793193720333

You can move files in folders using the default m key via it's popup!

Right-Click Context Menu

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/eba945d4-d3fd-4c0c-a194-13bdca0cc6c4

In editor mode, right-click context menu has basic features such as Copy, Paste, Cut, Select All. For now system clipboard doesn't integrate with this system. This will be changed in the future as a config option!

Optional Encryption Using ChaCha20-Poly1305

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5f67e240-87b7-4ac6-996c-ca58a542792b

Encryption can be toggled with selecting it with Tab and pressing Enter to turn it on/off.

Encryption ON

Created notes will be .clin files, encrypted and assigned to [ENC] tag(invisible when encryption is on).
When trying to open a unencrypted note([UENC]) app will require a confirmation since it will overwrite the original file and encrypt it! This behaviour will be changed to create a encrypted copy of the original file instead and it will be a config option to customize it's behaviour.

Encryption OFF

Created notes will be .md files and assigned to [UENC] tag.
Encrypted notes will be shown with their [ENC] tag and they will be unaccessible.

Installation

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb)

Download the latest .deb from the Releases page.

sudo dpkg -i clin_0.2.1-2-1_amd64.deb

Fedora/RHEL (.rpm)

Download the latest .rpm from the Releases page.

sudo rpm -i clin-0.2.1-2-1.x86_64.rpm

Arch Linux (PKGBUILD)

A PKGBUILD is included in the root of the repository.

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/reekta/clin-rs.git
cd clin

# Install
makepkg -si

Other

Download the latest .tar.gz from Releases page for manual installation.

# Extract the archive
tar -xzf clin-0.2.1-2-x86_64.tar.gz
cd clin-0.2.1-2-x86_64.tar.gz

# Give executable permission
chmod +x clin
./clin

# Install
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin # If not exists
mv clin ~/.local/bin/

From Source (Cargo)

# Install Rust
curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh

# Build & run
cargo run

# Install globally
cargo install --path .

With Cargo

# Install Rust
curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh

# Install clin
cargo install clin-rs

CLI Commands

NOTE OPERATIONS:
  clin                        Launch interactive app
  -n [TITLE]                Create a new note and open it
  -n -t, --template <NAME> [TITLE]
                              Create a new note from a template
  -q <CONTENT> [TITLE]      Create a quick note and exit
  -e <TITLE>                Open a specific note by title
  -l                        List note titles
  -h, --help                Show this help message

CONFIGURATION:
  --storage-path            Show current storage path
  --set-storage-path <PATH> Set custom storage path
  --reset-storage-path      Reset to default storage path

KEYBINDS:
  --keybinds                Show current keybindings
  --export-keybinds         Export keybinds as TOML
  --reset-keybinds          Reset keybinds to defaults

TEMPLATES:
  --list-templates          List available templates
  --create-example-templates Create example templates