md-manuscript/README.md

# md-manuscript

A small desktop application for Debian that treats a directory of markdown files
as an ordered manuscript.

* **Left pane** — every `*.md` file in the workspace directory, in a manual order
  you set by **dragging the `⠿` handle** up and down.
* **Right pane** — a markdown text editor for the selected file (optional live
  preview via the *Preview* checkbox).
* **Order + contents are saved and version-controlled with git.** The order lives
  in `order.json` inside the workspace, so it syncs along with the files.
* **Export** the whole manuscript as a single concatenated `.odt` file, with a
  chapter heading before each file's content.

Built in Rust with [`egui`](https://github.com/emilk/egui)/`eframe`. The ODT
writer is native (no `pandoc`/LibreOffice needed at runtime).

## Build

```sh
cargo build --release
# binary: target/release/md-manuscript
```

Requires a Rust toolchain. The GUI needs a normal desktop session (X11 or
Wayland) with OpenGL — the usual runtime libraries on Debian:

```sh
sudo apt install libgl1 libxkbcommon0 libwayland-client0 libx11-6
```

(Only needed to *run* the GUI; building does not require them.)

## Install

```sh
install -Dm755 target/release/md-manuscript ~/.local/bin/md-manuscript
```

Optionally add a desktop launcher at
`~/.local/share/applications/md-manuscript.desktop`:

```ini
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=md-manuscript
Exec=md-manuscript
Categories=Office;TextEditor;
Terminal=false
```

## Use

1. Set the **Workspace** path in the top bar (default: `~/Manuscript`) — type it,
   or click **📂** to pick a folder in a native file browser — and press **Open**.
   The directory is created if it does not exist.
2. Press **Init git** once to make the workspace a git repository. To sync with
   another machine, add a remote yourself:
   ```sh
   cd ~/Manuscript
   git remote add origin <url>
   git push -u origin main
   ```
   After that, the **⟳ Sync (git)** button commits all changes, `pull --rebase`s,
   and pushes.
3. Create files with **＋ New**, edit on the right, `Ctrl+S` (or the Save button)
   to write to disk. Drag the `⠿` handles to reorder. Use the **Zoom** slider
   above the editor to scale the editor text (0% = default; **Reset** returns to
   it), and the **Contrast** slider to brighten dim editor text (0% = theme
   default; higher pushes the text toward white in dark mode / black in light
   mode). Text always wraps to the pane width, so there is no horizontal
   scrolling.
4. Set the **Chapter title** for the open file if you want to override the
   auto-derived one (the field shows the automatic title as a hint). Leaving it
   blank falls back to a `# Title:` line in the header, and if there is none, to
   the chapter's **position in the left pane** followed by a period (`1.`, `2.`,
   …). Tick **Zero-pad #** in the top bar to pad those numbered titles with
   leading zeros to a uniform width (e.g. `03.` when there are 12 chapters).
   Titles are saved to `titles.json` and sync with git.
5. Set the **Export** path (type it, or click **📂** to choose the `.odt` file in a
   native save dialog) and press **Export ODT** to produce the concatenated
   document. Each file becomes a chapter headed by its title, optionally followed
   by a caption from its `# Slug:` line. **Every chapter starts on a new page**
   (the first chapter excepted, so there is no blank leading page).

The status bar shows a live **word count** for the current file, plus the net
words added (or removed) to it since the current session started. The count
updates as you type, including unsaved edits.

## Grammar & spelling (LanguageTool)

The editor can check the current file against a
[LanguageTool](https://languagetool.org/) server — typically a **local
instance**, so your manuscript never leaves your machine.

1. Run a LanguageTool server. The standalone server listens on
   `http://localhost:8010` by default (the official Docker image uses `:8081` —
   just point the app at whichever you run):
   ```sh
   # Standalone (needs Java):
   java -cp 'languagetool-server.jar' org.languagetool.server.HTTPServer --port 8010
   # or via Docker:
   docker run -d -p 8010:8010 --entrypoint java \
     erikvl87/languagetool -cp languagetool-server.jar \
     org.languagetool.server.HTTPServer --port 8010 --allow-origin '*'
   ```
2. Open **Settings ▸ LanguageTool…** (from the menu bar, or the **⚙** button on
   the Grammar row) and set the connection:
   * **Scheme** — `http` for a local server, `https` for a remote one (TLS is
     supported).
   * **Host / domain** — an IP address or hostname (default `localhost`).
   * **Port** — the server's port (default `8010`).
   * **Token** — optional; sent as an `Authorization: Bearer` header for a server
     behind an auth proxy, or a premium API key. Leave blank for an
     unauthenticated local server.
   * **Language** — `auto` to detect, or a code like `en-US`, `en-GB`, `de-DE`.

   Press **Test connection** to confirm the settings reach a working server. All
   fields are remembered in the config.
3. Open a file and press **✓ Check**. The check runs in the background (the UI
   stays responsive) and issues appear two ways:
   * **Underlines in the editor** — red for spelling, blue for grammar/style.
   * **A "Grammar & spelling" panel** at the bottom listing each issue with its
     explanation and suggested fixes. Click a suggestion to apply it; the
     remaining underlines re-align automatically.

Editing the text after a check hides the underlines (their positions would no
longer be accurate) and disables the fix buttons until you re-check. The checker
sends the raw file text, so occasional markdown tokens (e.g. a `#` heading
marker) may be flagged.

## Header stripping on export

Manuscript files often carry editorial notes and metadata above the prose that
should not appear in the finished document. On export, each file is cleaned up:

* **HTML comments** (`<!-- ... -->`, including multi-line ones) are removed.
* **The header block** — everything above the **Draft marker** line (set in the
  top bar; default `### Rough Draft:`) — is dropped. From that header:
  * `# Title:` becomes the chapter heading (unless a manual override is set), and
  * `# Slug:` becomes an italic caption printed beneath the heading.

  Any other header text is discarded. Files with no marker line are exported
  whole, but stray `# Title:` / `# Slug:` lines are still lifted out. Clear the
  Draft marker field to disable header splitting entirely.

For example, this source file:

```markdown
# Title: The Gate
# Slug: in which the door will not open
<!-- remember to foreshadow the key -->
outline: she arrives, she knocks, nothing

### Rough Draft:

The prose that actually gets exported begins here.
```

exports as a chapter titled **The Gate**, captioned *in which the door will not
open*, containing only the prose below the marker.

## Files the app writes

| Location | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `<workspace>/*.md` | your manuscript files |
| `<workspace>/order.json` | the manual ordering (committed to git) |
| `<workspace>/titles.json` | chapter-title overrides (committed to git) |
| `~/.config/md-manuscript/config.json` | last workspace, export path, prefs |

## Markdown supported in ODT export

Headings, paragraphs, **bold**, *italic*, ***both***, `inline code`, fenced/indented
code blocks (monospace, whitespace preserved), ~~strikethrough~~, ordered and
unordered (nested) lists, block quotes, horizontal rules, and links. Images are
rendered as a text placeholder (not embedded).