OpenWriter

🚀 A modern, open-source document editor built with Tauri, React & TypeScript

OpenWriter is a powerful, cross-platform desktop document editor that combines the speed of native applications with modern web technologies. Create, edit, and export documents with AI-powered writing assistance.

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✨ Features

• 📝 Rich Text Editing - Full-featured editor powered by CKEditor 5 with formatting, lists, tables, and more
• 📄 Multiple Format Support - Import/Export DOCX, PDF, and HTML files
• 📐 Paged View - Realistic document preview with page layouts
• 🤖 AI Writing Assistant - Rewrite, summarize, and continue writing with Groq AI
• 🎨 Modern UI - Clean, responsive interface with dark/light themes
• 🖥️ Cross-Platform - Runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• ⚡ Lightning Fast - Native performance with Tauri’s Rust backend
• 🔒 Privacy First - Your documents stay on your machine

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React 19, TypeScript, Vite, Tailwind CSS 4
Editor	CKEditor 5
Backend	Tauri 2, Rust
Document Processing	docx, mammoth, jsPDF, html2canvas
AI Integration	Groq API (Llama models)

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📋 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

Required Software

Software	Version	Installation Link
Node.js	v18.0+	Download Node.js
npm	v9.0+	Comes with Node.js
Rust	Latest stable	Install Rust
Git	Any recent	Download Git

Platform-Specific Requirements

🪟 Windows

Visual Studio Build Tools 2019+

• Download from Visual Studio Downloads
• During installation, select "Desktop development with C++"

WebView2 Runtime

• Usually pre-installed on Windows 10/11
• If needed: Download WebView2 🍎 macOS

1. Xcode Command Line Tools

xcode-select --install

🐧 Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
build-essential \
curl \
wget \
file \
libxdo-dev \
libssl-dev \
libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
librsvg2-dev

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🚀 Installation & Setup

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/RKG765/OpenWriter.git
cd OpenWriter

Step 2: Install Node.js Dependencies

npm install

This will install all frontend dependencies including:

• React & React DOM
• CKEditor 5
• Tauri plugins (dialog, fs, opener)
• Document processing libraries (docx, mammoth, jsPDF)
• Development tools (Vite, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS)

Step 3: Install Rust Dependencies

The Rust dependencies will be automatically installed when you first run or build the app. However, you can pre-install them:

cd src-tauri
cargo fetch
cd ..

Step 4: Verify Installation

# Check Node.js
node --version  # Should be v18.0.0 or higher

# Check npm
npm --version   # Should be v9.0.0 or higher

# Check Rust
rustc --version # Should show latest stable version

# Check Cargo
cargo --version

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▶️ Running the Application

Development Mode (Recommended for Development)

npm run tauri dev

This command will:

1. Start the Vite development server with hot-reload
2. Compile the Rust backend
3. Launch the OpenWriter application

Note: The first run may take several minutes as Rust compiles all dependencies.

Frontend Only (For UI Development)

npm run dev

Opens the app in your browser at http://localhost:1420 (without Tauri backend features).

Production Build

npm run tauri build

The compiled installers will be available in:

src-tauri/target/release/bundle/
├── msi/           # Windows installer
├── dmg/           # macOS installer
├── deb/           # Debian/Ubuntu package
└── AppImage/      # Linux AppImage

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⚙️ Environment Variables & Configuration

API Key Setup (For AI Features)

OpenWriter uses Groq API for AI writing assistance. The API key is configured within the app:

Get a Free API Key:

• Visit console.groq.com
• Create a free account
• Generate an API key

Configure in OpenWriter:

• Open the application
• Click the ⚙️ settings icon in the AI Sidebar
• Enter your Groq API key
• Click Save Key

Note: The API key is stored securely in your browser’s localStorage and never leaves your device except when making API calls.

Optional Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory for development customization:

# Development server port (default: 1420)
VITE_DEV_SERVER_PORT=1420

# Enable debug logging
VITE_DEBUG=true

Tauri Configuration

Main configuration is in src-tauri/tauri.conf.json:

{
"productName": "OpenWriter",
"version": "0.1.0",
"identifier": "com.openwriter.app"
}

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📁 Project Structure

OpenWriter/
├── src/                        # React frontend
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── Editor.tsx          # Main CKEditor wrapper
│   │   ├── Toolbar.tsx         # Document toolbar & actions
│   │   ├── PagedView.tsx       # Page layout preview
│   │   ├── StatusBar.tsx       # Bottom status bar
│   │   └── AISidebar.tsx       # AI writing assistant
│   ├── hooks/                  # Custom React hooks
│   ├── services/               # API & utility services
│   ├── App.tsx                 # Main application component
│   ├── App.css                 # Global styles
│   └── main.tsx                # Entry point
│
├── src-tauri/                  # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── lib.rs              # Library entry
│   │   └── main.rs             # Application entry
│   ├── capabilities/           # Tauri security permissions
│   ├── icons/                  # App icons
│   ├── Cargo.toml              # Rust dependencies
│   └── tauri.conf.json         # Tauri configuration
│
├── public/                     # Static assets
├── package.json                # Node.js dependencies
├── vite.config.ts              # Vite configuration
├── tailwind.config.js          # Tailwind CSS config
├── tsconfig.json               # TypeScript config
└── .gitignore                  # Git ignore rules

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📦 Available Scripts

Command	Description
npm run dev	Start frontend dev server only
npm run build	Build frontend for production
npm run preview	Preview production build
npm run tauri dev	Run full app in development mode
npm run tauri build	Build native application installers

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🗺️ Roadmap & Future Scope

🎯 Version 0.2.0 (Planned)

• Cloud Sync - Google Drive / OneDrive integration
• Real-time Collaboration - Multiple users editing simultaneously
• Custom Templates - Document templates for various use cases
• Spell Check - Built-in spell checking and grammar suggestions

🎯 Version 0.3.0 (Planned)

• Plugin System - Extensible architecture for community plugins
• Markdown Support - Native markdown editing and preview
• Version History - Track document changes over time
• Comments & Annotations - Collaborative review features

🎯 Version 1.0.0 (Vision)

• Mobile Apps - iOS and Android companion apps
• End-to-End Encryption - Secure document storage
• Offline AI - Local AI models for privacy-focused users
• Advanced Export - ePub, LaTeX, and more formats
• Accessibility - Full WCAG 2.1 compliance
• Localization - Multi-language support

💡 Feature Requests

Have an idea? Open a feature request!

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🛠️ What You Can Implement (Contributor Ideas)

Looking to contribute? Here are features you can pick up and implement:

🟢 Beginner Friendly (Good First Issues)

Feature	Description	Tech Stack
Dark/Light Theme Toggle	Add UI toggle for theme switching	React, CSS
Word Count Display	Real-time word/character count in status bar	React
Keyboard Shortcuts Help	Modal showing all available shortcuts	React, HTML
Recent Files List	Show recently opened documents	React, localStorage
Print Document	Add print functionality	Browser API
Auto-Save Indicator	Visual feedback when document is saved	React

🟡 Intermediate

Feature	Description	Tech Stack
Find & Replace	Search and replace text within document	CKEditor API, React
Custom Fonts	Allow users to add/use custom fonts	CSS, React
Table of Contents	Auto-generate TOC from headings	CKEditor, React
Document Statistics	Reading time, paragraph count, etc.	React
Zoom Controls	Zoom in/out on document view	CSS, React
Spell Check Integration	Integrate browser spell check or external API	CKEditor, API
Image Resize Handles	Allow resizing images in editor	CKEditor plugins
Export to Markdown	Convert document to .md format	Turndown.js

🔴 Advanced

Feature	Description	Tech Stack
Plugin System	Architecture for loading community plugins	React, TypeScript
Collaborative Editing	Real-time multi-user editing	WebSocket, CRDT
Version History	Track and restore document versions	IndexedDB, React
Cloud Sync	Google Drive / OneDrive integration	OAuth, REST APIs
Offline AI Models	Run AI locally using ONNX/Ollama	Rust, WASM
Custom Templates	Template creation and management system	React, File system
Accessibility Audit	WCAG 2.1 compliance improvements	ARIA, Semantic HTML

🚀 How to Pick a Feature

1. Comment on an issue expressing your interest
2. Fork the repo and create a feature branch
3. Implement with tests if applicable
4. Open a PR with screenshots/demos
5. Iterate based on feedback

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from everyone! Here’s how you can help:

Getting Started

1. Fork the repository
2. Clone your fork:

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/OpenWriter.git

1. Create a feature branch:

git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature

1. Make your changes
2. Commit with a descriptive message:

git commit -m "feat: add amazing feature"

1. Push to your branch:

git push origin feature/amazing-feature

1. Open a Pull Request

Contribution Ideas

• 🐛 Bug Fixes - Check open issues
• 📖 Documentation - Improve docs, add examples
• 🌍 Translations - Help translate the app
• 🎨 UI/UX - Design improvements
• ⚡ Performance - Optimize code and reduce bundle size

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🐛 Known Issues

• PDF export may have minor styling differences from editor view
• Large documents (100+ pages) may experience slight performance slowdown
• Some complex DOCX formatting may not import perfectly

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📄 License

This project is licensed under a Custom Non-Commercial License - see the LICENSE file for details.

In summary:

• ✅ Free for personal & educational use
• ✅ Contributions welcome
• ⚠️ Attribution required
• ❌ Commercial use requires permission from @RKG765

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💬 Support & Community

• 🐛 Bug Reports: Open an Issue
• 💡 Feature Requests: Start a Discussion
• 📧 Email: Contact Maintainer

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• Tauri - Lightweight, secure desktop framework
• CKEditor 5 - Professional rich text editor
• React - UI component library
• Groq - Fast AI inference
• All our amazing contributors!

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⭐ Star this repo if you find it useful! ⭐

Made with ❤️ by RKG765 and the open-source community