Editor

Editor is the styled source-code control. Use Input for single-line values and Textarea for ordinary multi-line text.

#Import

use gpui_kit::component::input::{Editor, EditorState, TabSize};

#Basic usage

let editor = cx.new(|cx| {
    EditorState::new(window, cx)
        .language("rust")
        .line_number(true)
        .folding(true)
        .tab_size(TabSize {
            tab_size: 4,
            hard_tabs: false,
        })
        .default_value("fn main() {\n    println!(\"Hello\");\n}")
});

Editor::new(&editor).h(px(320.))

The language set via .language() selects syntax highlighting. Enable the matching Cargo feature, such as tree-sitter-rust or tree-sitter-markdown; use tree-sitter-languages to bundle all built-in grammars.

#Editor options

let editor = cx.new(|cx| {
    EditorState::new(window, cx)
        .language("json")
        .line_number(true)
        .folding(true)
        .show_whitespaces(true)
        .default_value(source)
});

#Keyboard shortcuts and column selection

These defaults apply while the editor is focused. On macOS, Option is the Alt modifier. Linux uses no Super/Win bindings for these operations.

Linux also accepts Ctrl+Alt+left drag for rectangular selection, matching Ghostty, and Alt+Shift+Left / Right for word selection. Windows additionally accepts Alt+Shift+Left / Right for character selection. Alt/Option+left drag works as a column-selection shortcut on all three platforms: a click adds a cursor, while dragging builds a new block from the mouse-down position.

Holding Alt/Option over the editor shows a + crosshair. Selection gestures that include Alt take priority over Ctrl/Cmd-click go-to-definition. A block creates one selection per display row, clipped to the available text on short rows. Typing or deleting edits all selections. Releasing the mouse ends the drag; Escape keeps the active cursor (an open context menu handles Escape first).

Adding cursors with Up / Down is additive: reversing direction does not shrink the block’s height. This is multi-cursor editing with mouse column selection, not a persistent Vim Visual Block mode. During keyboard input, carets remain visible; blinking resumes after 300 ms without input.

Linux desktop shortcuts can intercept key combinations before the editor sees them. In particular, Ctrl+Alt+Up / Down is not bound by default on Linux because some desktops use it to switch workspaces. The shortcuts above refer to logical modifiers after any keyboard remapping.

#Search

The editor has a built-in search panel. Press Ctrl-F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd-F (macOS) while the editor is focused to open it. Enter jumps to the next match, Shift+Enter to the previous one, Escape closes the panel.

// Open the find panel programmatically
editor.update(cx, |state, cx| {
    state.open_search(false, cx);
});

// Close it
editor.update(cx, |state, cx| {
    state.close_search(cx);
});

Search is enabled by default for Editor. To disable it:

editor.update(cx, |state, cx| {
    state.set_searchable(false, cx);
});

A read-only editor can still be searched — the replace UI is hidden automatically.

#Decorations

let decorations = editor.update(cx, |state, cx| {
    state.create_decorations_collection(initial_decorations, cx)
});

Keep the returned TextDecorationCollection alive while the decorations are needed. Its ranges follow subsequent text edits.

#Value and events

let source = editor.read(cx).value();

editor.update(cx, |state, cx| {
    state.set_value(new_source, window, cx);
});

cx.subscribe(&editor, |this, state, event: &InputEvent, cx| {
    if matches!(event, InputEvent::Change) {
        this.source = state.read(cx).value();
        cx.notify();
    }
});

#Font

The editor paints its code in the theme’s monospace font — mono_font_family at mono_font_size — with rows 1.5 times the font size. That is only the default: a text style set on the editor refines over it, and the gutter and row height follow the size. The theme’s platform default (Menlo, Consolas, DejaVu Sans Mono) is checked against the installed fonts when the theme loads and swapped for an installed monospace font, or .SystemUIFont, when it is missing; a family you set yourself is used as-is.

Editor::new(&editor).text_sm()

Editor::new(&editor)
    .font_family("JetBrains Mono")
    .text_size(px(15.))

These are the ordinary Styled methods every element has, so font_weight and line_height work the same way.

#Appearance

Editor::new(&editor)
    .h(px(480.))
    .bordered(true)
    .disabled(false)
    .readonly(false)
    .aria_label("Rust source")

Use readonly to preview a file without allowing changes. Unlike disabled, a read-only editor keeps the normal appearance and still can be focused, selected, copied and searched, it only rejects the changes made by the user. The programmatic APIs such as set_value keep working.

Editor::new(&editor).readonly(true)

Editor focus does not add the single-line Input focus-border treatment. The gutter, current-line background, and scrollbars are painted as one aligned editor surface.

Input-only adornments such as prefix, suffix, mask toggle, and clear button are intentionally absent. Compose toolbars and actions around Editor.