TextDB

TextDB is a non-destructive, completely offline, local-first text editor with built-in Markdown preview functionality. Its core promise is simple: your edits never overwrite your history. Every manual save is immutable and append-only, and autosaves are kept as a separate draft layer. No accounts, no telemetry, no remote fonts, and no network calls.

Features

Non-destructive editing: manual saves are immutable; drafts never overwrite manual versions.
Sidebar list of texts with live search (titles + version bodies).
Editor with title, content area, and clear save status.
Cmd/Ctrl+S creates a new immutable manual version.
Markdown preview mode with external link support and printable output.
Pressing Tab toggles Edit/Preview mode.
Autosave draft (debounced) that can be safely discarded.
History panel listing versions by timestamp (drafts included when present).
Settings: theme (default/bright), text size slider, and optional line numbers.
Collapsible sidebar with persistent state.
Nested folders (projects) with expandable tree view.
Right-click a text or folder to move it into another folder.
Deleting a folder moves its contents one level up (never deletes texts).
Export the current text to a .txt file.
Open .txt or .md files to create new entries from file content.
Drag and drop .txt or .md files onto the window to import them.
Registers .txt and .md file associations for using TextDB as a default editor.

Use cases

Non-destructive notepad: jot ideas without fear of losing earlier thoughts.
Safe editor for authors: keep every revision and compare or roll back at any time.
Research notes: maintain evolving notes with an audit trail of changes.
Sensitive drafts: keep local-only writing with immutable history and zero cloud sync.
Prompt or snippet library: store and iterate on reusable text safely.

Tech stack

Tauri v2
React + Vite + TypeScript
SQLite via @tauri-apps/plugin-sql

Install & run

Install dependencies:

npm install

Start the app:

npm run tauri dev

Autosave + versioning behavior

Typing triggers a debounced autosave (~600ms) that writes to the draft record.
Manual saves (Cmd/Ctrl+S or the button) append a new version and clear any draft.
Autosave only overwrites the single draft row; manual versions are never overwritten.
History shows all manual versions plus the current draft (if any).

Local storage

SQLite is loaded via Database.load("sqlite:text.db").
The database file is stored in the Tauri app data directory.
The app is fully offline by design: no telemetry, no external fonts, no CDNs.
UI settings (theme, text size, line numbers, sidebar + folder collapse state, last selected text) are stored in localStorage.

2.8 KiB Raw Blame History