[FEATURE]

[ThemeEngine]

Feature Request: WYSIWYG Editing, Better Windows UX, Modern UI, and Arabic (RTL) Support

Is your feature request related to a problem?

Yes.
While Lala is technically impressive and fast, several UX-related limitations may prevent wider adoption, especially for non-technical and international users:

1. Markdown editing is not fully WYSIWYG, which creates friction for users who expect instant visual feedback.
2. On Windows, launching the .exe briefly shows a black terminal window, which feels unpolished for a GUI application.
3. The current UI feels very minimal and utilitarian, closer to classic editors like Notepad, which may reduce appeal for a modern Markdown editor.
4. Arabic language and RTL (Right-To-Left) text are not supported, which excludes a large potential user base.

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Describe the solution you'd like

1. WYSIWYG Markdown Editing

   • Real-time visual rendering while typing (headings, bold, lists, links, etc.)
   • Similar behavior to editors like Obsidian, Typora, or modern Markdown editors.

2. Hide Terminal Window on Windows

   • When launching the GUI .exe, no terminal window should appear.
   • The application should behave like a native Windows GUI app.

3. Modern, Attractive UI

   • More polished visual design (spacing, typography, colors).
   • Modern light/dark themes suitable for Markdown writing.
   • A UI that visually communicates “Markdown editor”, not a basic text editor.

4. Arabic Language & RTL Support

   • Proper rendering of Arabic text.
   • RTL cursor movement, selection, and alignment.
   • Similar RTL handling to Obsidian or other modern editors.

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Describe alternatives you've considered

• Users may switch to Obsidian, Typora, or other editors that already support:

  • WYSIWYG editing
  • Modern UI
  • Arabic / RTL text

• This is unfortunate because Lala has strong performance and Rust-based architecture that could compete very well.

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Use Case

• Writers who want instant visual feedback while writing Markdown.
• Windows users who expect a clean, native GUI experience.
• Content creators and technical writers who care about UI aesthetics.
• Arabic-speaking users (millions worldwide) who currently cannot use Lala effectively.
• Teams looking for a fast, modern, local-first Markdown editor.

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Additional Context

• Markdown editors are UX-driven products.
• Even small visual or language barriers can drastically affect adoption.
• Supporting Arabic/RTL alone could unlock a large and underserved audience.

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Implementation Ideas

• WYSIWYG

  • Hybrid mode: source Markdown + live rendered view (like Obsidian Live Preview).
  • Incremental rendering using the existing Markdown parser.

• Windows Terminal Issue

  • Build GUI as windows-subsystem = "windows" in Cargo configuration.

• UI Improvements

  • Refine egui styling (fonts, spacing, theme presets).
  • Consider Markdown-focused UI patterns.

• Arabic / RTL

  • Enable RTL layout handling in text engine.
  • Proper Unicode bidi support and cursor logic.

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Thankyou!

[clearclown]

Thank you for this detailed and thoughtful feature request! I really appreciate the time you took to outline these improvements.

I'm happy to report that several of these features have already been implemented in v0.3.0:

✅ Already Implemented

1. Hide Terminal Window on Windows

• Added #![windows_subsystem = "windows"] attribute to prevent the console window from appearing when launching the GUI on Windows.

2. Arabic Language & RTL Support

• Full RTL text detection and rendering support has been added
• Includes Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu character detection
• Automatic text direction detection (LTR/RTL/Mixed)
• Proper alignment handling for RTL content
• Comprehensive test coverage with 50+ RTL-specific tests

3. Modern UI / Theme Support

• Light/Dark/System theme modes are now available
• Theme-aware syntax highlighting
• Improved visual styling throughout the application

🔄 In Progress / Planned

WYSIWYG Markdown Editing

• This is a more complex feature that requires significant architectural changes
• Currently exploring hybrid approaches similar to Obsidian's Live Preview
• Contributions and ideas are welcome!

Please try out v0.3.0 and let me know if the RTL support meets your needs. If you encounter any issues with Arabic text rendering or have suggestions for improvement, please open a new issue.

Thanks again for your feedback - it helps make Lala better for everyone!