Package Exports

@notectl/core

Readme

notectl

A framework-agnostic rich text editor as a Web Component — ship only what you use.

Built on immutable state, a transaction-based architecture, and a plugin system that powers every feature — from bold text to full table editing.

Why notectl?

Most editors bolt formatting on top of contenteditable and hope for the best. notectl takes a different approach: every keystroke produces an immutable transaction, every feature is a plugin, and the DOM is a projection of state — never the source of truth.

Web Component — drop <notectl-editor> into any framework or vanilla HTML
Plugin architecture — every feature (bold, tables, lists, ...) is a plugin; add only what you need
Immutable state — predictable updates, time-travel undo/redo, zero mutation bugs
Transaction system — atomic, invertible steps with middleware support
Zero framework lock-in — works with React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, or plain JS
Tiny dependency footprint — single runtime dependency (DOMPurify)

Wanna try?

Check out the live playground — no install required.

Wanna see full working example?

examples/vanillajs/ is a great place to see everything in action.

Quick Start

Install

npm install @notectl/core

Use

import {
  createEditor,
  TextFormattingPlugin,
  HeadingPlugin,
  ListPlugin,
  LinkPlugin,
  TablePlugin,
  ToolbarPlugin,
} from '@notectl/core';

const editor = await createEditor({
  toolbar: [
    [new TextFormattingPlugin({ bold: true, italic: true, underline: true })],
    [new HeadingPlugin()],
    [new ListPlugin()],
    [new LinkPlugin(), new TablePlugin()],
  ],
  placeholder: 'Start typing...',
  autofocus: true,
});

document.body.appendChild(editor);

That's it. A full-featured editor in 15 lines.

Plugins

Every capability is a plugin. Compose exactly the editor you need.

Plugin	What it does
TextFormattingPlugin	Bold, italic, underline — individually toggleable
StrikethroughPlugin	~~Strikethrough~~ text
HeadingPlugin	H1 – H6 headings
BlockquotePlugin	Block quotes
ListPlugin	Bullet and ordered lists
LinkPlugin	Hyperlink insertion and editing
TablePlugin	Full table support with row/column controls
TextColorPlugin	Text color picker
AlignmentPlugin	Left, center, right, justify
FontPlugin	Font family selection with custom font support
FontSizePlugin	Configurable font sizes
HorizontalRulePlugin	Horizontal dividers
SuperSubPlugin	Superscript and subscript
HighlightPlugin	Text highlighting / background color
ToolbarPlugin	Visual toolbar with grouped items

Tables

Full table editing — add/remove rows and columns, navigate with Tab, resize, and select.

Content API

Read and write content in multiple formats:

// JSON (immutable Document)
const doc = editor.getJSON();
editor.setJSON(doc);

// HTML (sanitized via DOMPurify)
const html = editor.getHTML();
editor.setHTML('<p>Hello <strong>world</strong></p>');

// Plain text
const text = editor.getText();

// State
editor.isEmpty(); // true | false

Command API

editor.commands.toggleBold();
editor.commands.toggleItalic();
editor.commands.toggleUnderline();
editor.commands.undo();
editor.commands.redo();
editor.commands.selectAll();

Events

editor.on('stateChange', ({ oldState, newState, transaction }) => { /* ... */ });
editor.on('selectionChange', ({ selection }) => { /* ... */ });
editor.on('ready', () => { /* ... */ });
editor.on('focus', () => { /* ... */ });
editor.on('blur', () => { /* ... */ });

Custom Fonts

Bring your own fonts — notectl handles @font-face injection automatically.

import { FontPlugin, STARTER_FONTS } from '@notectl/core';

const Inter = {
  name: 'Inter',
  family: "'Inter', sans-serif",
  category: 'sans-serif',
  fontFaces: [
    {
      src: "url('/fonts/Inter-Variable.ttf') format('truetype')",
      weight: '100 900',
      style: 'normal',
    },
  ],
};

new FontPlugin({ fonts: [...STARTER_FONTS, Inter] });

Group plugins into toolbar sections for a clean UI:

const editor = await createEditor({
  toolbar: [
    [new FontPlugin(), new FontSizePlugin()],
    [new TextFormattingPlugin(), new StrikethroughPlugin(), new TextColorPlugin()],
    [new HeadingPlugin(), new BlockquotePlugin()],
    [new AlignmentPlugin()],
    [new ListPlugin()],
    [new LinkPlugin(), new TablePlugin(), new HorizontalRulePlugin()],
  ],
});

Each inner array becomes a visually separated group in the toolbar.

Examples

Check out the full working example in examples/vanillajs — it demonstrates every plugin, custom font loading, toolbar grouping, and the complete content API.

git clone https://github.com/Samyssmile/notectl.git
cd notectl
pnpm install
pnpm dev

Architecture

Input Event → InputHandler / KeyboardHandler
  → Transaction with atomic Steps
  → Middleware chain (priority-ordered)
  → EditorState.apply(tr) → new immutable EditorState
  → Reconciler patches DOM (block-level diffing)
  → Plugins notified via onStateChange()

Layer	Responsibility
`model/`	Immutable data — Document, BlockNode, TextNode, Mark, Selection
`state/`	EditorState, Transaction, StepApplication, History
`view/`	DOM rendering, Reconciler, SelectionSync
`input/`	Keyboard/input handling, paste, input rules
`commands/`	High-level operations (toggleMark, splitBlock, ...)
`plugins/`	All features — every capability is a plugin
`editor/`	`<notectl-editor>` Web Component public API

Development

pnpm install          # install dependencies
pnpm build            # build all packages
pnpm test             # run unit tests (vitest + happy-dom)
pnpm test:e2e         # run e2e tests (playwright)
pnpm lint             # lint (biome)
pnpm typecheck        # type check

License

MIT

@notectl/core