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docs: rewrite README with full architecture, data flow, and Backspace-Replay explanation

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README.md
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@ -13,66 +13,218 @@
<p align="center"> <p align="center">
<b>Vietnamese Input Method for Linux</b><br> <b>Vietnamese Input Method for Linux</b><br>
<sub>Zero underline &bull; Native X11 &bull; Backspace-Replay sync &bull; Built in Rust</sub> <sub>Zero underline &bull; No pre-edit buffer &bull; Backspace-Replay sync &bull; Built in Rust</sub>
</p> </p>
## About Viet+ ---
Viet+ is a modern Vietnamese input method for Linux that eliminates the **underline hell** common in other Vietnamese IMEs. Unlike traditional solutions that use pre-edit buffers with ugly underlines and duplicate text, Viet+ implements a **Direct Input** approach: ## What is Viet+?
- **No pre-edit buffer** — keystrokes are instantly converted to Unicode Viet+ is a Vietnamese input method for Linux that takes a fundamentally different approach from every other IME: **Direct Input**.
- **No underline** — clean, distraction-free typing
- **No text duplication** — just pure Vietnamese Most Vietnamese IMEs use a **pre-edit buffer** — you type into a temporary buffer with an ugly underline, and the text only becomes real Vietnamese when you commit it. This causes:
- **Backspace-Replay sync** — engine state never desyncs from what's on screen
- Duplicate text (buffer + committed)
- Underline distraction
- Broken copy/paste
- Desync between engine state and what's on screen
Viet+ eliminates all of this. Keystrokes are **instantly converted to Unicode** — what you type is what you see. No buffer. No underline. No duplication.
--- ---
## Features ## How It Works
| Feature | Description | ### Data Flow: Keypress to Screen
|---------|-------------|
| **Direct Input Engine** | No pre-edit buffer, no underline, no text duplication | ```
| **Backspace-Replay** | Replays entire keystroke history through a fresh engine on every keypress — eliminates state desync | Physical Keyboard
| **Telex & VNI** | Both input methods fully supported | │
| **Flexible Diacritic Placement** | Type modifiers/tone marks at end of syllable (e.g., `tranaf` -> `trần`) | ▼
| **Auto-Restore English** | Hit space/ESC to undo accidental Vietnamese conversion | ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
| **ESC Undo** | Strip all tones from the current word instantly | │ Stage 1: KEY CAPTURE │
| **Smart App Memory** | Remembers Vietnamese/English per application | │ │
| **Macro Expansion** | Custom shortcuts (e.g., `ko` -> `không`) | │ X11: XGrabKeyboard intercepts all key events │
| **Focus Reset** | Automatically clears engine state on focus change between apps | │ evdev: /dev/input/event* reads kernel events │
| **Casing Preservation** | Syllable substitutions preserve your exact casing (e.g. `Saa` -> `Sả`, `SAA` -> `SẢ`) | │ │
| **CPU Priority** | Pins daemon to P-cores + nice(-10) for low-latency input | │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ │
| **Zero Telemetry** | No keylogging, no network calls, fully FOSS | │ │ X11Capture │ │ evdev grab │ │ FocusIn/FocusOut │ │
│ │ (libX11.so) │ │ (libevdev) │ │ detection │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Stage 2: KEY ROUTING │
│ │
│ Modifier keys (Ctrl/Alt/Super) → forward directly │
│ Ctrl+Space → toggle Vietnamese ON/OFF │
│ Backspace → replay_backspace() │
│ Characters → replay_and_inject(ch) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Stage 3: BACKSPACE-REPLAY │
│ │
│ keystroke_history = ['c', 'h', 'a', 'o', 's'] │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Create FRESH engine │ │
│ │ Replay ALL keystrokes through it │ │
│ │ engine.buffer() = "cháo" ← correct output │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ screen_output = "cháo" │
│ diff = backspaces(0) + type("cháo") │
│ (or no change if screen already shows "cháo") │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Stage 4: OUTPUT COMMANDS │
│ │
│ EngineEvent::Replace { backspaces: 4, insert: "cháo" } │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ OutputCommand::Backspace(4) │
│ OutputCommand::Type("cháo") │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Stage 5: KEY INJECTION │
│ │
│ X11 path: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 1. Ungrab keyboard (XUngrabKeyboard) │ │
│ │ 2. Send backspaces via XTestFakeKeyEvent │ │
│ │ 3. Set clipboard via XChangeProperty │ │
│ │ 4. Handle SelectionRequest events │ │
│ │ 5. Send Ctrl+V via XTestFakeKeyEvent │ │
│ │ 6. Regrab keyboard (XGrabKeyboard) │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ uinput path (Wayland): │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 1. Send backspaces via /dev/uinput (EV_KEY 14) │ │
│ │ 2. For ASCII: send keycodes via uinput │ │
│ │ 3. For Unicode: wl-copy + Ctrl+V via uinput │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
Application receives keystrokes
and renders Vietnamese text on screen
```
### The Backspace-Replay Pattern
This is Viet+'s core innovation. Traditional IMEs track state incrementally — each keystroke updates an internal buffer. But this buffer can **desync** from what's actually on screen (due to focus changes, external pastes, etc.).
Viet+ solves this by **never tracking incremental state**:
```
Traditional IME:
keystroke → update buffer → emit event → hope it matches screen
Viet+ (Backspace-Replay):
keystroke → add to history → replay ALL history in fresh engine → compute diff
```
On every keystroke:
1. The keystroke is appended to `keystroke_history`
2. A **brand new** `Engine` is created
3. The **entire** history is replayed through it
4. The engine's buffer is the **correct** screen output
5. Viet+ computes the diff: how many backspaces to erase old text, what new text to type
This means:
- **Zero state desync** — always recomputed from scratch
- **Self-healing** — if anything goes wrong, the next keystroke fixes it
- **Simple** — no complex state tracking or synchronization
--- ---
## Why Viet+? ## Architecture
Most Vietnamese input methods on Linux suffer from **underline hell** — pre-edit buffers that duplicate text, show ugly underlines, and break your flow. Viet+ takes a different approach: ```
vietc/
├── engine/ # Core Vietnamese composition engine
│ ├── engine.rs # Orchestrator + replay_keystrokes()
│ ├── telex.rs # Telex state machine (688 lines)
│ ├── vni.rs # VNI state machine (593 lines)
│ ├── english.rs # English auto-restore dictionary
│ └── spelling.rs # Vietnamese syllable validation
│
├── protocol/ # Keyboard capture & injection
│ ├── inject.rs # KeyInjector trait
│ ├── x11_capture.rs # XGrabKeyboard + XNextEvent loop
│ ├── x11_inject.rs # XTest injection + direct clipboard
│ └── wayland_im.rs # Wayland IM protocol
│
├── daemon/ # Main daemon process
│ ├── main.rs # Event loops, Backspace-Replay, CPU pinning
│ ├── config.rs # TOML config loader + hot reload
│ ├── app_state.rs # Per-app Vietnamese/English memory
│ └── display.rs # X11/Wayland/compositor detection
│
├── ui/ # System tray icon
│ └── main.rs # Tray + daemon launcher
│
├── cli/ # Interactive test harness
├── packaging/ # AppImage + deb build scripts
└── vietc.toml # Default configuration
```
> **Direct Input** — keystrokes are instantly converted to Unicode. No pre-edit buffer. No underline. No text duplication. Just pure Vietnamese. ### Component Interaction
The **Backspace-Replay** pattern keeps the engine perfectly in sync: instead of tracking state incrementally (which can desync), Viet+ replays the entire keystroke history through a fresh engine on every keypress. The screen output is always recomputed from scratch. ```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
--- │ vietc-tray │
│ (System tray icon, daemon launcher, password prompt) │
## Quick Start └───────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────┘
│ starts
```bash ▼
# Clone and build ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
git clone https://git.khoavo.myds.me/vndangkhoa/vietc.git │ vietc (daemon) │
cd vietc │ │
make build-all │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ │
│ │ Config │ │ App State │ │ Display │ │
# Test the engine interactively │ │ (hot reload) │ │ (per-app) │ │ (X11/Wayland) │ │
cargo run --bin vietc-cli │ └──────┬───────┘ └──────┬───────┘ └────────┬─────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
# Run the daemon │ └─────────────────┼────────────────────┘ │
cargo run --bin vietc │ │ │
│ ┌──────▼──────┐ │
# Or download a package from the releases page │ │ Event Loop │ │
# AppImage: ./Viet+-0.1.0-x86_64.AppImage │ │ │ │
# Debian: sudo dpkg -i vietc_0.1.0-1_amd64.deb │ │ X11: grab │ │
│ │ keyboard │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Process │ │
│ │ keystroke │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Replay all │ │
│ │ history │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Inject │ │
│ │ diff │ │
│ └─────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ vietc-engine │ │
│ │ TelexEngine / VniEngine / EnglishDict / Spelling │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ vietc-protocol │ │
│ │ X11Capture / X11Injector / UinputInjector / Wayland │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
``` ```
--- ---
@ -83,18 +235,18 @@ cargo run --bin vietc
| Key | Result | Example | | Key | Result | Example |
|-----|--------|---------| |-----|--------|---------|
| `aa` | â | `tan` -> `tân` | | `aa` | â | `tan` → `tân` |
| `aw` | ă | `tan` -> `tăn` | | `aw` | ă | `tan` → `tăn` |
| `ee` | ê | `men` -> `mên` | | `ee` | ê | `men` → `mên` |
| `oo` | ô | `to` -> `tô` | | `oo` | ô | `to` → `tô` |
| `ow` | ơ | `to` -> `tơ` | | `ow` | ơ | `to` → `tơ` |
| `uw` | ư | `tu` -> `tư` | | `uw` | ư | `tu` → `tư` |
| `s` | á (sắc) | `as` -> `á` | | `s` | á (sắc) | `as` → `á` |
| `f` | à (huyền) | `af` -> `à` | | `f` | à (huyền) | `af` → `à` |
| `r` | ả (hỏi) | `ar` -> `ả` | | `r` | ả (hỏi) | `ar` → `ả` |
| `x` | ã (ngã) | `ax` -> `ã` | | `x` | ã (ngã) | `ax` → `ã` |
| `j` | ạ (nặng) | `aj` -> `ạ` | | `j` | ạ (nặng) | `aj` → `ạ` |
| `dd` | đ | `dd` -> `đ` | | `dd` | đ | `dd` → `đ` |
### VNI ### VNI
@ -114,15 +266,63 @@ cargo run --bin vietc
--- ---
## Features
| Feature | How It Works |
|---------|-------------|
| **Direct Input** | No pre-edit buffer. Keystrokes instantly become Unicode via XTest/uinput injection |
| **Backspace-Replay** | Replays entire keystroke history in a fresh engine on every keypress — zero state desync |
| **Flexible Placement** | Type tone/modifier at end of syllable (`tranaf` → `trần`) — engine scans backward to find the vowel |
| **Smart Clusters** | `uo` → `ươ`, `ươ` + `o` → `uô`, shape modifier overriding (â↔ă, ô↔ơ) |
| **Auto-Restore** | ~250 English words recognized — typing `hello` won't become Vietnamese. Triggered on space/ESC |
| **ESC Undo** | Strip all tones from current word instantly |
| **Macro Expansion** | `ko` → `không`, `dc` → `được`, custom shortcuts |
| **Casing Preservation** | `SATS` → `SÁT`, `Saa` → `Sả` — matches your typing pattern |
| **App Memory** | Per-app Vietnamese/English state, saved to `overrides.toml` |
| **Hot Reload** | Config changes apply without restart (polls mtime every 1.5s) |
| **Focus Reset** | FocusIn/FocusOut clears engine state — no stale injection on window switch |
| **CPU Priority** | Pins daemon to P-cores (0-3) + nice(-10) for low-latency input |
---
## Installation
### AppImage (recommended)
```bash
./Viet+-0.1.0-x86_64.AppImage
```
Includes daemon + tray + CLI + xclip. No special permissions needed on X11.
### Debian/Ubuntu
```bash
sudo dpkg -i vietc_0.1.0-1_amd64.deb
```
Recommends: `libxtst6`, `xclip`
### Manual
```bash
git clone https://git.khoavo.myds.me/vndangkhoa/vietc.git
cd vietc
make build-all
sudo make install
```
---
## Configuration ## Configuration
Config file: `~/.config/vietc/config.toml` or `./vietc.toml` Config file: `~/.config/vietc/config.toml` or `./vietc.toml`
```toml ```toml
input_method = "vni" input_method = "vni" # "vni" or "telex"
toggle_key = "space" toggle_key = "space" # Ctrl+Space to toggle
start_enabled = false start_enabled = false # English by default
grab = true grab = true # grab keyboard (AppImage)
[auto_restore] [auto_restore]
enabled = true enabled = true
@ -142,129 +342,20 @@ lm = "làm"
--- ---
## Architecture
```
┌──────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐
│ X11 Keyboard │────▶│ Viet+ Daemon │────▶│ X11/XTEST │
│ Grab (XGrabKb) │ │ │ │ Injection │
│ │ │ Backspace-Replay│ │ │
│ FocusIn/Out │ │ Engine │ │ Direct │
│ Detection │ │ (Telex/VNI) │ │ Clipboard │
└──────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └────────────────┘
│
┌─────┴─────┐
│ App State │
│ Manager │
└───────────┘
```
### How Backspace-Replay Works
1. All keystrokes in the current word are stored in `keystroke_history`
2. On each keypress, a **fresh engine** is created and the entire history is replayed through it
3. The engine's buffer IS what should be on screen
4. Viet+ calculates the diff: backspaces to erase old text + new text to type
5. On flush (space/period/etc.), history is cleared for the next word
This eliminates the state desync bugs that plague incremental engines.
---
## Installation
### Debian/Ubuntu Package
```bash
sudo dpkg -i vietc_0.1.0-1_amd64.deb
```
Recommends: `libxtst6`, `xclip` (for clipboard injection)
### AppImage
```bash
./Viet+-0.1.0-x86_64.AppImage
```
No special permissions needed on X11 — uses XGrabKeyboard + XTest injection.
### Manual Install
```bash
make build-all
sudo make install
```
---
## Building ## Building
```bash ```bash
# Build all backends (X11 + Wayland) make build-all # Build with X11 + Wayland
make build-all make test # Run 255+ tests
make deb # Build .deb package
# Run tests (255+ tests) make appimage # Build AppImage
make test
# Run interactive test harness
cargo run --bin vietc-cli
# Build packages
make deb # .deb package
make appimage # AppImage
``` ```
--- ---
## Project Structure
```
vietc/
├── engine/ # Core IME engine (Telex + VNI)
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── engine.rs # Main engine + replay_keystrokes()
│ │ ├── telex.rs # Telex state machine
│ │ ├── vni.rs # VNI engine
│ │ ├── english.rs # English auto-restore dictionary
│ │ └── tests/ # 255+ unit tests
│ └── Cargo.toml
├── protocol/ # Injection backends
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── inject.rs # KeyInjector trait
│ │ ├── x11_capture.rs # X11 keyboard capture (XGrabKeyboard)
│ │ ├── x11_inject.rs # Direct X11 clipboard + XTest injection
│ │ └── wayland_im.rs # Wayland IM protocol
│ └── Cargo.toml
├── daemon/ # Background daemon
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── main.rs # Event loop, Backspace-Replay integration
│ │ ├── config.rs # TOML config loader
│ │ ├── app_state.rs # Per-app state manager
│ │ └── display.rs # Display server detection
│ └── Cargo.toml
├── cli/ # Interactive test harness
├── ui/ # Tray icon application
├── packaging/ # Distribution packages
│ ├── appimage/ # AppImage build scripts
│ └── deb/ # .deb package build scripts
├── vietc.toml # Default configuration
├── vietc.service # Systemd user service
├── Makefile # Build targets
└── README.md
```
---
## Changelog
See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for release history.
---
## License ## License
MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details. MIT License — see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
--- ---