Crosscut

Having a code database that uses a "checkout" approach to editing doesn't change things fundamentally when it comes to syntax, compared to traditional plain text source code. A code database with a custom editor could though, depending on how it works. Let's dive into that.

One of two main things that the editor does, is render the structured code, in a way that makes sense to the developer. It would take the raw data from the database, which wouldn't include any information on how to format the code (although it could, but I don't want that), and format that in a way that looks like you'd expect a programming language to look like.

The other main thing would be input. You'd have a cursor that you move using the arrow keys (and others), as in a normal editor. Like modern IDEs, it could let you navigate in terms of code concepts (functions, modules, etc.), but here, this would be the natural way to do it. The interesting thing, in my mind, would happen if you start typing new code. Let's talk about that tomorrow.