EZ IDE

A Modern, Themeable IDE for the EZ Programming Language

Features • Installation • Usage • Shortcuts • Configuration • License

---

EZ IDE is a full-featured integrated development environment built with Python and PyQt6, specifically designed for developing applications in the EZ programming language. It provides a modern, customizable interface with built-in syntax highlighting, an integrated terminal, file browser, and extensive theming support.

Features

📁 File Browser

• Full-featured file/folder navigation with tree view
• Create, rename, and delete files and folders
• Folder bookmarks for quick project access
• Show/hide hidden files toggle
• Navigation history (back/forward buttons)
• Toggle visibility with Ctrl+B or via toolbar

📝 Code Editor

• Tabbed Interface: Open and work on multiple files simultaneously
• Syntax Highlighting: Full EZ language syntax highlighting with customizable colors
• Line Numbers: With current line highlighting
• Smart Editing: Auto-indent and bracket matching
• Word Wrap: Optional word wrapping for long lines
• Zoom Control: Ctrl+Mouse Wheel or Ctrl++/Ctrl+- for font size adjustment

💻 Integrated Terminal

• Execute shell commands directly within the IDE
• Interactive input support: Send input to running programs (prompt changes from $ to >)
• Command history navigation (up/down arrows)
• Quick EZ file execution with F5
• Flexible positioning: below or to the right of the editor
• Toggle visibility with Ctrl+` or via toolbar

Note: Programs using UTF-8 box drawing characters (╔═║╚ etc.) may not display with correct alignment in the integrated terminal due to Qt font rendering limitations. For testing programs that rely on these characters for visual formatting, use Run → Open External Terminal for accurate display.

🎨 Theming System

• 12 Built-in Themes: Including Dark, Light, Monokai, Nord, Dracula, One Dark, Gruvbox Dark, Tokyo Night, Solarized Light, GitHub Light, Gruvbox Light, and One Light
• Full Syntax Highlighting: Customizable colors per theme
• Custom Themes: Create your own themes via JSON files
• Persistent Settings: All preferences saved to local JSON configuration

🐛 Step Debugging

• REPL-based debugger: Step through code using the actual EZ interpreter
• Variable inspection: Watch variables update as you step
• Debug highlighting: Current line highlighted in the editor
• Simple controls: F5 to start, F10 to step, Shift+F5 to stop

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• EZ language https://github.com/SchoolyB/EZ installed and available in PATH (for running EZ files)

Quick Setup

# Clone or navigate to the IDE directory
cd ez_ide

# Make scripts executable
chmod +x setup.sh run.sh

# Run setup (creates virtual environment and installs dependencies)
./setup.sh

Windows

Double-click setup.bat to install dependencies.

Usage

Starting the IDE

Linux / macOS

# Using the run script (recommended)
./run.sh

Windows

Double-click run.bat to start the IDE.

# Or manually
source venv/bin/activate
python main.py

Running EZ Files

1. Open an .ez file in the editor
2. Press F5 to run the current file in the integrated terminal
3. Or use Run → Run File from the menu

Configuring the EZ Interpreter

Go to Run → Select EZ Interpreter to specify a custom path to your EZ binary if it's not in your system PATH.

Keyboard Shortcuts

File Operations

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New File
Ctrl+O	Open File
Ctrl+S	Save
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save All
Ctrl+W	Close Tab

Edit Operations

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo
Ctrl+F	Find
Ctrl+G	Go to Line
Ctrl+,	Settings

View & Run

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+B	Toggle File Browser
Ctrl+`	Toggle Terminal
F5	Run Current File
Ctrl++	Zoom In
Ctrl+-	Zoom Out
Ctrl+0	Reset Zoom

Debugging

Shortcut	Action
F5	Start Debugging
F10	Step Over
Shift+F5	Stop Debugging
Ctrl+Shift+D	Toggle Debug Panel

Configuration

Settings Location

Settings are stored in platform-specific configuration directories:

Platform	Path
Linux	~/.config/ez-ide/settings.json
macOS	~/.config/ez-ide/settings.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\EZ-IDE\settings.json

Custom Themes

Create custom themes by placing JSON files in the themes directory:

Platform	Path
Linux/macOS	~/.config/ez-ide/themes/
Windows	%APPDATA%\EZ-IDE\themes\

Example Theme Structure:

{
  "name": "My Custom Theme",
  "is_dark": true,
  "background": "#1a1a1a",
  "foreground": "#ffffff",
  "accent": "#007acc",
  "syntax": {
    "keyword": "#c586c0",
    "string": "#ce9178",
    "number": "#b5cea8",
    "comment": "#6a9955"
  }
}

See the User Guide for detailed documentation on theme customization.

Project Structure

ez_ide/
├── main.py              # Application entry point
├── setup.sh             # Setup script
├── run.sh               # Run script
├── README.md            # This file
├── user_guide.md        # Comprehensive user guide
├── LICENSE              # MIT License
├── images/
│   └── EZ_LOGO.jpeg     # Application icon
├── examples/            # Example EZ programs
│   ├── hello.ez
│   ├── calculator.ez
│   ├── fibonacci.ez
│   └── ...
└── app/
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── main_window.py   # Main IDE window
    ├── settings.py      # Settings management
    ├── themes.py        # Theme manager
    ├── syntax.py        # EZ syntax highlighter
    ├── editor.py        # Code editor widgets
    ├── file_browser.py  # File browser widget
    ├── terminal.py      # Terminal widget
    ├── debug_session.py # Step debugger REPL manager
    └── debug_panel.py   # Debug UI panel

License

MIT License - Copyright (c) 2025 Marshall A Burns

See LICENSE for details.

---

Part of the EZ Language project