File Editor

The File tab is a detail tab that opens when you click a file in the File Browser, search results, commit diffs, or anywhere else a file is referenced. Each file opens in its own tab, and multiple files can be open simultaneously.

Modes

The File tab has four modes accessible via inner tab buttons at the top of the tab:

Mode	Purpose
Preview	Rendered view of the file (markdown, images, media, JSON trees, etc.)
Edit	Full code editor with syntax highlighting
History	Git commit history for this file
Details	OS-level file metadata (size, dates, permissions)

The default mode depends on the file type. Markdown, HTML, images, and media files open in Preview. Code and config files open in Edit. Binary files open in Details.

Preview Mode

Preview renders files differently based on their type:

Markdown — rendered HTML with syntax-highlighted code blocks, frontmatter display, and a Contents dropdown for heading navigation
AsciiDoc / Org Mode / reStructuredText — rendered HTML with document outline
HTML — sandboxed iframe preview with an Open in Browser button
SVG — vector preview with Zoom In/Out controls (10%–500%), Reset Zoom, and a toggleable checkered background for transparency
PDF — embedded PDF viewer with page navigation
Images (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, BMP, ICO, AVIF) — native image preview
Audio (MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, AAC, M4A) — HTML5 audio player
Video (MP4, WebM, Ogg) — HTML5 video player
JSON — interactive tree view with expandable nodes and copy-to-clipboard
CSV / TSV — sortable, filterable table with resizable columns
XML — expandable element tree

Files without a dedicated renderer show a message directing you to the Edit mode.

Edit Mode

A full-featured code editor powered by CodeMirror with syntax highlighting for all common languages.

Button	Action
Save	Save file to disk (enabled when file has unsaved changes)
Save As	Save to a new location
Revert	Discard unsaved changes and reload from disk
Find/Replace	Open the find and replace panel
Go to Symbol	Jump to a function, class, or variable definition
Blame	Toggle per-line git blame annotations in the gutter
Word Wrap	Toggle line wrapping
Minimap	Toggle the code overview panel on the right edge

When editing markdown files, an additional formatting toolbar appears:

Bold (Ctrl+B), Italic (Ctrl+I), Strikethrough
Heading (cycles through H1–H3)
Link (Ctrl+K), Image
Bullet List, Numbered List, Task List
Quote, Inline Code, Code Block
Horizontal Rule, Table
Split View — shows a live preview alongside the editor with synchronized scrolling

Status Bar

The bottom status bar shows the current cursor position (line and column) and selection information, updated in real time.

Unsaved Changes

Files with unsaved changes show a dot indicator on their tab. The Save and Revert buttons become enabled. If you close a dirty file, Glint prompts you to save or discard changes.

Git Blame

Toggle blame annotations to see who last modified each line. The gutter shows the abbreviated commit hash and author name. Hover for full details. Lines you’ve modified but not yet committed are tracked separately as “dirty lines.”

Merge Conflict Resolution

When a file contains merge conflict markers, a conflict toolbar appears with Previous/Next Conflict navigation and a counter showing your position (e.g., “Conflict 2 of 5”). Inline buttons let you Accept Current, Accept Incoming, or Accept Both for each conflict.

History Mode

Shows the git commit history for this specific file — up to 50 recent commits.

Each row displays:

Short hash (clickable — opens the Commit tab)
Local indicator (green dot for unpushed commits)
Ref badges (branches and tags)
Commit message (first line)
Author name
Insertions/deletions
Relative date

Click the split-diff icon on any commit to open a side-by-side diff of that file at that revision.

Details Mode

Displays OS-level file metadata:

Name, full path, and location relative to the repo root
Created, modified, and accessed timestamps
File size (human-readable)
Permissions — readable, writable, executable flags
Owner/group (Unix) or hidden/system attributes (Windows)

Header Actions

The file header includes buttons for:

Open in External Editor — launches your configured IDE
Open on GitHub — opens the file on GitHub at the current branch
Open in File Manager — opens the containing folder
Rename — prompts for a new filename
Delete — removes the file (with confirmation)

Right-click the file path in the header for options to copy the full path, relative path, or filename.

External File Changes

If a file changes on disk while you have it open:

No unsaved changes — the file reloads automatically
Unsaved changes — a notification bar appears with Reload, Ignore, and Compare options

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+S	Save
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save As
Ctrl+G	Go to Line
Ctrl+F	Find/Replace
Ctrl+Shift+O	Go to Symbol
Ctrl+B	Bold (markdown)
Ctrl+I	Italic (markdown)
Ctrl+K	Insert link (markdown)