ARIF(7)

📦 version 0.3.0, in alpine 3.24

✨ ARIF: Another Readline Input Framework ✨

Okay bestie, so the full name is ARIF, which stands for Another Readline Input Framework, and it's literally an input method framework for GNU Readline. Slay.

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

So like, ARIF is an input method framework for GNU Readline. That's the whole vibe. Let me break it down for you.

💖 The ARIF library, explained

The ARIF library API is split into three parts: the base, frontend and engine API. Three icons, one library.

The base API manages input contexts and candidate pages, and acts as a bridge between the frontend and the engine. It's giving middle child but make it essential. For the full deets, check out the manual pages arif_ctx_create(3), arif_ctx_destroy(3), arif_set_engine(3), arif_query(3), arif_fetch(3) and arif_select_page(3).

Now, the frontend and engine API? Keep scrolling, bestie.

🦋 Frontends

So an ARIF frontend decides how to fetch and interpret user input, and also how to present candidates to the user. It's the whole vibe layer.

Right now, the only supported frontend is based on the completion API of GNU Readline. That's the main character. Manual pages for that: arif_rl_enable(3), arif_rl_disable(3), arif_rl_complete(3) and arif_rl_display(3). Go read them, iykyk.

But here's the thing: ARIF is designed to (hopefully) cope with any line editor, not Readline in particular. So if Readline is not your cup of tea (valid!), you can implement your own frontend. More frontends like tecla and ZLE may be supported in the future. Fingers crossed.

🌸 Engines

An ARIF engine generates candidates from a given input text, presumably by communicating with an actual input method engine. That's its whole job. The manual page for arif_set_engine(3) has a detailed description on how to implement an ARIF engine, so if you're building one, read that first.

There's also an example engine implementation powered by the Rime IME core library, provided as a reference. See the manual page arif_rime(3) for details.

🌈 Command-line tools

The arify(1) command-line tool is implemented on top of the ARIF library, and it can be used to make ARIF features available to existing programs. The way that you don't need to modify, rebuild or write plugins for those programs? Iconic. Zero effort, maximum slay.

There's also rlexec(1), which reads user input using Readline and executes another program for each line of input. This program is meant to be used with arify(1), but could also be useful in other scenarios. Versatile king.

⭐ NOTES ⭐

👑 Why use ARIF

ARIF is not meant to be an alternative to modern input method frameworks like IBus and Fcitx, because those are more feature-rich and more suitable for general users. ARIF knows its lane.

Instead, ARIF aims to provide a lightweight, portable and minimalist solution that can serve as a last resort. And particularly? ARIF does not depend on GUI toolkits like GTK or Qt (whereas most input method frameworks choose so), but instead focuses on line editors like GNU Readline, which has stable API and good portability. No bloat, just vibes.

Let me paint you a picture: you're SSH-ing to your PC from a friend's place to get some urgent work done, but unfortunately there isn't any IME that you're familiar with installed on their PC. 😭 In situations like that, ARIF may appear to be useful. It's giving emergency backup bestie.

Also, if you prefer a "uniform user experience" when using Readline programs, you may choose ARIF over GUI-based input method frameworks (just like why Emacs users may choose pyim). Consistency is key, periodt.

Copyright (C) 2025 CismonX <admin@cismon.net>

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

You should have received a copy of the license along with this document. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.html.

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

ARIF project homepage: https://www.nongnu.org/arif/.

And that's the whole page, bestie! Version 0.1.0, dated Jul 26, 2025 — love that for us. You're now officially ARIF-pilled. Go forth and slay your input method game. 🫶💖✨

📦 where this page comes from