Dangerous Writing App

About

Project Overview

The Dangerous Writing App is a minimalist desktop editor built in Python with zero external dependencies. If you stop typing for 5 seconds, the editor clears everything. It replicates the “Most Dangerous Writing App” concept in a desktop form while emphasizing clean code, clarity of intent, and maintainability.

Core Technologies

• Python 3 (standard library only)
• Tkinter for GUI and event loop
• Timer via after(1000, ...) cadence
• Single Text widget for editing + a status bar

Technical Execution & Problem Solving

I constrained scope to the least amount of code that still reads well and is easy to extend. The app is organized as a single class (DangerousWriter) with small, well-named methods (_tick, _on_key) and comments explaining intent. The countdown uses a single periodic tick scheduled by Tkinter’s event loop—no threads or extra timers—to avoid drift and complexity.

• Timer design: one recurring tick and an integer remaining counter for reliability.
• Input handling: binding <Key> resets inactivity in a single place.
• UX clarity: a simple status label provides live feedback (seconds remaining, timeout events).
• Maintainability: UI setup, timer logic, and event handling are separated within the class for easy refactors.

Key Features / Technical Highlights

• Inactivity wipe: clears all text after 5 seconds of no input.
• Minimal UI: one editor pane + subtle status bar for focus.
• Zero dependencies: portable across platforms with standard Python.
• Clean structure: single-file, documented, and easy to extend.

Demonstrated Skill Set

• Pragmatic technology selection and scope control
• Event-driven desktop UI design and state management
• Readable code: naming, comments, docstrings, small functions
• Performance-aware UX decisions without over-engineering
• Foundation for testing and future features

Reflection & Next Steps

The main challenge was resisting scope creep while keeping the experience polished. The big learning was how effective a single event loop + fixed cadence can be for timing logic in small desktop tools. If iterating further, I would add:

• Input filtering: reset the timer only on actual text insertions.
• Warning phase: brief background flash or audio cue before deletion.
• Configurability: timeout slider or --timeout flag; theme and font size toggles.
• Testing: unit tests for timeout edges and event handling.