SmallTextPad with Encryption and multi-language SmallTextPad is a Simple Java Text Editor and 100% FREE Application, it was written in Java and therefore requires a minimum of JRE 21 installed on your System unless you compile it and package it in snap or flatpak, SmallTextPad has several features already and is still being developed in my spare time. If Java is not installed it can be downloaded from available opensource online.
SmallTextPad — a small Java text editor with optional file encryption and multi-language support.
SmallTextPad is a lightweight text editor written in Java (Swing). It includes basic editing features, undo/redo, printing, and a simple file encryption format (.sstp). The project is free and maintained by the original author in spare time.
- Project: SmallTextPad
- Version: 1.5.1
- Author: Ricardo Wagemaker
- Main class:
wagemaker.co.uk.main.Launcher - License: See
LICENSEanddoc/SmallTextPadLicense.txt
- Java 21+ (OpenJDK or Oracle JRE)
From the project root:
javac -d bin -Xlint:deprecation @sources.txt
java -cp bin wagemaker.co.uk.main.Launcher- The GUI uses Swing. On WSL/X11 the window manager can sometimes reposition dialogs — the code includes extra centering logic to help, and a debug flag in
src/wagemaker/co/uk/main/Launcher.java(setDEBUG = true) that adds diagnostic output when dialogs are shown. - A
.gitignorehas been added to ignore compiled artifacts and IDE files. If you want to keep some prebuilt jars in the repository (for releases), add an explicit whitelist to the.gitignore.
- Source is under
src/ - Version constant:
src/wagemaker/co/uk/utility/Details.java(fieldVersion) - Encryption extension:
.sstp(seeDetails.encryptionExtention)
- If the app won't run, ensure
javaandjavacare installed and available on PATH. - On WSL, run an X server (for example VcXsrv on Windows) and ensure DISPLAY is configured.
- Icons by Freepik / Flaticon — licensed under CC BY 3.0
- Java is a trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates
- Home: https://gcclinux.github.io/smalltextpad/
- Project: https://github.com/gcclinux/smalltextpad
- Latest releases: https://github.com/gcclinux/smalltextpad/releases/latest
If you'd like help packaging this as a Snap, Flatpak or providing distribution builds, I can add packaging instructions and CI steps.
Below are a few screenshots included in the repository under the screenshots/ folder. You can open these locally or view them on GitHub when the repo is published.
languages.png — Language selector / available language options
encrypted.png — Example of a file marked as encrypted (encrypted file indicator)
decrypting.png — Decrypting process / password prompt while decrypting a file
history-picker.png - New History file pickers
old-history.png — History view (legacy history display)
SmallTextPad with Encryption and multi-language
SmallTextPad is a Simple Java Text Editor and 100% FREE Application, it was written in Java and therefore requires a minimum of JRE 21 installed on your System unless you compile it and package it in snap or flatpak, SmallTextPad has several features already and is still being developed in my spare time.
If Java is not installed it can be downloaded from available opensource online.
3rd Party - License & Software
- Icons made by Freepik from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0
- Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
- Any other names may be trademarks of their respective owners!
- Download OpenJDK from Adoptium
