CardBrick

CardBrick is a minimalist, performant, and Anki-compatible flashcard application specifically designed for small devices that run the ROCKNIX operating system.

It is being tested on the TrimUI Brick running MinUI and on the RG35XX Plus / RG35XX SP (Both running Rocknix).

The primary goal is to provide a "snappy" and distraction-free environment for language learning, with an initial focus on supporting Japanese learning for my children (JLPT N3-N1).

This project is being developed in Rust (2021 Edition). We use evdev for input handling, macroquad for the display and rodio for sound.

Core Features (MVP)

• Deck Loading: Reads Anki .apkg files containing the "Basic" card type.
• Spaced Repetition: Implements a simplified SM-2 scheduling algorithm.
• Interactive Review Loop: A clean UI for reviewing cards, rating them (Again, Hard, Good, Easy), and seeing session progress.
• Rich Text & Furigana: Supports basic HTML formatting (<b>, <i>, <p>, etc.) and includes a first-class implementation for toggling Japanese Furigana readings.
• Performance First: The architecture prioritizes speed and low memory usage, using a native rendering pipeline and avoiding bloated web technologies. The UI is rendered to a 512x364 logical canvas and pixel-doubled for a sharp, retro look.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Rust toolchain (rustup, cargo, cross)

Building and Running

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd CardBrick

2. Build for your local machine (x86_64):

   cargo build --release

3. Run locally:

   cargo run

   You will be expected to have the deck files in the subdirectory underneath the application.

4. Cross-compile for the TrimUI Brick / RG35XX Plus (ARM64):

   cross build --release --target aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu

   Cross will import all of the annoying dependecies without having to litter your Linux build with a different application. You will get one binary with everything (other than decks and some metadata) being built into the executable.

Project Structure Overview

• src/main.rs: The main application entry point, event loop, and state management.
• src/deck/: Handles loading and parsing of Anki .apkg files.
  • loader.rs: Extracts the SQLite database from the zip archive.
  • html_parser.rs: A simple, robust HTML processor to clean card content and handle special tags like <ruby>.
• src/scheduler.rs: Contains the core spaced repetition logic (SM-2) and unit tests.
• src/ui/: Contains all rendering and UI management code.
  • canvas.rs: Manages the main window and the logical, scalable canvas.
  • font.rs: Handles font loading, text layout, and rendering.
  • sprite.rs: Manages the "mother" sprite's state and animation.
• tests/: Integration tests (to be added).
• .github/workflows/ci.yml: The continuous integration pipeline for automated builds and tests.

Other scripts

• If you need DTC for working your device, you can build it using toolchain/Dockerfile.dtc
• If you need scp / rsync for your device, you can build them using toolchain/Dockerfile.scp_and_rsync
• I have a script that fixes ruby tags so they are properly read by the script I am using. You can find it under scripts/ruby_fixer.py

Artwork

Using free artwork from Craftpix.net (thanks!)

License

Code is licensed under GPL‑3.0 or later. See LICENSE for details.