// NATURAL SOURCE

EDIT NATURAL.
KEEP THE VERSIONS.

The problem is maintaining Software AG Natural in a desktop-only world. NCE is a browser editor for .NSP, .NSN, .NSS, .NSL, and .NSC stored in MelTuc (nce_files, nce_versions). CodeMirror 6 ships locally with a custom Natural tokenizer. Every save snapshots the previous body. Version history shows the latest 50 with optional notes, fetch of any past body, and unified diff between two versions. 512 KB per file, server-side extension checks, project namespaces in the explorer, Ctrl/Cmd+S. NCE is an editor only — it does not compile or execute Natural. API list pagination and CSV exist even where the editor UI has not grown a matching control. Proof: public /nce/; editor /nce/app is login.

Premier v0.1.0 CodeMirror 6 No compile
Open Editor How it works
.NSP+
Five extensions
512K
Per-file cap
50
Versions listed
CM6
Local bundle
// HOW IT WORKS

Five steps from empty project to a diff

Landing is public. Editor and /nce/api/* require login. Unauthenticated API calls redirect to platform login.

01
Open the editor
/nce/app is the shell: explorer grouped by project namespace, tabs for open files.
02
Create or open
Allowed extensions only, validated server-side. Soft-delete exists. This is not a compiler workspace.
03
Edit in Natural highlight
Keywords, types, strings, system variables, labels, line and block comments via StreamLanguage.
04
Save and snapshot
Every save captures pre-save content into nce_versions. Optional per-save note. 512 KB limit on save.
05
Read history
Latest 50 versions, fetch any body, unified diff between two version numbers. Pagination/CSV on the file-list API.
Open the editor
// EXPLORER

Projects, then files, then tabs

CSS mock of the explorer — not NaturalONE, not mainframe green-screen photography.

meltuc.tech/nce/app — CSS mock, not a product screenshot
project/hr4 files
PAYCALC.NSPopen
WORK.NSNtab
LOCAL.NSLidle
// EDITOR

A tokenizer, not a mainframe session

Highlighting is local CodeMirror 6. Ctrl+S saves. No remote Natural runtime.

meltuc.tech/nce/app · buffer — CSS mock, not a product screenshot
DEFINE DATAkeyword
LOCALkeyword
#COUNT (N5)type
END-DEFINEkeyword
// HISTORY

Snapshots on save, diffs on demand

History is pre-save snapshots, not git. Fifty latest rows. Unified diff between two numbers.

meltuc.tech/nce/app · versions — CSS mock, not a product screenshot
v50saved 2m · note
v49saved 1h
diff 50 vs 48unified
fetch v12body
// PUBLIC VS APP

Landing is public. Buffers are not.

/nce/ and health are public (health does not touch the DB). /nce/app and APIs need login.

// LIMITS

Editor only. 512 KB. Five extensions.

No compile, no execute, no NaturalONE project import. API pagination max 200/page. CSV on list endpoint may exist without a matching button — the README says API-only for that slice.

// WHAT NCE REFUSES

Not a runtime. Not git.

NCE will not pretend a save is a compile. It will not grow random extensions. It will not store unlimited history UI beyond the latest 50 listed. Soft-delete is not a forensic vault.

// WHO THIS IS FOR

Natural maintainers who already have a browser

Developers keeping NSP/NSN/NSS/NSL/NSC in MelTuc instead of a locked workstation. If you need a compiler, you still need Software AG’s stack. How you verify: login, create .NSP, save twice, open history, diff two versions, reject a .txt upload, hit 512 KB.

// FEATURES

Source in the browser. Versions in Postgres.

Tables: nce_files, nce_versions. No extra env vars.

🗂️
Project explorer
Files grouped by project namespace.
📑
Tabs
Multi-file editing in one shell.
🎨
Natural highlight
Custom CodeMirror 6 StreamLanguage, bundled locally.
💾
Save snapshots
Pre-save body into nce_versions on every save.
📜
History + diff
Latest 50, fetch body, unified diff.
🔒
Extension gate
.NSP .NSN .NSS .NSL .NSC only, server-side.
📏
512 KB cap
Enforced on save.
⌨️
Ctrl/Cmd+S
Save shortcut in the editor.
📤
List CSV
File list API pagination and CSV export.
// GET STARTED

Open the editor. Keep the snapshot.

Login for /nce/app. This page does not show source.

Open NCE

Requires a MelTuc account. Create one free.

// SAID SLOWLY

What stays true over time

Web-based editor for Software AG Natural source files with syntax-aware tooling. Health stays cheap. If this page disagrees with the signed-in app, trust the app — the product contract and tests enforce that rule.