ViraChin

Offline · private · macOS

Persian text, arranged for design.

Download macOS beta Installation & verification Universal build · Apple silicon + Intel · 6.4 MB

The problem

Persian text can become incorrectly ordered or shaped in design applications whose right-to-left support is incomplete. A flattened image avoids renderer problems but removes editability; ordinary copied text stays editable but may break when an LTR-oriented application wraps it again.

Context

ViraChin is a focused macOS utility validated first with Affinity Designer. The application source is maintained privately, while a separate public repository provides the product website, screenshots, installation guidance, checksums, and release downloads. The current 0.1.0 beta is a historical build published under the earlier FarsiFix name.

Responsibilities

Define the product around a specific Persian typography workflow rather than a general-purpose text editor
Design and build two focused creation modes for editable compatibility text and transparent title artwork
Create the bilingual product identity, interface, screenshots, and public product website
Package and document the macOS beta with checksum verification and safe installation guidance

Architecture

The product keeps conversion local to the Mac and separates its two output paths at the interface level. Editable mode transforms natural Persian into visual-order compatibility text with adjustable line length and codepoint inspection. Transparent-image mode uses local TTF or OTF fonts and exports PNG artwork with no backend involved. The public release surface is intentionally separated from the private application source and is delivered through a static GitHub Pages site plus versioned GitHub Releases.

Technical decisions

Make privacy a system boundary

ViraChin has no backend, account, analytics, or network-dependent conversion. Input remains local, is not persisted, and reaches the clipboard only after an explicit copy action.

Separate editable and visual output

One mode preserves copy-ready text and meaningful Unicode details such as ZWNJ; the other accepts the loss of editability in exchange for native shaping, local fonts, per-letter controls, and transparent PNG output.

Expose the target renderer’s constraint

Affinity can reorder a prepared line if it wraps again. Instead of hiding that limitation, ViraChin makes line length an explicit control and explains how the text frame must match the prepared output.

Keep releases verifiable and recoverable

The beta is distributed as a universal macOS disk image with a SHA-256 checksum. The public guide documents Apple’s Open Anyway flow and explicitly warns against disabling Gatekeeper or removing quarantine protection.

Challenges

The central constraint is not merely text direction. Persian shaping, Unicode semantics, visual order, line wrapping, font selection, and the behavior of the destination renderer all interact. A useful tool has to make those constraints understandable without forcing designers to become Unicode specialists.

Solutions

The interface reduces the workflow to natural input, local preparation, and design-ready output. Editable mode adds instant conversion, codepoint inspection, and an Affinity-specific line-length control. Transparent-image mode provides local font selection, direct word and letter targeting, visual effects, precise spacing and transform controls, and transparent export.

Results

A public 0.1.0 beta is available for Apple silicon and Intel Macs, supported by a dedicated product site, release notes, two complete product modes, installation guidance, and checksum verification. The release repository keeps distribution and documentation public while the application source remains private.

Inside the product / two focused modes

Natural input. Two useful outputs.

ViraChin editable compatibility mode with natural Persian input, Affinity line-length controls, and converted output — Editable mode keeps the output copy-ready while exposing the line length needed by the target Affinity text frame.

ViraChin transparent-image mode with local font, size, color, resolution, and title effect controls — Transparent-image mode turns shaped Persian text into adjustable title artwork for export as a transparent PNG.