diff --git a/final/dynstr.c b/final/dynstr.c
index 2ffb31b..fa237a7 100644
--- a/final/dynstr.c
+++ b/final/dynstr.c
@@ -44,10 +44,13 @@ String_t str_from_slice(const char* string, int len) {
     return s;
 }
 
+
 String_t str_new() {
     return str_with_capacity(1);
 }
 
+
+
 int str_dealloc(String_t* self) {
     free(self->data);
     return 0;
@@ -70,6 +73,36 @@ int str_push(String_t* self, char c) {
     return 0;
 }
 
+int str_push_str(String_t* self, char* c) {
+    if (self->size + strlen(c) >= self->capacity) {
+        self->capacity = ( self->size + strlen(c) ) * sizeof(char);
+        self->data = (char*)realloc(self->data, self->capacity);
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < strlen(c); i++) {
+            self->data[self->size + i] = c[i];
+        }
+        self->size = self->capacity;
+    }
+}
+
+String_t str_from_file(FILE* file) {
+    if (file == NULL) {
+        return str_new();
+    }
+
+    char buffer[64];
+
+    String_t string = str_new();
+    
+    while (fgets(buffer, sizeof(buffer), file) != NULL) {
+        str_push_str(&string, buffer);
+    }
+
+    fclose(file);
+
+    return string;
+}
+
 char str_pop(String_t* self) {
     if (self->size == 0) {
         return '\0';
diff --git a/final/dynstr.h b/final/dynstr.h
index a4f4018..9734df5 100644
--- a/final/dynstr.h
+++ b/final/dynstr.h
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #ifndef DYNSTR_H
 #define DYNSTR_H
+#include <stdio.h>
 
 typedef struct {
     int size;
@@ -15,6 +16,10 @@ String_t str_from_slice(char* string, int len);
 
 String_t str_merge(String_t* s1, String_t* s2);
 
+String_t str_from_file(FILE* file);
+
+int str_push_str(String_t* string, char* other);
+
 String_t str_new();
 
 String_t* str_lines(String_t* self, int* numlines);
diff --git a/final/main.c b/final/main.c
index c4d5dd3..1f92cfa 100644
--- a/final/main.c
+++ b/final/main.c
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include <ncurses.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
 #include "editor.h"
 
 void help() {
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ void help() {
     printf("    cmd log // prints a list of all changes made to the file\n");
 }
 
-int open_editor() {
+int open_editor(char* filename) {
     initscr();
     raw();
     noecho();
@@ -22,33 +23,14 @@ int open_editor() {
     int max_y, max_x;
     getmaxyx(stdscr, max_y, max_x);
 
-
-    FILE* file = fopen("somecode.c", "r");
-    if (file == NULL) {
-        endwin();
-        printf("Failed to open file\n");
-        return 1;
-    }
-
-    String_t text = str_new();
-
-    // read from file char by char
-
-    while (true) {
-        char line[1024];
-        if (fgets(line, 1024, file) == NULL) {
-            break;
-        }
-        String_t new_text = str_from_chars(line);
-        text = str_merge(&text, &new_text);
-        str_dealloc(&new_text);
-    }
-
-    fclose(file);
-
-    Editor editor = editor_from(text);
     move(0, 5);
-    
+
+    Editor editor;
+    if (strcmp(filename, "") == 0) {
+        editor = new_editor();    
+    } else {
+        editor = editor_from(str_from_file(fopen(filename, "r")));
+    }
     while (true) {
         refresh();
         int c = getch();
@@ -102,8 +84,16 @@ int open_editor() {
     }
 }
 
-int main() {
-    open_editor();
+int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
+    if (argc == 1) {
+        Editor e = new_editor();
+        open_editor("");
+    } else if (argc == 3) {
+        if (strcmp(argv[1], "open") == 0) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "starting editor openiing file %s", argv[2]);
+            open_editor(argv[2]);     
+        }    
+    }
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/final/somefile.c b/final/somefile.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..745908c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/final/somefile.c
@@ -0,0 +1,221 @@
+/// dynamic array class
+/// written by: Harry Irving
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+typedef struct {
+    uint32_t size, capacity;
+    char* data;
+} String_t;
+
+String_t str_with_capacity(int capacity) {
+    String_t s;
+
+    /// allocate memory for 'capacity' chars
+    s.data = (char*)calloc(capacity, sizeof(char));
+
+    s.size = 0;
+    s.capacity = capacity;
+
+    return s;
+}
+
+String_t str_from_chars(const char* string) {
+    String_t s;
+
+    s.data = (char*)calloc(strlen(string), sizeof(char));
+    strcpy(s.data, string);
+    s.size = strlen(string);
+    s.capacity = strlen(string);
+    return s;
+}
+
+String_t str_from_slice(const char* string, int len) {
+    String_t s;
+
+    s.data = (char*)calloc(len, sizeof(char));
+    strncpy(s.data, string, len);
+    s.size = len;
+    s.capacity = len;
+    return s;
+}
+
+
+String_t str_new() {
+    return str_with_capacity(1);
+}
+
+
+
+int str_dealloc(String_t* self) {
+    free(self->data);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+int str_push(String_t* self, char c) {
+    // check size < capacity
+    if (self->size < self->capacity) {
+        self->data[self->size] = c;
+        self->size++;
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // reallocate to add capacity for an extra char
+    int newcap = self->capacity + sizeof(char);
+    self->data = (char*)realloc(self->data, newcap);
+    self->data[self->size] = c;
+    self->size++;
+    self->capacity = newcap;
+    return 0;
+}
+
+int str_push_str(String_t* self, char* c) {
+    if (self->size + strlen(c) >= self->capacity) {
+        self->capacity = ( self->size + strlen(c) ) * sizeof(char);
+        self->data = (char*)realloc(self->data, self->capacity);
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < strlen(c); i++) {
+            self->data[self->size + i] = c[i];
+        }
+        self->size = self->capacity;
+    }
+}
+
+String_t str_from_file(FILE* file) {
+    if (file == NULL) {
+        return str_new();
+    }
+
+    char buffer[1024];
+
+    String_t string = str_new();
+    
+    while (fgets(buffer, sizeof(buffer), file) != NULL) {
+        str_push_str(&string, buffer);
+    }
+
+    fclose(file);
+
+    return string;
+}
+
+char str_pop(String_t* self) {
+    if (self->size == 0) {
+        return '\0';
+    }
+    self->size--;
+    char c = self->data[self->size];
+    return c;
+}
+
+int str_insert(String_t* self, int index, char c) {
+    if (index > self->size) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    self->size++;
+    for (int i = self->size - 1; i > index; i--) {
+        self->data[i] = self->data[i - 1];
+    }
+    self->data[index] = c;
+    return 0;
+}
+
+int str_remove(String_t* self, int index) {
+    if (index >= self->size) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    self->size--;
+    for (int i = index; i < self->size; i++) {
+        self->data[i] = self->data[i + 1];
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+/// splits a string into an array of strings based on a delimiter
+String_t* str_split(String_t* self, int* res_len, char c) {
+
+    char* string = self->data;
+    String_t* elements = NULL;
+    
+    // find the number of lines in the file
+
+    bool flag = false;
+    *res_len = 0;
+    for (int i = 0; i < strlen(string); i++) {
+        if (string[i] == c) {
+            if (flag) {
+                (*res_len)++;
+                flag = false;
+            }
+        } else {
+            flag = true;
+        }
+    }
+    if (flag) {
+        (*res_len)++;
+    }
+
+    // allocate memory for an array of pointers to each line
+    elements = (String_t*)malloc((*res_len) * sizeof(String_t));
+
+    int i = 0;
+    flag = false;
+    char* start = string;
+    char* end = string;
+
+    while (*end != '\0') {
+        if (*end == c) {
+            if (flag) {
+                elements[i] = str_from_slice(start, end - start);
+                i++;
+            }
+            end++;
+            start = end;
+            flag = false;
+        } else {
+            end++;
+            flag = true;
+        }
+    } if (flag) {
+        elements[i] = str_from_slice(start, end - start);
+    }
+
+
+    // returns an array of String_t
+    return elements;
+}
+
+String_t* str_lines(String_t* self, int* numlines) {
+    return str_split(self, numlines, '\n');
+}
+
+int str_len(String_t* s) {
+    return s->size;
+}
+
+char* to_chars(String_t* s) {
+    return s->data;
+}
+
+// int main() {
+//     String_t s = str_from_chars("hello\nworld\neeeee\notherline\n");
+
+//     str_remove(&s, 10);
+//     str_insert(&s, 10, 'h');
+
+//     printf("%s\n", to_chars(&s));
+
+//     int linen = 0;
+//     String_t* lines = str_lines(&s, &linen);
+//     for (int i=0; i < linen; i++) {
+//         printf("%s", to_chars(&lines[i]));
+//     }
+    
+//     str_dealloc(&s);
+
+//     return 0;
+// }