diff --git a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_cmd.c3 b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_cmd.c3
index 77468cb..5b2ac83 100644
--- a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_cmd.c3
+++ b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_cmd.c3
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ fn void? Ctx.push_sprite(&ctx, Rect bounds, Rect texture, Id texture_id, int z_i
 	ctx.push_cmd(&cmd, z_index)!;
 }
 
-fn void? Ctx.push_string(&ctx, Rect bounds, String text, int z_index, Color hue = 0xffffffffu.to_rgba())
+fn void? Ctx.push_string(&ctx, Rect bounds, char[] text, int z_index, Color hue = 0xffffffffu.to_rgba())
 {
 	if (text.len == 0) {
 		return;
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ fn void? Ctx.push_string(&ctx, Rect bounds, String text, int z_index, Color hue
 	short line_len;
 	Codepoint cp;
 	usz off, x;
-	while ((cp = str_to_codepoint(text[off..], &x)) != 0) {
+	while (off < text.len && (cp = str_to_codepoint(text[off..], &x)) != 0) {
 		off += x;
 		Glyph* gp;
 		if (!ascii::is_cntrl((char)cp)) {
diff --git a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_core.c3 b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_core.c3
index 7db60a6..40696d5 100644
--- a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_core.c3
+++ b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_core.c3
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ bitstruct ElemEvents : uint {
 	bool mouse_release : 5;
 	bool mouse_hold    : 6;
 	bool update        : 7;
+	bool text_input    : 8;
 }
 
 // element structure
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ struct Ctx {
 		struct keyboard {
 			char[TEXT_MAX] text;
 			usz text_len;
-			ModKeys down;
+			ModKeys modkeys;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -343,6 +344,7 @@ fn ElemEvents Ctx.get_elem_events(&ctx, Elem *elem)
 		.mouse_press = hover && focus && ctx.is_mouse_pressed(BTN_ANY),
 		.mouse_release = hover && focus && ctx.is_mouse_released(BTN_ANY),
 		.mouse_hold = hover && focus && ctx.is_mouse_down(BTN_ANY),
+		.text_input = focus && (ctx.input.keyboard.text_len || ctx.input.keyboard.modkeys & KMOD_TXT),
 	};
 	return ev;
 }
diff --git a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_input.c3 b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_input.c3
index 45811c4..ac70110 100644
--- a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_input.c3
+++ b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_input.c3
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ bitstruct MouseButtons : uint {
 
 // FIXME: all of these names were prefixed with key_ idk if this is better,
 //        if it is remove the prefix on MouseButtons as well
-// Modifier Keys, same as SDL
+// Modifier Keys, intended as any key that is not text
 bitstruct ModKeys : uint {
 	bool lshift :  0;
 	bool rshift :  1;
@@ -39,12 +39,20 @@ bitstruct ModKeys : uint {
 	bool caps   :  9;
 	bool mode   : 10;
 	bool scroll : 11;
+	bool bkspc  : 12;
+	bool del    : 13;
+	// arrow keys
+	bool up     : 14;
+	bool down   : 15;
+	bool left   : 16;
+	bool right  : 17;
 }
 
 const ModKeys KMOD_CTRL  = {.lctrl  = true, .rctrl  = true};
 const ModKeys KMOD_SHIFT = {.lshift = true, .rshift = true};
 const ModKeys KMOD_ALT   = {.lalt   = true, .ralt   = true};
 const ModKeys KMOD_GUI   = {.lgui   = true, .rgui   = true};
+const ModKeys KMOD_TXT   = {.bkspc  = true, .del    = true}; // modkeys that act like text input
 const ModKeys KMOD_NONE  = {};
 const ModKeys KMOD_ANY   = (ModKeys)(ModKeys.inner.max);
 
@@ -60,7 +68,7 @@ const ModKeys KEY_ANY = (ModKeys)(ModKeys.inner.max);
 
 fn bool Ctx.check_key_combo(&ctx, ModKeys mod, String keys)
 {
-	bool is_mod = (bool)(ctx.input.keyboard.down & mod);
+	bool is_mod = (bool)(ctx.input.keyboard.modkeys & mod);
 	bool is_keys = true;
 	String haystack = (String)ctx.input.keyboard.text[0..ctx.input.keyboard.text_len];
 	char[2] needle;
@@ -187,9 +195,10 @@ fn void Ctx.input_char(&ctx, char c)
 	ctx.input_text_utf8(b[..]);
 }
 
-// Mouse Buttons down
+// Modifier keys, like control or backspace
+// TODO: make this call repetible to input modkeys one by one
 fn void Ctx.input_mod_keys(&ctx, ModKeys modkeys)
 {
-	ctx.input.keyboard.down = modkeys;
-	ctx.input.events.mod_key = (uint)ctx.input.keyboard.down != 0;
+	ctx.input.keyboard.modkeys = modkeys;
+	ctx.input.events.mod_key = (uint)ctx.input.keyboard.modkeys != 0;
 }
diff --git a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_text.c3 b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_text.c3
index bf04077..2a6d436 100644
--- a/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_text.c3
+++ b/lib/ugui.c3l/src/ugui_text.c3
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ module ugui;
 import std::io;
 
 struct ElemText {
-	char* str;
+	char[] str;
+	usz cursor; // cursor offset
 }
 
 fn void? Ctx.text_unbounded(&ctx, String label, String text)
@@ -28,3 +29,66 @@ fn void? Ctx.text_unbounded(&ctx, String label, String text)
 
 	ctx.push_string(elem.bounds, text, parent.div.z_index)!;
 }
+
+fn ElemEvents? Ctx.text_box(&ctx, String label, Rect size, char[] text, usz* text_len)
+{
+	Id id = ctx.gen_id(label)!;
+
+	Elem *parent = ctx.get_parent()!;
+	Elem *elem = ctx.get_elem(id)!;
+	// add it to the tree
+	ctx.tree.add(id, ctx.active_div)!;
+
+	// 1. Fill the element fields
+	// this resets the flags
+	elem.type = ETYPE_TEXT;
+	elem.text.str = text;
+	
+	// layout the text box
+	elem.bounds = ctx.position_element(parent, size, true);
+
+	// check input and update the text
+	elem.events = ctx.get_elem_events(elem);
+	
+	if (elem.events.text_input) {
+		usz l = ctx.input.keyboard.text_len;
+		char[] t = ctx.input.keyboard.text[..l];
+				
+		if (l != 0 && l < text.len - *text_len) {
+			text[*text_len..*text_len+l] = t[..];
+			*text_len += l;
+		}
+		
+		if (ctx.input.keyboard.modkeys.bkspc) {
+			*text_len = *text_len > 0 ? *text_len-1 : 0;
+		}
+		
+	}
+	elem.text.cursor = *text_len;
+
+	// draw the box
+	short line_height = (short)ctx.font.line_height();
+	Rect text_box = elem.bounds.sub({0,0,0,line_height});
+	Rect input_box = {
+		.x = elem.bounds.x,
+		.y = elem.bounds.y + elem.bounds.h - line_height,
+		.w = elem.bounds.w,
+		.h = line_height,
+	};
+	Rect cursor;
+	Point b = ctx.get_cursor_position((String)text[:elem.text.cursor])!;
+	cursor = {
+		.x = b.x,
+		.y = b.y,
+		.w = 3,
+		.h = line_height,
+	};
+	cursor = cursor.off(elem.bounds.position());
+
+	ctx.push_rect(text_box, 0xabababffu.to_rgba(), parent.div.z_index, do_border: true)!;
+	ctx.push_string(text_box, text[:*text_len], parent.div.z_index)!;
+	ctx.push_rect(input_box, 0x424242ffu.to_rgba(), parent.div.z_index)!;
+	ctx.push_rect(cursor, 0x00000042u.to_rgba(), parent.div.z_index)!;
+
+	return elem.events;
+}
diff --git a/src/main.c3 b/src/main.c3
index 1324859..71ead09 100644
--- a/src/main.c3
+++ b/src/main.c3
@@ -62,9 +62,9 @@ fn int main(String[] args)
 	defer ui.free();
 
 	ren::Renderer ren;
-	ren.init("Ugui Test", 640, 480, true);
+	ren.init("Ugui Test", 800, 600, true);
 	defer ren.free();
-	ui.input_window_size(640, 480)!!;
+	ui.input_window_size(800, 600)!!;
 
 	//
 	// FONT LOADING
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ fn int main(String[] args)
 			case EVENT_KEY_DOWN:
 				mod.rctrl = e.key.key == K_RCTRL ? !!(e.type == EVENT_KEY_DOWN) : mod.rctrl;
 				mod.lctrl = e.key.key == K_LCTRL ? !!(e.type == EVENT_KEY_DOWN) : mod.lctrl;
+				mod.bkspc = e.key.key == K_BACKSPACE ? !!(e.type == EVENT_KEY_DOWN) : mod.bkspc;
 
 				// pressing ctrl+key or alt+key does not generate a character as such no 
 				// TEXT_INPUT event is generated. When those keys are pressed we have to 
@@ -154,6 +155,8 @@ fn int main(String[] args)
 						ui.input_char((char)e.key.key);
 					}
 				}
+				
+				if (e.type == EVENT_KEY_DOWN && e.key.key == K_RETURN) ui.input_char('\n');
 
 			case EVENT_TEXT_INPUT:
 				ui.input_text_utf8(e.text.text.str_view());
@@ -226,19 +229,13 @@ fn int main(String[] args)
 			static bool check;
 			ui.checkbox("check1", "", {}, &check, "tick")!!;
 			ui.toggle("toggle1", "", {}, &toggle)!!;
-
-/*
-			ui.layout_set_column()!!;
-			ui.button_label(" A ")!!;
-			ui.button_label(" B ")!!;
-			ui.layout_next_column()!!;
-			ui.button_label(" C ")!!;
-			ui.button_label(" D ")!!;
-			ui.layout_next_row()!!;
-			ui.button_label(" E ")!!;
-*/
 		};
 		ui.draw_sprite("sprite1", "tux")!!;
+		
+		static char[128] text_box = "ciao mamma";
+		static usz text_len = "ciao mamma".len;
+		ui.text_box("text input", {0,0,200,200}, text_box[..], &text_len)!!;
+
 		ui.div_end()!!;
 
 		ui.div_begin("second", ugui::DIV_FILL, scroll_x: true, scroll_y: true)!!;
@@ -280,7 +277,6 @@ fn int main(String[] args)
 		};
 		ui.div_end()!!;
 
-
 		ui.frame_end()!!;
 		/* End UI Handling */
 		ui_times.push(clock.mark());