diff --git a/src/TextMode.js b/src/TextMode.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..77b7645
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/TextMode.js
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+import { h, Component } from 'preact'
+import { parseJSON } from './utils/jsonUtils'
+
+export default class TextMode extends Component {
+  // TODO: define propTypes
+
+  constructor (props) {
+    super(props)
+
+    this.state = {
+      text: '{}'
+    }
+  }
+
+  render (props, state) {
+    return h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor jsoneditor-mode-text'}, [
+      h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor-menu'}, [
+        h('button', {
+          class: 'jsoneditor-format',
+          title: 'Format the JSON document',
+          onClick: this.format
+        }),
+        h('button', {
+          class: 'jsoneditor-compact',
+          title: 'Compact the JSON document',
+          onClick: this.compact
+        })
+          // TODO: implement a button "Fix JSON"
+      ]),
+
+      h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor-contents'}, [
+        h('textarea', {class: 'jsoneditor-text', value: this.state.text})
+      ])
+    ])
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Get the configured indentation
+   * @return {number}
+   * @private
+   */
+  getIndentation () {
+    return this.props.options && this.props.options.indentation || 2
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Format the json
+   */
+  format = () => {
+    var json = this.get()
+    var text = JSON.stringify(json, null, this.getIndentation())
+    this.setText(text)
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Compact the json
+   */
+  compact = () => {
+    var json = this.get()
+    var text = JSON.stringify(json)
+    this.setText(text)
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Apply a JSONPatch to the current JSON document
+   * @param {JSONPatch} actions   JSONPatch actions
+   * @return {JSONPatch} Returns a JSONPatch to revert the applied patch
+   */
+  patch (actions) {
+    // TODO: implement patch
+    throw new Error('Patch not yet implemented')
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Set JSON object in editor
+   * @param {Object | Array | string | number | boolean | null} json   JSON data
+   */
+  set (json) {
+    this.setState({
+      text: JSON.stringify(json, null, this.getIndentation())
+    })
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Get JSON from the editor
+   * @returns {Object | Array | string | number | boolean | null} json
+   */
+  get () {
+    return parseJSON(this.state.text)
+  }
+
+  // TODO: comment
+  setText (text) {
+    this.setState({ text })
+  }
+
+  // TODO: comment
+  getText () {
+    return this.state.text
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/TreeMode.js b/src/TreeMode.js
index ab0594c..100ec6d 100644
--- a/src/TreeMode.js
+++ b/src/TreeMode.js
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ export default class TreeMode extends Component {
   }
 
   render (props, state) {
-    return h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor'}, [
+    // TODO: make mode tree dynamic
+    return h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor jsoneditor-mode-tree'}, [
       h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor-menu'}, [
           h('button', {
             class: 'jsoneditor-expand-all',
@@ -75,8 +76,8 @@ export default class TreeMode extends Component {
           })
       ]),
 
-      h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor-treemode', contentEditable: 'false', onClick: JSONNode.hideContextMenu}, [
-        h('ul', {class: 'jsoneditor-list', contentEditable: 'false'}, [
+      h('div', {class: 'jsoneditor-contents jsoneditor-tree-contents', onClick: JSONNode.hideContextMenu}, [
+        h('ul', {class: 'jsoneditor-list'}, [
           h(JSONNode, {
             data: state.data,
             events: state.events,
diff --git a/src/develop.html b/src/develop.html
index ea501d7..e59da97 100644
--- a/src/develop.html
+++ b/src/develop.html
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@
       console.log('onChange patch=', patch, ', revert=', revert)
       window.patch = patch
       window.revert = revert
-    }
+    },
+    mode: 'text',
+    indentation: 4
   };
   const editor = jsoneditor(container, options);
   const json = {
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 271a02f..117597d 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 import { h, render } from 'preact'
 import TreeMode from './TreeMode'
+import TextMode from './TextMode'
 
 import '!style!css!less!./jsoneditor.less'
 
+// TODO: allow adding new modes
+const modes = {
+  tree: TreeMode,
+  text: TextMode,
+  default: TreeMode
+}
+
 /**
  * Create a new json editor
  * @param {HTMLElement} container
@@ -11,7 +19,10 @@ import '!style!css!less!./jsoneditor.less'
  * @constructor
  */
 function jsoneditor (container, options) {
-  const elem = render(h(TreeMode, {options}), container)
+  const mode = options && options.mode
+  const constructor = modes[mode] || modes['default']
+
+  const elem = render(h(constructor, {options}), container)
   const component = elem._component
 
   return {
@@ -20,6 +31,7 @@ function jsoneditor (container, options) {
     _container: container,
     _options: options,
     _component: component,
+    _modes: modes,
 
     // TODO: implement setMode
 
diff --git a/src/jsoneditor.less b/src/jsoneditor.less
index 430c90b..1759d98 100644
--- a/src/jsoneditor.less
+++ b/src/jsoneditor.less
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
+@fontFamily: droid sans mono, consolas, monospace, courier new, courier, sans-serif;
+@fontSize: 10pt;
+@black: #1A1A1A;
+
 .jsoneditor {
   border: 1px solid #3883fa;
   width: 100%;
   height: 100%;
-  min-height: 150px;
 
   display: inline-flex;
   flex-direction: column;
@@ -69,16 +72,30 @@
     background-position: -48px -120px;
   }
 
+  button.jsoneditor-compact {
+    background-position: -72px -96px;
+  }
+  button.jsoneditor-format {
+    background-position: -72px -120px;
+  }
 }
 
-.jsoneditor-treemode {
+.jsoneditor-contents {
   width: 100%;
   height: 100%;
-  overflow: auto;
-  padding: 2px 0;
+  min-height: 150px;
+
+  overflow: hidden;
+  padding: 0;
+  margin: 0;
   flex: 1 1 auto;
 }
 
+.jsoneditor-tree-contents {
+  padding: 2px 0;
+  overflow: auto;
+}
+
 .jsoneditor-node {
   position: relative;
 
@@ -110,8 +127,8 @@ ul.jsoneditor-list {
 .jsoneditor-separator {
   line-height: 20px;
 
-  font-family: droid sans mono, consolas, monospace, courier new, courier, sans-serif;
-  font-size: 10pt;
+  font-family: @fontFamily;
+  font-size: @fontSize;
 }
 
 .jsoneditor-property,
@@ -122,7 +139,7 @@ ul.jsoneditor-list {
 
   padding: 0 5px;
 
-  color: #1A1A1A;
+  color: @black;
   outline: none;
 }
 
@@ -315,7 +332,7 @@ button.jsoneditor-menu-button {
 
 button.jsoneditor-menu-button:hover,
 button.jsoneditor-menu-button:focus {
-  color: #1a1a1a;
+  color: @black;
   background-color: #f5f5f5;
   outline: none;
 }
@@ -481,3 +498,21 @@ button.jsoneditor-type-Array:focus span.jsoneditor-icon,
 button.jsoneditor-type-Array.jsoneditor-selected span.jsoneditor-icon {
   background-position: -96px 0;
 }
+
+
+textarea.jsoneditor-text {
+  width: 100%;
+  height: 100%;
+  min-height: 150px;
+
+  margin: 0;
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+  outline-width: 0;
+  border: none;
+  background-color: #fff;
+  resize: none;
+
+  font-family: @fontFamily;
+  font-size: @fontSize;
+  color: @black;
+}
diff --git a/src/typedef.js b/src/typedef.js
index 3516258..9b1b275 100644
--- a/src/typedef.js
+++ b/src/typedef.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
  * @typedef {Array.<{op: string, path?: string, from?: string, value?: *}>} JSONPatch
  *
  * @typedef {{
- *
+ *   mode: 'tree' | 'text'
  * }} Options
  *
  * @typedef {{