migueldeicaza/gui.cs
Gui.cs
gui.cs is a .NET terminal user interface toolkit and framework used to build interactive, cross-platform text-based applications. It provides a structured system for composing terminal views using a view hierarchy and a dedicated layout engine.
The library distinguishes itself through a component-based widget system and a constraint-based layout engine that allows interfaces to remain responsive across different terminal window dimensions. It employs a virtual-screen buffer to minimize flickering during redraws and uses state-driven theme configurations to maintain persistent visual styles.
The framework covers a broad range of interface capabilities, including keyboard input mapping, high-fidelity data visualization, and the rendering of high-volume data in tables and tree views. It also includes tools for designing guided workflows, such as multi-step wizards, and provides specialized controls for text editing and file system navigation.
Features
- Terminal Interfaces - A collection of buttons, checkboxes, menus and data tables for rendering high-fidelity terminal displays.
- Cross-Platform TUI Frameworks - A complete framework for creating interactive text-based user interfaces that run across multiple operating systems.
- Terminal User Interfaces - Provides a comprehensive framework for building interactive, cross-platform text-based user interfaces.
- .NET Libraries - Provides a specialized console-based UI library implemented specifically for the .NET ecosystem.
- TUI Tooling Frameworks - Provides the architectural foundation for building professional terminal tools with structured view hierarchies.
- Terminal UI Frameworks - A declarative framework for building interactive command-line interfaces using component-based architectures.
- Component-Based UI Libraries - Offers a comprehensive library of reusable interface elements like buttons and tables.
- Composition Hierarchies - Organizes the user interface as a tree of nested visual elements and parent-child relationships.
- View Hierarchies - Organizes terminal views using a structured hierarchy to manage nesting and positioning.
- Constraint Layout Engines - Implements a layout system that calculates component geometry based on dynamic hierarchical constraints.
- Layout Engines - Implements a constraint-based layout engine to organize terminal interface elements.
- Input Control Mappings - Provides a system for mapping keyboard shortcuts and input events to internal application actions.
- Responsive Layouts - Ensures terminal layouts automatically adapt to various window dimensions using a responsive engine.
- Terminal Layout Engines - Implements a system for composing responsive terminal interfaces using hierarchical widgets and sizing rules.
- UI Widgets - Provides a library of reusable components including buttons, checkboxes, menus, and markdown viewers.
- UI Theme Customization - Allows modification of colors and key bindings to create a consistent and persistable look.
- File System Navigators - Provides an interface for browsing directories and searching files with filtered views and visual icons.
- Screen Buffers - Maintains an internal screen buffer to minimize flickering by calculating minimal updates during redraws.
- Cross-Platform Deployment Targets - Ensures consistent operational behavior and interface rendering across diverse operating systems.
- Guided Workflow Design - Includes tools for designing multi-step wizards and guided input processes using menus and checkboxes.
- High-Volume Data Rendering - Renders high volumes of data in tables and tree views using sorting and filtering for performance.
- Data Visualizations - Provides high-fidelity color support to render charts and progress indicators for displaying complex information sets.
- Keyboard Command Mapping - Provides a system to map physical key presses to internal application commands for decoupled business logic.
- Interface Themes - Includes state-driven theme configurations for managing persistent visual styles and color schemes.
- Guided Workflows - Includes tools for designing multi-step wizards and guided input processes.
- Terminal Data Visualizations - Renders complex data and system states using text-based graphics, tables, and indicators.
- Text Editing Components - Includes specialized UI widgets for text rendering and buffer management with clipboard and undo support.
- Theme Configuration Systems - Features a centralized system for managing visual consistency and persistable theme configurations.
- CLI Tools - Terminal UI toolkit for .NET.
- Dotnet CLI Frameworks - Toolkit for building console-based user interfaces.
- Terminal Libraries - Terminal UI toolkit for .NET applications.
