FlexMenu

A lightweight, cross-platform terminal menu library for Python that enables keyboard-controlled menu selection with a clean visual interface.

Features

• Keyboard Navigation: Use ↑/↓ arrows to navigate, Enter/Space to select, ESC to cancel
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows (msvcrt) and Unix/Linux/macOS (termios)
• Visual Feedback: Color-coded selection highlighting and clear operation prompts
• No Dependencies: Pure Python implementation using ANSI escape codes
• Lightweight: Simple and easy to integrate into any CLI application

Installation

Simply copy the FlexMenu class into your project. No additional dependencies required.

Quick Start

from FlexMenu import FlexMenu

# Create a menu
menu = FlexMenu("Main Menu", ["Start Game", "Settings", "Exit"])

# Run the menu
choice_index = menu.run()

# Get the selected option
if choice_index != -1:  # -1 means user pressed ESC
    print(f"You selected: {menu.get_choice}")
else:
    print("Menu cancelled")

API Reference

FlexMenu(title, options)

Create a new menu instance.

• title (str): The menu title displayed at the top
• options (list): List of option strings to display

Methods

• run(): Display the menu and handle user input. Returns the index of selected option (0-based) or -1 if cancelled.
• get_choice (property): Returns the text of the currently selected option

Keyboard Controls

• ↑ / ↓: Navigate through options
• Enter / Space: Confirm selection
• ESC: Cancel and exit menu

Platform Support

• Windows: Uses msvcrt for keyboard input
• Linux/macOS: Uses termios and tty for keyboard input
• Falls back to simple input mode if terminal control libraries are unavailable

Example

menu = FlexMenu(
    "Configuration", 
    ["Network Settings", "Display Options", "Audio", "Save & Exit"]
)

choice = menu.run()

if choice == 0:
    configure_network()
elif choice == 1:
    configure_display()
# ... etc