Tuiloom

Tuiloom builds typed, keyboard-navigable terminal menus with dynamic content, Unicode-safe rendering, captured task output, alerts, and free-form input. It is small enough to learn from one document while still handling the awkward parts of terminal state and background-work shutdown.

This README documents the complete public API of Tuiloom 0.9.0. Tuiloom requires Python 3.12 or newer and is tested on Linux and macOS with Python 3.12–3.14.

Contents

• Installation
• Quick start
• Core concepts
• Navigation and focus
• Screen state and visibility
• Overlay menus
• Commands and submenus
• Screen content
• Status bar
• Captured task output
• Safe shutdown
• Free-form and hidden input
• Alerts
• Messages
• Key bindings and global commands
• Text styling
• Terminal hyperlinks
• API reference
• Runtime constraints
• Strict API migration
• Development

Installation

Install the latest release from PyPI:

python -m pip install tuiloom

To install this version explicitly:

python -m pip install tuiloom==0.9.0

Tuiloom ships inline typing information through py.typed and has no required framework or event-loop dependency.

Quick start

from tuiloom import (
    CommandContext,
    ScreenContent,
    MenuDisplay,
    TerminalApp,
    TerminalMenu,
)

app = TerminalApp("Generator")
menu = TerminalMenu(
    app,
    MenuDisplay(
        menu_name="main",
        title="Generation",
        text="Choose an operation",
        width=24,
    ),
)
status = menu.add_content_panel(ScreenContent.static("Ready"))


def generate(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    status.set_content(ScreenContent.static("Generated"))


menu.add_command("Generate", generate)
app.set_main_menu(menu)
app.run()

TerminalApp.run() is blocking. Call it from Python's main thread in a real interactive terminal. It switches to the terminal's alternate screen and hides the cursor while the application runs, then restores input, cursor, and screen state before returning or propagating an exception.

Core concepts

A Tuiloom application has three main layers:

1. TerminalApp owns application-wide configuration, global commands, messages, captured-output state, and the root menu.
2. TerminalMenu owns selectable commands, content panels, input, alerts, an optional status bar, local overrides, and its event loop.
3. MenuDisplay is the mutable visible state of one menu: name, title, minimum width, descriptive text, and footer message.

Every menu belongs to exactly one application. A submenu and its parent must belong to the same TerminalApp. While the application is running, the navigation stack determines the automatic final row: the bottom menu displays Quit, and every deeper menu displays Back. Registering another main menu restores Back on the previous one until stack depth determines its runtime label.

Command callbacks receive a frozen CommandContext containing the active application, menu, command handle, and triggering binding:

from tuiloom import CommandContext


def inspect_invocation(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.menu.show_alert(
        f"Command: {context.command!r}\nBinding: {context.binding!r}"
    )

Commands, choices, input submission, alert confirmation, and captured-task completion run on the UI thread during normal application execution. Keep these callbacks short; use start_output_task() for blocking application work. ScreenContent.dynamic() and responsive() producers run in content workers, while StatusBar producers run on the UI thread. Content producers should return text rather than mutate menus, and synchronize access to any shared application state.

Navigation and focus

The menu has focus initially. The default controls are:

Key	Action
Tab	Cycle through the menu and each content panel
Up / Down	Move the selected command, or scroll focused content vertically
Left / Right	Scroll focused content horizontally
Enter	Activate the selected command or confirm an alert
Escape	Leave input mode, go Back, or request Quit

Command selection loops and skips disabled commands. The automatic Back or Quit row is always selectable and always follows user commands. The selected row contains >, so it remains visible without ANSI color support.

Tab changes focus only when the menu has content. It cycles through menu -> panel 1 -> panel 2 -> ... -> menu. Focused boxes use solid borders; unfocused boxes use dotted borders. Moving upward in a panel with auto_scroll="smart" suspends its automatic following, and reaching the bottom enables it again.

All controls can be remapped through KeyMap; see Key bindings and global commands.

Navigation is owned by TerminalApp. Its centralized application loop drives the runtimes of all opened menus without recursive run() calls. Start the application with app.run() after registering a main menu, or pass an application-owned entry menu to app.run(entry_menu). In callbacks, transition with the stack methods:

def open_settings(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.app.push_menu(settings)


def open_dashboard(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.app.replace_menu(dashboard)


def return_home(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.app.reset_to(menu)

push_menu() adds a menu above the current one, pop_menu() returns to the previous menu (or requests shutdown at the bottom), and replace_menu() swaps only the current top menu. reset_to() truncates the stack after the requested menu when it is already present; otherwise it replaces the entire stack with that menu. Navigation targets must belong to the application, and a menu cannot be pushed if it is already on the stack. Stack depth supplies Quit for the bottom menu and Back above it unless set_exit_label() has assigned that menu an explicit label; an explicit label always takes priority.

Menus that have not been opened remain lazy: pushing or otherwise scheduling a menu does not initialize it until the application loop reaches it. Its runtime and content workers are then initialized once per application run. Popping or replacing the menu removes it from the visible stack but retains and services that runtime in the background, including source processing and captured-task completion callbacks. push_menu(), replace_menu(), and reset_to() reset the target's focus, command selection, option preview, and input buffer, then invoke its initial command-level on_hover, if configured. An existing input prompt and callback remain installed; only its buffer is cleared. The first on_hover runs before lazy runtime initialization, so it cannot start an output task in that menu yet. pop_menu() reveals the retained state of the previous menu without this reset. Reopening a retained runtime does not restart its workers. On graceful exit, TerminalApp.run() closes every initialized menu runtime and joins its workers, including menus no longer on the stack.

Screen state and visibility

MenuDisplay fields are live and mutable. Tuiloom observes changes while the menu runs:

menu.display_state.title = "New title"
menu.display_state.text = "Updated instructions"
menu.display_state.message = "Saved"
menu.display_state.width = 32

width is the minimum inner width. It must be a positive integer or None; booleans are rejected. The menu grows to fit its text up to the terminal's inner width. Text that still exceeds the available space wraps onto additional lines, preferring word boundaries and splitting long words when necessary. Explicit line breaks are preserved. Headings remain centered, and command continuations align under their label with the selection marker on the first line only.

Set strict_width=True to keep the menu at exactly the specified inner width:

menu.display_state.width = 32
menu.display_state.strict_width = True

strict_width defaults to False and has no effect when width=None (automatic sizing). Both fields can be changed while the menu runs. Wrapping affects only display; the original text and input buffer are retained. Content panels keep using the available terminal width and their existing scrolling behavior.

The two border columns are additional: width=32 needs at least 34 terminal columns. Tuiloom still displays Terminal window is too small. when that minimum cannot fit, or when the frame has insufficient height after wrapping. Automatic sizing keeps a minimum inner width of four columns; an explicit strict width may be smaller.

By default, a content box and menu box have one blank row between them. Pass content_spacing=False to remove it.

Use menu.hide_menu() to hide the menu box while keeping content panels, the status bar, and their runtime active. show_menu() reveals the box and toggle_menu() switches its visibility. The former whole-frame show property and constructor argument have been removed in v0.9.0.

Overlay menus

Display the same TerminalMenu above a graph, dashboard, or logs:

menu = TerminalMenu(
    app,
    MenuDisplay("dashboard", "Main Menu", width=24),
    presentation="overlay",
)
menu.add_content_panel(ScreenContent.static("Graph / dashboard"), description="Graph")
menu.add_content_panel(ScreenContent.static("Turn 15: done"), description="Simulation")
menu.set_status_bar("DONE │ Turn 15 │ 25/25 delivered")
menu.add_command("Resume dashboard", lambda context: context.menu.hide_menu())

# The application chooses its own shortcut; Tuiloom registers none.
app.add_global_command(
    KeyBinding("m"), "Toggle menu", lambda context: context.menu.toggle_menu()
)

inline retains the historical vertical layout. overlay centers the box in the entire terminal body above the status bar. It can cover multiple panels and their borders; it does not attach to one panel. The status row stays at the bottom and is never covered. Weighted sizing, minimum/maximum heights and collapsed heights still allocate panels as if the menu occupied zero rows. content_spacing adds no rows in overlay mode. Opening/closing an overlay does not change dimensions passed to responsive content producers.

An overlay uses the existing automatic width, width, strict_width, wrapping, commands, choices, messages, alerts and input. If it cannot fit, the frame shows Terminal window is too small.; a configured status bar remains at the bottom. The current background continues updating behind the menu and is restored when it closes. Resizing recomputes both panel layout and centered menu placement. On terminals supporting focus reports, returning to a terminal tab also repaints the complete frame, including its bottom rows, even at an unchanged size. Focus notifications do not invoke commands or modify pending input. The terminal's previous focus-reporting mode is restored when the application closes. Focus reporting uses the terminal's mode save/restore controls without a capability query, so no late query response can become input. It also works with NO_COLOR. Terminals without focus reporting keep ordinary rendering, resizing and segment diffs. See the terminal protocol.

Menu visibility

API	Effect
menu.hide_menu()	Hide only the menu box; panels and status remain visible
menu.show_menu()	Reveal a hidden box and focus it
menu.toggle_menu()	Switch the box visibility
menu.menu_visible	Read the requested box visibility, initially True

Box visibility works in both modes. Hiding an inline box also releases its height and spacing. These operations preserve sources, workers, the navigation stack, selection, alerts and input state. Showing/hiding an already shown/hidden box is a no-op. The frame stays visible throughout.

Hiding keeps an already focused panel, or focuses the first available panel. Tab cycles only through panels while the box is hidden; local menu commands, alerts and input do not consume keys. Global commands remain available, including an application-defined toggle shortcut. With no panels, there is no local focus target; global commands and Back/Escape still work. When visible, input and alerts keep their existing modal priority. A root quit confirmation temporarily reveals the menu box while retaining menu_visible=False; cancelling restores the hidden dashboard and prior panel focus.

Submenu presentation inheritance

Omitting presentation (or passing None) means inherit when opened:

settings = TerminalMenu(app, MenuDisplay("settings", "Settings"))
menu.add_submenu(settings, "Settings")  # Inherits overlay from menu on push.

full_page = TerminalMenu(
    app, MenuDisplay("details", "Details"), presentation="inline"
)  # Explicit modes always override inheritance.

push_menu() inherits from the current top menu. replace_menu() inherits from the menu being replaced. Inheritance is resolved again on every opening, so the same unconfigured submenu can appear inline or overlay from different parents. pop_menu() restores the parent's presentation. reset_to() an existing stack entry preserves its mode; a new root defaults to inline. Read menu.presentation for the effective mode. Box visibility is local to each menu and does not inherit. Navigation retains each menu's own panels and status configuration, just as in v0.8.

Run the complete graph/dashboard example from a checkout:

uv run python examples/overlay_dashboard.py

It starts with the menu hidden. Press M to open it, start a simulation, or open Settings to see presentation inheritance. The graph, logs and status keep updating while the menu is open or hidden.

Commands and submenus

Menu commands

add_command() returns a stable MenuCommand handle. Use the owning menu to mutate it:

def connect(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.menu.show_alert("Connected")


def disconnect(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.menu.clear_alert()


command = menu.add_command("Connect", connect)
menu.set_command_label(command, "Disconnect")
menu.set_command_callback(command, disconnect)
menu.move_command(command, 0)
menu.disable_command(command)
menu.enable_command(command)
menu.set_exit_label("Close")

Positions are zero-based. position=None appends a command; an explicit valid position inserts it there. Booleans, negative positions, and out-of-range positions are rejected before mutation. menu.commands is an immutable tuple view, and a handle from another menu is rejected.

The handle exposes read-only label, callback, position, and enabled properties. Their current values reflect mutations performed through the menu. on_hover means keyboard selection: it runs when selection reaches the command, including the initial selection when opening a menu. It does not require a mouse. Its initial invocation has context.binding is None.

Horizontal choices

Use add_choice() when a command should reveal several options on hover. The callback receives a ChoiceContext with app, menu, command, option, index, and the triggering binding. Hover callbacks receive the same context for options; the command label's on_hover receives a CommandContext.

from tuiloom import ChoiceContext, ChoiceOption


def preview_accurate(context: ChoiceContext) -> None:
    context.menu.display_state.message = "Preview: accurate simulation"


def apply_mode(context: ChoiceContext) -> None:
    context.menu.display_state.message = f"Mode: {context.option.label}"

app.add_message("fast_help", "Run the simulation to completion.")
mode = menu.add_choice(
    "Simulation mode",
    [
        ChoiceOption("Fast", hover_message="fast_help"),
        ChoiceOption("Accurate", on_hover=preview_accurate),
        ChoiceOption("Custom", row=1),
    ],
    on_select=apply_mode,
    rows=2,
    selected_index=0,
)
menu.set_choice_index(mode, 1)  # Update without calling on_select.
menu.set_choice_callback(mode, apply_mode)

ChoiceOption(label, *, row=0, on_hover=None, hover_message=None) uses zero-based declared rows. hover_message names a registered application message shown only while the cursor is on that option. It overlays the persistent footer without changing MenuDisplay.message or active_message_key; the previous footer reappears when the cursor leaves. Unknown message keys raise KeyError when the choice is added. on_hover remains available for other actions. Empty declared rows are skipped. A narrow terminal wraps between options, and arrow navigation follows those visible lines. Right from the label enters the options; Down moves to the next command. Enter from the label moves to the active option. Moving the cursor previews an option without changing mode.selected_index or mode.selected_option. mode.selected_label returns the validated option's display text. Enter on an option validates it and calls on_select, including when it is already active. The > marker follows the cursor; ✓ appears after the validated option's label. Option lines start two cells to the right of command markers when the width permits. Use the owning menu's command mutation methods to rename, move, disable, or remove a choice. Replace its selection callback with set_choice_callback(), which accepts ChoiceCallback. set_command_callback() accepts only regular commands.

mode.on_select exposes the original ChoiceCallback. The inherited mode.callback is a real CommandCallback adapter: it creates a ChoiceContext for the currently validated option, preserving the triggering binding. Calling that adapter invokes on_select without opening the chooser or changing its selected index. An option's label is display text; use its index or your own mapping for application values.

Every time a menu opens, its marker starts on the first enabled command from the top. Disabled commands are skipped during initialization and navigation; if all commands are disabled, the marker starts on the automatic Back or Quit row.

Submenus

settings = TerminalMenu(
    app,
    MenuDisplay("settings", "Settings", text="Configure the application"),
)
open_settings = menu.add_submenu(settings, "Settings", position=0)

Activating the returned command pushes the submenu onto the application's navigation stack. add_submenu() is the normal convenience helper for a submenu: it creates a command whose callback calls context.app.push_menu(settings); it does not start a recursive menu loop. It rejects a submenu owned by a different application. Use an explicit command callback with push_menu(), replace_menu(), or reset_to() when a different transition is needed. Application execution starts through TerminalApp.run(); menu navigation uses these stack methods.

Screen content

ScreenContent uses explicit factories for each production strategy:

from collections.abc import Iterator
from tuiloom import ScreenContent


def stream() -> Iterator[str]:
    yield "one\n"
    yield "two\n"


def current_state() -> str | list[str]:
    return ["current", "state"]


panel = menu.add_content_panel(ScreenContent.static("one\ntwo"))
panel.set_content(ScreenContent.lines(["one", "two"]))
panel.set_content(ScreenContent.stream(stream()))
panel.set_description("Loading records")
panel.set_content(ScreenContent.dynamic(current_state))
panel.set_description("Refreshing state")

The factories behave differently:

Factory	Behavior
static(str)	Fixed text split into display lines
lines(list[str])	An immutable copy of fixed display lines
stream(Iterator[str])	A worker consumes chunks until exhaustion
dynamic(Callable[[], str | list[str]])	A worker evaluates the latest state up to 60 Hz
responsive(Callable[[ContentSize], str | list[str]])	A worker renders for the panel's effective size

Static content is normalized immediately. Iterator chunks may contain partial lines and multiple newlines; carriage returns replace the unfinished line, which supports progress-style output. Iterators must yield only strings. Dynamic callables must return str or list[str] and have at most one evaluation in flight.

Responsive content can declare min_width and min_height. Below either minimum, the physical viewport remains the size of the terminal while the renderer receives the larger virtual ContentSize; the result stays clipped and scrollable. refresh_mode="resize" renders on first display, effective size changes, and panel.refresh(). refresh_mode="continuous" additionally renders up to 60 Hz.

Unsafe terminal controls are removed from rendered content. Unicode graphemes, cell widths, safe SGR styling, tabs, and line boundaries are normalized for the terminal.

Multiple content panels

add_content_panel() creates an independently managed content box and returns a stable ContentPanel handle:

logs = menu.add_content_panel(
    ScreenContent.stream(log_stream),
    description="Downloading",
    auto_scroll="strict",
)
metrics = menu.add_content_panel(
    ScreenContent.dynamic(get_metrics),
    description="Indexing",
)

logs.set_content(ScreenContent.stream(new_log_stream))
logs.set_description("Downloading model")
logs.set_auto_scroll("smart")
metrics.move(0)
metrics.remove()

menu.content_panels exposes the handles in display order as an immutable tuple. Visible panels are stacked vertically at equal height by default and labeled when more than one is present. Each panel owns its source worker, viewport, scroll position, and auto-scroll mode. Panels can be added, reordered, replaced, or removed while the menu is running.

Every panel has the same capabilities; there is no primary panel. A menu with one panel shows an unlabeled content box. Create panels with menu.add_content_panel() and keep their handles to change content, labels, auto-scroll, or layout.

Content panel sizing

Each panel can set its share of visible vertical space:

logs = menu.add_content_panel(
    ScreenContent.stream(log_stream),
    description="Logs",
    weight=3,
    min_height=4,
    max_height=30,
)
metrics = menu.add_content_panel(
    ScreenContent.dynamic(get_metrics),
    description="Metrics",
    weight=1,
    min_height=4,
)

# Configure another panel through its handle.
status = menu.add_content_panel(ScreenContent.static("Ready"))
status.set_layout(weight=2, min_height=3, max_height=10)

# Replace the complete layout; omitted options use their defaults.
logs.set_layout(weight=4, min_height=2, max_height=20)

# Change only supplied options, retaining the others.
logs.update_layout(weight=3)  # Keep min_height=2 and max_height=20.
logs.update_layout(max_height=None)  # Remove only the upper bound.
logs.set_layout()  # Restore equal sharing without an upper limit.

weight defaults to 1 and accepts a finite positive integer or float. min_height defaults to 1; max_height defaults to None (no upper limit). Minimum and maximum heights count visible content rows, excluding borders. Supplied heights must be positive integers, and max_height must be at least min_height. Booleans are rejected for all three options. Invalid creation or layout updates raise TypeError or ValueError before changing panel state. set_layout() replaces the full expanded configuration and resets omitted options to their defaults. update_layout() retains omitted options and uses max_height=None to remove an existing upper bound.

Weights target ratios on the total available panel height, including each panel's two border rows and excluding the content/menu gap. For 23 rows, weights 3 and 1 produce complete frames of 17 and 6 rows, containing 15 and 4 visible content rows respectively. Bounds still apply to the inner content: with 20 available frame rows, weights 1 and 3 and minimums of 4 produce frames of 6 and 14 rows (content heights of 4 and 12). A panel that reaches a minimum or maximum keeps that bound while the other panels share the remaining rows by weight. Fractional rows are rounded down, then leftover rows go to the largest fractional remainders, with ties resolved in display order. Defaults preserve the original equal sharing, including giving leftover rows to the first panels.

If the minimum heights cannot all fit, Tuiloom displays Terminal window is too small. If every panel reaches its maximum, unused terminal rows remain below the frame. Layout changes preserve panel identity, workers, focus, scroll positions and auto-scroll policy; viewport growth can clamp an existing scroll offset to the new bottom. Replacing content or moving a panel keeps its layout configuration.

Panel bounds size the physical viewport. The min_height on ScreenContent.responsive() still specifies a virtual rendering minimum: the callback receives the larger of the allocated height and that virtual minimum, and its result remains clipped and scrollable. A layout change refreshes responsive content when its effective ContentSize changes.

Collapsible content panels

Panels start expanded. Collapse a panel to a fixed, smaller viewport while keeping its content and runtime mounted:

logs = menu.add_content_panel(
    ScreenContent.stream(log_stream),
    description="Logs",
    weight=3,
    min_height=4,
    max_height=30,
    collapsed_height=2,
)
logs.collapse()
assert logs.collapsed
logs.set_collapsed_height(1)
logs.expand()
logs.toggle_collapse()

collapsed_height defaults to 1 and counts visible content rows, excluding the two border rows. It must be a positive integer; booleans are rejected. Invalid creation or height updates raise TypeError or ValueError before changing panel state. collapse() and expand() are idempotent; toggle_collapse() switches the state. All mutation methods return None.

A collapsed panel reserves exactly collapsed_height content rows, independently of its expanded weight, min_height, and max_height. Expanded panels share the remaining frame rows using the usual weighted sizing. If the required heights cannot fit, the existing terminal-too-small message is displayed. If all panels are collapsed, unused terminal rows remain below the frame.

expand() recalculates the viewport from the current terminal size and expanded sizing options. set_layout() changes only those expanded options, even while collapsed; it never changes the collapse state or collapsed_height.

Collapsed panels remain visible, focusable, and scrollable. Collapsing or expanding preserves the panel, renderer, viewport, worker, content buffer, and auto-scroll policy. Streams and dynamic sources continue producing content. Scroll offsets follow the existing viewport rules and may be clamped when the viewport grows. Responsive content refreshes when its effective ContentSize changes, still respecting its virtual rendering minimums and using the same worker. No collapse shortcut is installed automatically; applications can bind toggle_collapse() through their existing commands.

Inherited and local content

app = TerminalApp(
    "Monitor",
    global_content=ScreenContent.static("Shared status"),
)
menu = TerminalMenu(app, MenuDisplay("logs", "Logs"))
shared = menu.content_panels[0]  # Automatically added from global_content.
logs = menu.add_content_panel(ScreenContent.static("Local status"))

shared.set_description("Shared status")
shared.set_layout(weight=1, min_height=2)
shared.set_content(ScreenContent.static("Updated status"))
# shared.remove()  # Remove it like any other panel.

Each menu captures app.global_content at construction. When it is present, Tuiloom automatically adds an ordinary panel for that source. Retrieve its handle through menu.content_panels; it can be changed, reordered, or removed like any other panel. Explicitly added local panels are additional panels and do not override inherited content.

For per-menu sources, pass global_content_factory instead. It is called once per menu construction, on the thread constructing that menu, and must return a ScreenContent. The two constructor options are mutually exclusive. A stream has one consumer: the factory must create a fresh iterator for each menu.

from collections.abc import Iterator

from tuiloom import MenuDisplay, ScreenContent, TerminalApp, TerminalMenu


def log_chunks() -> Iterator[str]:
    yield "Starting\n"
    yield "Ready\n"


def make_log_content() -> ScreenContent:
    return ScreenContent.stream(log_chunks())


app = TerminalApp("Monitor", global_content_factory=make_log_content)
main = TerminalMenu(app, MenuDisplay("main", "Monitor"))
details = TerminalMenu(app, MenuDisplay("details", "Details"))
main.add_submenu(details, "Details")
app.set_main_menu(main)
app.run()

The application rejects mounting the same iterator in two panels at once, including panels in different menus of that application. The claim remains while an old worker is retiring after removal or replacement, then ends once that worker has stopped. Releasing ownership does not rewind an iterator or make an exhausted stream reusable.

When both global content options are None, a new menu has no panels until one is added. A menu without panels omits the content box without displaying an automatic message. Applications can still show MessageKey.NO_CONTENT_SOURCE explicitly with show_message().

Replacing active content

panel.set_content(content) replaces that panel's source and returns None. Use panel.set_description(description) to change its label separately. If the menu is running, Tuiloom installs the source through the active event loop.

Replacing an iterator or an in-flight dynamic evaluation requests cooperative cancellation of the old source. The UI remains responsive, waits for the old worker to stop, and then installs only the latest requested replacement. If several replacements arrive during cleanup, the last request wins. panel.content continues to report the old mounted configuration until the new one is installed. Results and errors from an explicitly cancelled source are discarded; ordinary source errors still propagate after resources are cleaned up.

For cooperative iterator cancellation, Tuiloom calls an optional cancel() method as soon as cancellation is requested and an optional close() method when the consumer exits. A blocking iterator should implement cancel() so it can wake or release its own __next__() call. A dynamic callable cannot be interrupted in the middle of an evaluation; that call must return before its worker can stop.

Auto-scroll

Set each panel's auto_scroll when adding it or through its handle later:

menu = TerminalMenu(app, MenuDisplay("logs", "Logs"))
logs = menu.add_content_panel(
    ScreenContent.stream(stream()),
    auto_scroll="smart",
)

logs.set_auto_scroll("strict")
logs.set_auto_scroll(None)
logs.set_auto_scroll("smart")

• "smart" follows new iterator content until the user scrolls upward, then resumes when the viewport reaches the bottom.
• "strict" always follows the newest iterator content.
• None disables automatic following.

Changing a panel's mode or replacing its content resets its smart-scroll state. Invalid modes raise ValueError.

Strict API migration

This version uses the names below directly. Removed names have no aliases or deprecated wrappers; update imports, keyword arguments, and attribute access together. stop() and on_hover keep their existing names.

Removed API	Current API
ScreenContext, menu.screen_context	MenuDisplay, menu.display_state
CommandBehavior, InputBehavior, ChoiceBehavior	CommandCallback, InputCallback, ChoiceCallback
Command behavior parameter/property	callback parameter/property
set_command_behavior()	set_command_callback() for regular commands; set_choice_callback() for choices
set_global_command_behavior(), clear_global_command_behavior()	set_global_command_callback(), clear_global_command_callback()
set_choice_value()	set_choice_index()
choice.value	choice.selected_label; use selected_option for the option object
add_menu()	add_submenu()
delete_command()	remove_command()
run_with_output()	start_output_task()
style(color=..., highlight=...)	style(foreground=..., background=...)
TerminalMenu.run()	TerminalApp.run() for execution; push_menu() for navigation
MessageKey.TASK_EXIT_CHOICES, TASK_WAITING, TASK_STOPPING	Removed; shutdown uses its own temporary menu state

The panel-only API is a breaking change: TerminalMenu no longer accepts content or auto_scroll, and menu.set_content() and menu.auto_scroll have been removed. Create a panel with menu.add_content_panel(content, ...), keep its handle, and use panel.set_content(), panel.set_description(), panel.set_auto_scroll(), and panel.update_layout() for partial updates. Use panel.set_layout() to replace the full expanded layout and reset omitted options. The menu's content_spacing constructor option is keyword-only. TerminalApp.global_content remains supported; access its automatically added panel through menu.content_panels.

Status bar

A menu can display one persistent status line at the bottom of the terminal, separate from its content panels and menu box:

from tuiloom import StatusBar

menu.set_status_bar("READY │ [L] Logs │ [Q] Quit")
menu.set_status_bar(StatusBar.dynamic(lambda: f"RUNNING │ Turn {turn}/80"))


def render_status(width: int) -> str:
    if width < 65:
        return f"RUNNING │ {turn}/80 │ {delivered}/10 │ [L] Logs"
    return (
        f"RUNNING │ Turn {turn}/80 │ {delivered}/10 delivered"
        " │ [Space] Pause │ [L] Logs │ [Q] Quit"
    )


menu.set_status_bar(StatusBar.responsive(render_status))
menu.refresh_status_bar()  # state changed without a width change
menu.clear_status_bar()

The application owns turn and delivered in this example. Shortcut labels are text only; register their behaviors separately as commands or global commands. Tuiloom does not choose shorter labels or introduce application-specific logic.

Factory	Evaluation
StatusBar.static(str)	Fixed text; a plain string passed to set_status_bar() is equivalent
StatusBar.dynamic(Callable[[], str])	On scheduled visible UI frames, up to 60 Hz
StatusBar.responsive(Callable[[int], str])	On first display, replacement, terminal width changes, or menu.refresh_status_bar()

Status producers are lightweight renderers running synchronously in the UI loop. They must read current state and return a string quickly, without I/O, blocking calls, or expensive computation. Perform slow work in an application task or worker, then update state for the renderer to read. No status worker is created. Callback exceptions propagate through the normal terminal-restoration path. Producers are not evaluated while the menu is hidden or covered by a submenu. Responsive output is cached; use refresh_status_bar() when application state changes at the same width. Height changes alone do not reevaluate it.

The status line reserves exactly one physical row before panel and menu layout. It stays on the final terminal row even with no panels, capped panels, or all panels collapsed; any unused rows above it are blank. It has no focus, scrolling, borders, or virtual minimum size. The responsive width is the full available terminal width in cells. An empty string still reserves the row.

Text is sanitized and clipped with the existing Unicode/ANSI utilities, without wrapping or splitting graphemes. Tabs are expanded and newline/carriage-return controls are removed by single-line normalization. Strings longer than the terminal width are clipped; responsive callbacks can select their own shorter representation. When the body cannot fit, a clipped terminal-too-small message appears above the status; when only one row is available, only the status appears. A terminal reporting zero rows or columns receives an empty frame.

Each menu owns its own status configuration, retained when returning from a submenu. Changes take effect without recreating the menu. MenuDisplay.message continues to render independently inside the menu box. menu.hide_menu() keeps the status line visible and its producer running. Without a status bar, frame composition and sizing remain unchanged from v0.7.

Captured task output

start_output_task() runs blocking Python work on a non-daemon worker and uses its captured stdout/stderr in a temporary content panel:

def download() -> str:
    print("Downloading…")
    return "archive.zip"


def start_download(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.menu.start_output_task(
        download,
        on_success=lambda path: context.menu.show_alert(f"Saved {path}"),
        on_error=lambda error: context.menu.show_alert(str(error)),
        description="Downloading archive",
    )


menu.add_command("Download", start_download)

The call itself starts the work and returns immediately. Its menu runtime must already be initialized and running; another menu may currently be visible. Only one captured task may run in the application at a time. A second task raises RuntimeError.

During the task, output appears in a temporary panel with strict auto-scroll; the menu's other panels remain visible and unchanged. On normal completion, Tuiloom processes the outcome, releases the active task registration, requests removal of the temporary panel, and runs on_success(result) or on_error(exception) on the UI thread. Buffered output may still be draining at that point; the panel disappears after consumption finishes. The callback does not wait for the panel to disappear.

Capture includes print() and Python writes to sys.stdout and sys.stderr from non-UI threads while the task is running, including independent workers. It cannot capture subprocess output or direct POSIX file-descriptor writes. Tuiloom does not inject a cancellation token into action. Wait and quit therefore requires the action to return, while Force quit terminates the whole process without waiting for the action.

Safe shutdown

Quitting the root menu while one operation is active opens a normal menu titled Operation in progress; multiple operations use Operations in progress:

Force quit
Wait and quit
Cancel

• Force quit immediately restores the terminal and terminates the process with status zero because it is an explicitly handled user action. It does not wait for active Python threads or native calls, and it does not run their completion callbacks. Partial third-party writes, such as model cache downloads, may be resumed or cleaned up by that library on the next launch.
• Wait and quit lets work finish normally, animates its description, runs a captured task's completion callback, and exposes only a selectable Cancel row while waiting.
• Cancel restores the previous menu, focus, and selection. The configured Back action is equivalent to Cancel in both interactive exit states.

Navigate with the configured Up/Down actions and activate with Enter. The former numeric shortcuts 1, 2, and 0 are not accepted.

Iterator sources count as active work until they finish. Dynamic and responsive sources count as active while an evaluation is in progress, including an old evaluation retiring during replacement. Static content does not block exit. Every active operation is displayed in its own labeled panel. The list is live in every mode: completed panels disappear immediately, singular/plural titles update, and newly started operations are included. The application exits automatically when no blocking operation remains, even before a choice is made.

While waiting to quit, Tuiloom stops scheduling new dynamic/responsive evaluations; it lets the currently running work and stream consumers finish. Cancel restores ordinary scheduling. Graceful shutdown requests cooperative cancellation and waits without a timeout before restoring the terminal. Force quit is the escape hatch for native or application code that does not return: it restores terminal modes and then terminates the whole process without waiting for workers.

When a callback, source, or renderer raises, Tuiloom attempts all worker and terminal cleanup before propagating the error. If cleanup also fails, the original error and cleanup failures are retained in an ExceptionGroup (or BaseExceptionGroup when required). Iterator cancel()/close() hooks should release blocking work reliably: a worker that never returns can prevent graceful shutdown from finishing.

Free-form and hidden input

def submit_password(value: str) -> None:
    if value:
        menu.leave_input_mode()
        menu.show_alert("Password received")


menu.enter_input_mode("Password: ", submit_password, hidden=True)

enter_input_mode() clears the previous buffer. Printable input is appended, Backspace removes a complete Unicode grapheme, Enter calls the InputCallback with the full string, and Escape calls leave_input_mode() without submitting. The callback decides whether input mode stays active after submission.

With hidden=True, one * is displayed per grapheme, including combining characters and emoji sequences. The original Unicode text is passed to the callback. Every global command is disabled while visible free-form input is active. Hiding only the menu box suspends input without clearing the buffer and restores panel/global handling; showing it resumes the same input state.

An alert temporarily suspends the prompt, buffer, hidden state, and input callback without destroying them. Clearing the alert reveals the same input state again.

Alerts

A blocking alert has no confirmation prompt and Enter does not close it:

menu.show_alert("Waiting for an external event")
menu.clear_alert()

A confirmable alert receives a CommandContext:

menu.show_alert(
    "Saved",
    on_confirm=lambda context: status.set_content(ScreenContent.static("Ready")),
    prompt="Continue",
)

If prompt is omitted for a confirmable alert, Tuiloom uses Press Enter to continue. The alert is cleared only after its callback returns normally. If the callback raises, the alert remains and the exception propagates. Alert confirmation has context.command is None and the Enter binding in context.binding.

Alerts preserve the content box. Global commands remain active while an alert is displayed, and Escape still performs Back/Quit.

Messages

Messages occupy MenuDisplay.message, the menu footer. Register custom messages on the application, then show or suppress them by key:

from tuiloom import MessageKey

app.add_message("connected", "Connected successfully")
menu.show_message("connected")  # True when displayed
menu.clear_message()

menu.disable_message("connected")  # suppress only in this menu
menu.enable_message("connected")
app.disable_message("connected")  # suppress in every menu
app.enable_message("connected")

menu.show_message(MessageKey.NO_CONTENT_SOURCE)

The built-in keys are:

MessageKey	Value	Purpose
NO_CONTENT_SOURCE	"no_content_source"	Explain missing content
UNKNOWN_COMMAND	"unknown_command"	Report discarded textual command input

show_message() validates the key and returns False without changing the footer when the message is suppressed. Otherwise it displays the message and returns True. Local and application-wide suppression combine; is_message_enabled() reports the effective state. Unknown keys raise KeyError. Custom keys must be nonempty and unique, including against built-in keys.

Automatic messages use the same registry and respect suppression. UNKNOWN_COMMAND is disabled by default: unrecognized keys leave the current footer unchanged. Enable reporting explicitly for the application:

app.enable_message(MessageKey.UNKNOWN_COMMAND)

You can then suppress it again per menu or application with disable_message(). menu.active_message_key is a read-only property identifying the registered message currently displayed, or None for an empty or directly assigned footer. Assigning display_state.message directly resets that identity, even when the text is unchanged. Messages with identical text retain distinct keys.

Register a message once during application setup, then toggle it from a callback:

app.add_message("credit", "Created by maroard")

def credit(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    context.menu.toggle_message("credit")

toggle_message(key) returns True when the requested message is displayed, or False when it is hidden or suppressed. An active message is cleared; another message is replaced only if the requested message is enabled. Unknown keys raise KeyError without changing the footer. Suppression does not retroactively clear an active message, which can still be hidden by toggling it. Clearing does not restore a previous message.

Key bindings and global commands

Custom system bindings

from tuiloom import KeyBinding, KeyMap, TerminalApp

keymap = KeyMap()
keymap.set_binding("focus", KeyBinding("f", ctrl=True))
app = TerminalApp("App", keymap=keymap)
second_app = TerminalApp("Second app", keymap=keymap.copy())

The seven system actions are focus, up, down, left, right, activate, and back. keymap.bindings is a read-only live mapping, and the same bindings are available as keymap.focus, keymap.up, and so on. action_for(binding) returns the matching KeyAction or None. These seven properties are explicitly typed and read-only, so a type checker can report misspelled attribute names. KeyAction is a literal union of the seven action strings.

A KeyMap belongs to one application. Passing the same instance to a second application raises ValueError. copy() copies its bindings into an independent, unowned map; later remapping affects only that map and its owner.

set_binding() rejects unknown actions, non-KeyBinding values, and collisions with another system action or application global command. Validation happens before mutation, so a failure leaves the previous binding unchanged.

KeyBinding accepts a nonempty key string or normalized special-key name and the boolean modifiers ctrl, alt, and shift. These aliases normalize to the canonical names:

Alias	Canonical key
return	enter
esc	escape
arrow_up	up
arrow_down	down
arrow_left	left
arrow_right	right

Multi-character names are lowercased. Terminal protocols cannot always report every modifier distinctly: Ctrl+letter is commonly case-insensitive, and Shift may arrive only as character case.

Invisible global commands

status = menu.add_content_panel(ScreenContent.static("Ready"))


def refresh(context: CommandContext) -> None:
    status.set_content(ScreenContent.static("Refreshed"))


refresh_command = app.add_global_command(
    KeyBinding("r", ctrl=True),
    "Refresh",
    refresh,
)

app.set_global_command_binding(refresh_command, KeyBinding("f5"))
app.set_global_command_label(refresh_command, "Reload")
app.set_global_command_callback(refresh_command, refresh)

Global commands are invoked immediately when their binding arrives and are not rendered as menu rows. app.global_commands is an immutable tuple of handles; their read-only metadata can power a custom help screen.

A menu can override or disable an application global command locally:

menu.set_global_command_callback(refresh_command, refresh)
menu.disable_global_command(refresh_command)
menu.enable_global_command(refresh_command)
menu.clear_global_command_callback(refresh_command)

Global-command handles belong to one application. Foreign handles are rejected. Global commands remain available while a menu is hidden or an alert is shown, but not during visible free-form input or a root task-exit choice.

Input priority is: task-exit choice, hidden-menu-box handling, free-form input, global commands, alerts, then focus/navigation. Unknown terminal sequences are consumed and do not block later input.

Text styling

Use style() to combine terminal effects and foreground/background colors in one safe string:

from tuiloom import style

title = style("Important", bold=True)
warning = style(
    "Check this value",
    bold=True,
    underline=True,
    foreground="red",
    background="yellow",
)

The named colors are black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, and white, plus their bright_ variants. These use the terminal's ANSI palette. The following additional names use fixed RGB values for both foreground (text) and background:

Name	RGB hexadecimal
orange	#FFA500
gray	#808080
dark_red	#7F0000
dark_green	#007F00
dark_yellow	#7F7F00
dark_blue	#00007F
dark_magenta	#7F007F
dark_cyan	#007F7F
dark_orange	#7F5200
dark_gray	#404040

Dark variants halve RGB components, rounding down, using full-intensity RGB primaries/secondaries as the reference for red through cyan. They do not derive their values from the terminal's configurable ANSI palette.

Colors can also use an ANSI index, an RGB tuple, or a hexadecimal string:

indexed = style("Indexed", foreground=202)
named = style("Warning", foreground="orange", background="dark_gray")
rgb = style("RGB", foreground=(120, 40, 210), background=(245, 245, 245))
hexadecimal = style("Hex", foreground="#7A28D2", background="#F5F5F5")

The available effects are bold, dim, italic, underline, strikethrough, and reverse. Input is sanitized before styling: printable Unicode, safe SGR sequences, newlines, tabs, and HTTP(S) terminal hyperlinks are retained, while unsafe controls are removed. If no effect or color is selected, style() returns only that sanitized text.

Terminal hyperlinks

from tuiloom import hyperlink, style

label = hyperlink(
    style("Project", underline=True, foreground="bright_blue"),
    "https://github.com/maroard/Tuiloom",
)

hyperlink() produces a complete OSC 8 hyperlink. It accepts only absolute HTTP or HTTPS URLs with a network location. Empty URLs, whitespace, C0/C1 controls, Escape, and backslash are rejected with ValueError.

Visible text is sanitized: unsafe controls and nested OSC links are removed, while printable Unicode and safe SGR color/style sequences are preserved.

API reference

All supported imports come directly from tuiloom:

from tuiloom import (
    AutoScrollMode,
    ChoiceCallback,
    ChoiceContext,
    ChoiceOption,
    CommandCallback,
    CommandContext,
    ContentPanel,
    ContentRefreshMode,
    ContentSize,
    GlobalCommand,
    InputCallback,
    KeyAction,
    KeyBinding,
    KeyMap,
    MenuChoice,
    MenuCommand,
    MenuDisplay,
    MenuPresentation,
    MessageKey,
    ScreenContent,
    StatusBar,
    TerminalApp,
    TerminalMenu,
    TextColor,
    display_width,
    hyperlink,
    style,
)

Anything outside this export list is internal and may change without notice.

Type aliases

from collections.abc import Callable
from typing import Literal

from tuiloom import ChoiceContext, CommandContext

type ContentRefreshMode = Literal["resize", "continuous"]
type AutoScrollMode = Literal["smart", "strict"]
type MenuPresentation = Literal["inline", "overlay"]
type CommandCallback = Callable[[CommandContext], None]
type ChoiceCallback = Callable[[ChoiceContext], None]
type InputCallback = Callable[[str], None]
type KeyAction = Literal["focus", "up", "down", "left", "right", "activate", "back"]
type TextColor = str | int | tuple[int, int, int]

AutoScrollMode | None is used where automatic scrolling may be disabled.

ScreenContent and ContentSize

ContentSize is a frozen dataclass with integer width and height fields, measured in terminal cells and content rows. ScreenContent is an immutable configuration created through named factories:

ScreenContent.static(text: str) -> ScreenContent
ScreenContent.lines(lines: list[str]) -> ScreenContent
ScreenContent.stream(iterator: Iterator[str]) -> ScreenContent
ScreenContent.dynamic(renderer: Callable[[], str | list[str]]) -> ScreenContent
ScreenContent.responsive(
    renderer: Callable[[ContentSize], str | list[str]],
    *,
    min_width: int | None = None,
    min_height: int | None = None,
    refresh_mode: ContentRefreshMode = "resize",
) -> ScreenContent

Direct construction raises TypeError. lines() copies its list into an immutable tuple; stream() consumes the supplied iterator, which must yield strings. Dynamic/responsive callbacks run in content workers and must return a string or list of strings; only one evaluation per panel is in flight. Responsive minimums are positive integers or None and describe virtual rendering size, rather than physical panel allocation. Its refresh mode is "resize" or "continuous". See Screen content for replacement and refresh timing.

StatusBar

An immutable current-state configuration created through named factories:

StatusBar.static(text: str) -> StatusBar
StatusBar.dynamic(renderer: Callable[[], str]) -> StatusBar
StatusBar.responsive(renderer: Callable[[int], str]) -> StatusBar

Direct construction raises TypeError. static() requires a string; dynamic and responsive factories require a callable. Producers must return a string; invalid results raise TypeError during rendering. See Status bar for evaluation, refresh, normalization, and layout behavior.

MenuDisplay

MenuDisplay(
    menu_name: str,
    title: str,
    width: int | None = None,
    text: str | None = None,
    message: str | None = None,
    strict_width: bool = False,
)

A mutable dataclass holding visible menu state:

• menu_name: internal name used in contextual messages;
• title: heading in the menu box;
• width: positive minimum inner width, or None for content-based sizing;
• text: optional description above commands;
• message: optional footer;
• strict_width: fix the inner width when width is specified; otherwise use automatic sizing. Defaults to False.

Construction and later assignment validate width and strict_width. Invalid widths raise ValueError; non-boolean strict_width values raise TypeError. Menu growth is bounded by the terminal, with overflowing text wrapped inside the borders. The requested width plus two border columns must still fit.

KeyBinding

KeyBinding(
    key: str,
    ctrl: bool = False,
    alt: bool = False,
    shift: bool = False,
)

A frozen, hashable binding value. key must be a nonempty string or construction raises ValueError; every modifier must be bool or construction raises TypeError. Special aliases and multi-character normalization are described above.

KeyMap

KeyMap()

• bindings → Mapping[KeyAction, KeyBinding]: read-only live action mapping.
• focus, up, down, left, right, activate, back -> KeyBinding: current bindings exposed as explicitly typed read-only properties.
• set_binding(action: KeyAction, binding: KeyBinding) -> None: atomically replace a system binding. Raises KeyError for an unknown action, TypeError for a non-binding, or ValueError for a collision.
• action_for(binding: KeyBinding) -> KeyAction | None: return the matching system action.
• copy() -> KeyMap: copy the bindings without an application owner or collision validator. Later mutations are independent.

An application takes exclusive ownership of its map. Reusing the same instance in another application raises ValueError; supply keymap.copy() instead.

CommandContext

CommandContext(
    app: TerminalApp,
    menu: TerminalMenu,
    command: MenuCommand | GlobalCommand | None,
    binding: KeyBinding | None,
)

A frozen dataclass created by Tuiloom for callbacks. command is None for alert confirmation. binding may be None for programmatic execution.

ChoiceContext is the corresponding frozen context for option hover and selection. It adds option: ChoiceOption and index: int, and its command is always the owning MenuChoice. ChoiceCallback is a callback accepting this context. During an option preview, option and index can differ from the committed selection. When on_select is dispatched by the menu, the selection has already been committed.

MenuChoice and ChoiceOption

ChoiceOption(
    label: str,
    *,
    row: int = 0,
    on_hover: ChoiceCallback | None = None,
    hover_message: str | None = None,
)

ChoiceOption is a frozen dataclass. label is display text, row is a logical row within the expanded choice, and hover_message is a registered message key. The menu validates option rows and message keys when the choice is added.

Obtain a MenuChoice from add_choice(). It extends MenuCommand with read-only options, rows, selected_index, selected_option, selected_label, and on_select. selected_option is a ChoiceOption; selected_label is its text. on_select receives ChoiceContext. Its inherited callback receives CommandContext and adapts it to on_select using the currently committed option and the triggering binding. It does not change the selection or open the chooser. Use set_choice_callback() to replace on_select.

MenuCommand

MenuCommand(
    menu: TerminalMenu,
    label: str,
    callback: CommandCallback,
    on_hover: CommandCallback | None = None,
)

Applications normally obtain this stable handle from add_command() or add_submenu() instead of constructing it directly. Its properties are read-only:

• label -> str;
• callback -> CommandCallback;
• position -> int, zero-based among user commands;
• enabled -> bool.

Use the owning menu's set_command_*, move_command, disable_command, and enable_command methods to mutate it.

GlobalCommand

GlobalCommand(
    app: TerminalApp,
    binding: KeyBinding,
    label: str,
    callback: CommandCallback,
)

Applications normally obtain this handle from add_global_command(). Its read-only properties are binding, label, and callback. Use the owning application's set_global_command_* methods for application-wide mutation, or a menu's global-command methods for local behavior and enablement.

MessageKey

MessageKey is a StrEnum with NO_CONTENT_SOURCE and UNKNOWN_COMMAND. The values and purpose of each member are listed in Messages. Enum members can be passed where a message key string is accepted.

The safe-shutdown interface is rendered as a temporary menu independent of registered messages.

ContentPanel

Applications obtain ContentPanel handles from TerminalMenu.add_content_panel() or menu.content_panels rather than constructing them directly. All panels, including automatically inherited content, support the same methods.

Read-only properties:

• content -> ScreenContent: current mounted production configuration;
• description -> str: current visible and shutdown label;
• position -> int: current zero-based display position;
• auto_scroll -> AutoScrollMode | None: independent iterator-follow policy;
• weight -> float: positive relative share of total panel height, including borders;
• min_height -> int: minimum visible content rows, default 1;
• max_height -> int | None: maximum expanded visible content rows, default None;
• collapsed -> bool: whether the panel uses its fixed collapsed height, default False;
• collapsed_height -> int: collapsed visible content rows, default 1.

Explicit mutation methods:

set_content(content: ScreenContent) -> None
refresh() -> None
set_description(description: str) -> None
set_auto_scroll(mode: AutoScrollMode | None) -> None
collapse() -> None
expand() -> None
toggle_collapse() -> None
set_collapsed_height(height: int) -> None
set_layout(
    *,
    weight: float = 1,
    min_height: int = 1,
    max_height: int | None = None,
) -> None
update_layout(
    *,
    weight: float = <unchanged>,
    min_height: int = <unchanged>,
    max_height: int | None = <unchanged>,
) -> None
move(position: int) -> None
remove() -> None

The handle keeps its identity across content, label, mode, layout and position changes. set_layout() replaces the expanded sizing configuration; omitted arguments reset to their defaults. update_layout() changes only supplied options and retains omitted ones; max_height=None removes the upper bound. Both validate the resulting layout before mutation and leave collapsed and collapsed_height unchanged. <unchanged> denotes the private omission sentinel, not a value callers need to import. collapse() and expand() are idempotent; toggle_collapse() switches the state. set_collapsed_height() sets a positive integer content height independently of the expanded bounds. See Collapsible content panels for allocation and runtime behavior. These methods can be called before or during application execution. refresh() forces a responsive evaluation and raises RuntimeError for other content variants. Calling a mutation method after removal raises ValueError.

TerminalApp

TerminalApp(
    name: str,
    global_content: ScreenContent | None = None,
    *,
    keymap: KeyMap | None = None,
    global_content_factory: Callable[[], ScreenContent] | None = None,
)

The constructor stores the display name, optional content inherited by every menu at construction as an ordinary panel, and an optional custom system key map. Each menu captures the global configuration when it is created. Alternatively, global_content_factory returns independent content for each menu and is called once at menu construction, on the constructing thread. Supplying both content options raises ValueError; an invalid factory or its non-ScreenContent result raises TypeError. Stream factories must create a fresh iterator per panel. The map has one application owner; reuse its configuration through KeyMap.copy().

Read-only properties:

• name -> str: application name displayed by every menu;
• global_content -> ScreenContent | None: content inherited at menu construction;
• global_content_factory -> Callable[[], ScreenContent] | None: optional per-menu content factory;
• keymap -> KeyMap: configurable system key map;
• global_commands -> tuple[GlobalCommand, ...]: immutable ordered handle view;
• main_menu -> TerminalMenu | None: registered root menu.

Methods:

set_main_menu(menu: TerminalMenu) -> None

Register an application-owned root menu and update automatic exit labels. Raises ValueError for a foreign menu.

add_global_command(
    binding: KeyBinding,
    label: str,
    callback: CommandCallback,
) -> GlobalCommand

Register an invisible application command. Raises TypeError for a non-binding or non-callable callback and ValueError when the binding collides with a system or global command.

set_global_command_binding(
    command: GlobalCommand,
    binding: KeyBinding,
) -> None
set_global_command_label(command: GlobalCommand, label: str) -> None
set_global_command_callback(
    command: GlobalCommand,
    callback: CommandCallback,
) -> None

Mutate an owned global handle. Binding replacement is validated atomically. Foreign handles raise ValueError.

add_message(key: str, text: str) -> None
disable_message(key: str) -> None
enable_message(key: str) -> None

Register or globally suppress messages. add_message() raises ValueError for an empty or duplicate key; enable/disable raise KeyError for unknown keys.

push_menu(menu: TerminalMenu) -> None
pop_menu() -> None
replace_menu(menu: TerminalMenu) -> None
reset_to(menu: TerminalMenu) -> None
run(entry_menu: TerminalMenu | None = None) -> None

push_menu() adds an application-owned menu to the top of the stack and rejects a menu already present there. pop_menu() removes the top menu when the stack has multiple entries; at the bottom it requests application shutdown. replace_menu() swaps only the top entry, or creates the first entry when the stack is empty. reset_to() truncates the stack through an existing menu, or replaces the whole stack when the menu is absent. Foreign navigation targets raise ValueError; invalid simultaneous duplicates are rejected.

run() starts with entry_menu when supplied, otherwise with the registered main menu. It raises RuntimeError if neither is available or if called outside Python's main thread, and raises ValueError for a foreign entry menu. The call blocks until the application exits, joins workers, restores terminal state, and then propagates any pending error. Each run starts with a fresh navigation stack. The bottom entry displays Quit and deeper entries display Back regardless of which menu was registered as the main menu, except that a label assigned with set_exit_label() always takes priority.

Push, replace, and reset clear the target's transient selection, focus, option preview and input buffer, then run its initial on_hover. They retain the input prompt/callback and any initialized workers. Pop reveals the previous menu's retained state. When cleanup also fails, run() retains the original failure and cleanup errors in an exception group; all cleanup actions are attempted.

TerminalMenu

TerminalMenu(
    app: TerminalApp,
    display_state: MenuDisplay,
    *,
    content_spacing: bool = True,
    presentation: MenuPresentation | None = None,
)

Create a menu owned by app. Global content or the result of app.global_content_factory automatically creates an ordinary panel, available through content_panels. Otherwise the menu starts without panels. Add explicit panels with add_content_panel(); they are additional to any inherited panel. content_spacing must be a boolean and is keyword-only. presentation is keyword-only: None inherits the parent on navigation or uses inline at a root. Invalid modes raise ValueError; an explicit mode overrides inheritance. The effective presentation property is read-only.

Properties:

• app -> TerminalApp: read-only owner;
• display_state -> MenuDisplay: read-only reference to mutable display state;
• commands -> tuple[MenuCommand, ...]: immutable ordered handle view;
• is_main -> bool: whether this is the registered root;
• presentation -> MenuPresentation: read-only effective mode;
• menu_visible -> bool: read-only requested menu-box visibility;
• content_panels -> tuple[ContentPanel, ...]: immutable ordered panel-handle view;
• status_bar -> StatusBar | None: read-only optional status configuration.

Menu-box visibility methods

show_menu() -> None
hide_menu() -> None
toggle_menu() -> None

Reveal/focus, hide, or toggle only the menu box, preserving the rest of the frame and its runtime. See Overlay menus for focus, suspension and visibility semantics.

Status bar methods

set_status_bar(content: str | StatusBar) -> None
clear_status_bar() -> None
refresh_status_bar() -> None

Install or replace the status configuration with set_status_bar(); a string is shorthand for StatusBar.static(). Other types raise TypeError without changing the current configuration. clear_status_bar() is idempotent and returns the reserved row to the layout. refresh_status_bar() requests a new responsive result on the next visible frame; it raises RuntimeError if there is no status or its kind is static or dynamic. These methods preserve panels, focus, scroll state, and messages.

Command methods

add_command(
    label: str,
    callback: CommandCallback,
    *,
    on_hover: CommandCallback | None = None,
    position: int | None = None,
) -> MenuCommand
add_choice(
    label: str,
    options: list[ChoiceOption] | tuple[ChoiceOption, ...],
    on_select: ChoiceCallback,
    *,
    rows: int = 1,
    selected_index: int = 0,
    on_hover: CommandCallback | None = None,
    position: int | None = None,
) -> MenuChoice
set_choice_index(choice: MenuChoice, selected_index: int) -> None
set_choice_callback(choice: MenuChoice, callback: ChoiceCallback) -> None
add_submenu(
    submenu: TerminalMenu,
    label: str,
    *,
    on_hover: CommandCallback | None = None,
    position: int | None = None,
) -> MenuCommand
remove_command(command: MenuCommand) -> None

Add a command or application-owned submenu and return its stable handle. Invalid positions raise TypeError or ValueError; foreign submenus raise ValueError. add_submenu() installs a normal command that pushes submenu onto the application's navigation stack without starting another application loop.

add_choice() validates a nonempty set of ChoiceOption objects, positive rows, each option's row, and the initial selected_index before registration. set_choice_index() changes the committed option without invoking on_select. set_choice_callback() replaces that callback without invoking it or changing the selection. Invalid indices/layouts and foreign or removed handles raise ValueError; non-callable callbacks raise TypeError.

remove_command() atomically removes an owned command. The deleted handle is immediately invalid: subsequent menu mutations, another deletion, and access to its position raise ValueError. Handles from another menu and objects that are not live command handles are also rejected. If the deleted command was selected, selection moves to the next enabled command, then the previous enabled command, and finally the automatic Back/Quit row. Deleting any other command preserves the selected handle. A command callback may safely delete its own handle; the same selection rules apply before activation returns.

set_command_label(command: MenuCommand, label: str) -> None
set_command_callback(
    command: MenuCommand,
    callback: CommandCallback,
) -> None
move_command(command: MenuCommand, position: int) -> None
disable_command(command: MenuCommand) -> None
enable_command(command: MenuCommand) -> None
set_exit_label(label: str) -> None

Mutate owned menu commands or the automatic Back/Quit label. move_command() requires an existing zero-based position. Foreign handles raise ValueError. set_command_callback() rejects a MenuChoice; its selection callback uses ChoiceContext and must be replaced through set_choice_callback() instead.

Global-command methods

set_global_command_callback(
    command: GlobalCommand,
    callback: CommandCallback,
) -> None
clear_global_command_callback(command: GlobalCommand) -> None
disable_global_command(command: GlobalCommand) -> None
enable_global_command(command: GlobalCommand) -> None

Override, restore, disable, or enable an application global command in this menu only. Foreign handles raise ValueError.

Content and task methods

add_content_panel(
    content: ScreenContent,
    *,
    description: str = "Content in progress",
    auto_scroll: AutoScrollMode | None = None,
    position: int | None = None,
    weight: float = 1,
    min_height: int = 1,
    max_height: int | None = None,
    collapsed_height: int = 1,
) -> ContentPanel

Add an independently rendered panel and return its stable handle. position is zero-based; invalid positions or auto-scroll modes raise TypeError or ValueError. Sizing options are validated before insertion; see Content panel sizing for allocation and bounds. collapsed_height sets the fixed content row count used after collapse(); panels start expanded. See Collapsible content panels.

Change a panel through its ContentPanel handle. See Replacing active content for source replacement semantics.

start_output_task[T](
    action: Callable[[], T],
    *,
    on_success: Callable[[T], None],
    on_error: Callable[[Exception], None],
    description: str = "Task in progress",
) -> None

Start one captured application task and return immediately. Raises RuntimeError without an initialized running menu runtime or when another task is running; the owning menu may be hidden behind another menu. Completion callbacks run on the UI thread after processing the outcome and requesting panel removal, which may still be waiting for buffered output to drain.

Input and alert methods

enter_input_mode(
    prompt: str,
    callback: InputCallback,
    *,
    hidden: bool = False,
) -> None
leave_input_mode() -> None

Start a fresh input buffer or clear all input state. Submission keeps the buffer and session until the callback calls leave_input_mode() or replaces it. The configured Back action cancels without submission. Visible input consumes global bindings; an alert or a hidden menu box suspends it without clearing its buffer.

show_alert(
    text: str,
    *,
    on_confirm: CommandCallback | None = None,
    prompt: str | None = None,
) -> None
clear_alert() -> None

Show a blocking/confirmable alert or clear it and reveal suspended input state.

Message methods

show_message(key: str) -> bool
toggle_message(key: str) -> bool
active_message_key: str | None  # read-only property
clear_message() -> None
disable_message(key: str) -> None
enable_message(key: str) -> None
is_message_enabled(key: str) -> bool

Show, clear, locally suppress, or inspect registered messages. Every keyed operation validates the key. Effective enablement combines local and global suppression.

Lifecycle methods

stop() -> None

stop() performs the current menu's Back/Quit action. At stack depth greater than one it pops the menu. At the bottom it requests shutdown and presents safe shutdown choices when background work is active; otherwise it stops immediately.

style

style(
    text: str,
    *,
    bold: bool = False,
    dim: bool = False,
    italic: bool = False,
    underline: bool = False,
    strikethrough: bool = False,
    reverse: bool = False,
    foreground: TextColor | None = None,
    background: TextColor | None = None,
) -> str

Return sanitized text wrapped in one ANSI SGR opening sequence and targeted resets for the selected categories. Named colors, ANSI indexes from 0 to 255, RGB tuples with components from 0 to 255, and strict #RRGGBB strings are accepted. Invalid types raise TypeError; unknown names, malformed hexadecimal strings, and out-of-range numbers raise ValueError.

display_width

from tuiloom import display_width, style

display_width(style("●", foreground="green"))  # 1
display_width("e\u0301")  # 1: combining accent
display_width("界")  # 2: wide character

display_width(text: str) -> int measures terminal columns rather than Python string length. It uses the same text sanitization and width calculation as Tuiloom's renderer: supported ANSI styles and hyperlinks do not add width, Unicode graphemes retain their terminal width, and tabs use eight-column stops. Use it to measure a rendered line, for example when validating a canvas cell.

hyperlink

hyperlink(text: str, url: str) -> str

Return sanitized visible text wrapped in a complete OSC 8 open/close pair. Unsafe or non-HTTP(S) URLs raise ValueError.

Runtime constraints

• TerminalApp.run() is blocking, main-thread-only, and requires an interactive terminal.
• Popped and replaced menu runtimes continue servicing their content workers until the application closes them when TerminalApp.run() exits.
• Only one start_output_task() task can run per application.
• Python stdout/stderr capture does not include subprocess or direct file-descriptor output.
• Content producers run in workers; commands and status producers run on the UI thread. Synchronize state shared between them and keep UI callbacks fast.
• Stream history has no default size limit. Long-running logs retain their completed lines until their panel is replaced or removed; plan the source's volume and lifetime accordingly.
• Normal shutdown joins non-daemon content and task workers before returning. Force quit instead restores terminal modes and terminates the process without joining workers.
• Terminal protocols may collapse modifier combinations, so not every theoretical KeyBinding is distinguishable on every terminal.
• Rendered content is Unicode-cell-aware and sanitizes unsafe terminal control sequences, but application callbacks remain responsible for their own domain errors and side effects.

Development

Clone the repository and install the locked development environment:

git clone https://github.com/maroard/Tuiloom.git
cd Tuiloom
make install

Available checks:

make check       # Ruff lint/format check, strict MyPy, tests, and coverage
make fix         # apply Ruff formatting and safe lint fixes
make build       # build wheel/sdist and validate both with Twine

CI runs on Linux and macOS with Python 3.12, 3.13, and 3.14. It verifies typing, tests, at least 90% branch-aware coverage, distributions, package metadata, py.typed, licensing, and installation of the built wheel in a clean environment.

Tuiloom is released under the MIT License. Report defects and request features through GitHub Issues.