Cross platform Terminal UI toolkit for .NET
Get Started
$ dotnet add package Terminal.GuiReadme
Terminal.Gui v2
Cross-platform UI toolkit for building sophisticated terminal UI (TUI) applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux/Unix.
- v2 Beta (Current):
- v1 (Legacy):
- Maintenance mode only
Important:
- v1 is in maintenance mode - only critical bug fixes accepted
- v2 Beta is recommended for new projects - API is stable with comprehensive features
- Breaking changes possible before Beta, but core architecture is solid
Quick Start
Install the Terminal.Gui.Templates, create a new TUI app, and run it:
dotnet new install Terminal.Gui.Templates@2.0.0-beta.*
dotnet new tui-simple -n myproj
cd myproj
dotnet run
Run the comprehensive UI Catalog demo to explore all controls:
dotnet run --project Examples/UICatalog/UICatalog.csproj
Simple Example
using Terminal.Gui.App;
using Terminal.Gui.ViewBase;
using Terminal.Gui.Views;
using IApplication app = Application.Create ();
app.Init ();
using Window window = new () { Title = "Hello World (Esc to quit)" };
Label label = new ()
{
Text = "Hello, Terminal.Gui v2!",
X = Pos.Center (),
Y = Pos.Center ()
};
window.Add (label);
app.Run (window);
See the Examples directory for more.
Build Powerful Terminal Applications
Terminal.Gui enables building sophisticated console applications with modern UIs:
- Rich Forms and Dialogs - Text fields, buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, and data validation
- Interactive Data Views - Tables, lists, and trees with sorting, filtering, and in-place editing
- Visualizations - Charts, graphs, progress indicators, and color pickers with TrueColor support
- Text Editors - Full-featured text editing with clipboard, undo/redo, and Unicode support
- File Management - File and directory browsers with search and filtering
- Wizards and Multi-Step Processes - Guided workflows with navigation and validation
- System Monitoring Tools - Real-time dashboards with scrollable, resizable views
- Configuration UIs - Settings editors with persistent themes and user preferences
- Cross-Platform CLI Tools - Consistent experience on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Server Management Interfaces - SSH-compatible UIs for remote administration
See the Views Overview for available controls and What's New in v2 for architectural improvements.
Documentation
Comprehensive documentation is at gui-cs.github.io/Terminal.Gui.
Getting Started
- Getting Started Guide - First Terminal.Gui application
- API Reference - Complete API documentation
- What's New in v2 - New features and improvements
Migration & Deep Dives
- Migrating from v1 to v2 - Complete migration guide
- Application Architecture - Instance-based model and IRunnable pattern
- Layout System - Positioning, sizing, and adornments
- Keyboard Handling - Key bindings and commands
- View Documentation - View hierarchy and lifecycle
- Configuration - Themes and persistent settings
See the documentation index for all topics.
Installing
v2 Beta (Recommended)
dotnet add package Terminal.Gui --version "2.0.0-beta.*"
v2 Develop (Latest)
dotnet add package Terminal.Gui --version "2.0.0-develop.*"
Or use the Terminal.Gui.Templates:
dotnet new install Terminal.Gui.Templates@2.0.0-beta.*
v1 Legacy
dotnet add package Terminal.Gui --version "1.*"
Contributing
Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md.
History
See gui-cs for project history and origins.