Introduction to cli-box

cli-box is a versatile library designed to create sophisticated command-line interfaces with aesthetic box drawing. It provides a variety of API options to create and manage text-based boxes, which can greatly enhance the appearance and functionality of CLI applications. Whether you’re building a new tool or enhancing an existing one, cli-box offers an easy and efficient way to improve user experience.

Basic Box Creation

The fundamental operation in cli-box is creating a box:

  const Box = require('cli-box');
  const box = Box('20x10', 'This is a simple box');
  console.log(box.toString());

Advanced Functionality

cli-box can be utilized for more advanced tasks including nested boxes, custom styles, and alignment. Below are some of the key features and APIs:

Customizing Borders

Create boxes with customized border styles:

  const box = Box({
    width: 20,
    height: 10,
    marks: {
      nw: '+',
      n: '-',
      ne: '+',
      e: '|',
      se: '+',
      s: '-',
      sw: '+',
      w: '|'
    }
  }, 'Custom borders');
  console.log(box.toString());

Nested Boxes

Embedding boxes within boxes:

  const outerBox = Box('20x12', 'Outer Box');
  const innerBox = Box('10x5', 'Inner Box');
  outerBox.setCell([5, 2], innerBox);
  console.log(outerBox.toString());

Alignments and Padding

Managing text alignments and padding within the box:

  const box = Box({
    width: 30,
    height: 10,
    hAlign: 'center',
    vAlign: 'middle',
    stretch: true
  }, 'Centered content with padding');
  console.log(box.toString());

Application Example

Here’s a CLI application example that leverages various cli-box APIs to build a simple but effective command-line interface:

  const Box = require('cli-box');
  
  function displayMenu() {
    const menuBox = Box({
      width: 40,
      height: 15,
      hAlign: 'center',
      vAlign: 'top'
    }, 'Welcome to the CLI App\n\n1. Option One\n2. Option Two\n3. Exit');
  
    console.log(menuBox.toString());
  }
  
  displayMenu();

Conclusion

cli-box is a powerful tool to enhance the aesthetics and usability of command-line applications. With its flexible API, you can create complex interfaces that are both visually appealing and functionally robust.

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