Choosing a Terminal Program

Choosing a Terminal Program

ANSITerm draws using ANSI control codes and UTF-8 box characters. A good terminal program makes everything look sharp. The Arduino IDE Serial Monitor is handy for plain text, but it often does not show colors, boxes, or mouse clicks correctly.

Recommended apps

Program	Platform	Notes
PuTTY	Windows	Reliable for serial. Use UTF-8. Mouse over COM ports usually does not work — use arrow keys + Enter (see Buttons example).
VS Code / Cursor Serial Monitor	Windows / Mac / Linux	Convenient if you already use the editor. Check that UTF-8 and ANSI colors are enabled.
screen or minicom	Mac / Linux	Classic serial terminals; set baud to match the sketch.
TiTTY / other xterm-like	Varies	Prefer apps that advertise “xterm” or “ANSI” support.
telnet (or any raw TCP client)	All	For network examples on port 23 — not encrypted.

Settings that matter

1. Baud rate — Must match the sketch. Most examples use 9600. The ESP Wi‑Fi control example uses 115200.
2. UTF-8 — Turn this on so box-drawing characters look correct.
3. Local echo — Usually off (the board draws the UI; you do not need the PC to reprint keys).
4. COM port — Same port the Arduino IDE used for upload. Close the IDE Serial Monitor first.

Mouse clicks

Mouse support needs the terminal to send special “mouse report” codes (SGR / mode 1006).

• Many USB-serial terminals (including PuTTY in serial mode) do not send mouse clicks.
• Use arrow keys + Enter (and sometimes Space) instead — the newer examples are written for that.
• Network/telnet clients and some advanced terminals may support mouse.

Details: Keyboard and Mouse.

Quick Windows setup (PuTTY)

1. Download PuTTY.
2. Connection type: Serial.
3. Serial line: your COMx port.
4. Speed: 9600 (or 115200 for the ESP control example).
5. Window → Translation → Remote character set: UTF-8.
6. Open the session after the sketch has finished uploading.

If the port is “busy”

Only one program can open the serial port. Close:

• Arduino Serial Monitor
• Other terminal windows
• Sometimes the IDE itself right after upload (then reopen the terminal)