README.md

⬢ ZUI – CGI+DHTML-like User Interface Library for Zsh / ZCurses

This is a RAD (Rapid Application Development) textual user interface library for Zsh. It in many aspects resembles typical CGI+(D)HTML setup. There are:

• generators ran on "server" side (basic Zshell-code that is just generating text!),
• event loop that turns the generated text into document with active elements (buttons, anchors, toggle buttons, text fields, list boxes),
• mechanism to regenerate document parts from the original generators.

So, a Zshell code generates text. It is then turned into document with hyperlinks. DHTML-like calls are possible that will regenerate document parts on the fly. Page can be also reloaded with input data, just like an HTML page.

A voiced video tutorial shows how to create an application – Nmap network scanner frontend.

Hello World

# Started from Zle or from command line

-zui_std_cleanup deserialize:"zui-demo-hello-world"
-zui_std_init app:"zui-demo-hello-world" app_name:"ZUI Hello World"
emulate -LR zsh -o extendedglob -o typesetsilent -o warncreateglobal
-zui_std_init2 # after emulate -LR

-zui_std_store_default_app_config b:border 1

demo_generator_A() {
    local mod="$1" ice="$2"

    # Content, no hyper-links
    reply=( "Hello World from ${ZUI[YELLOW]}ZUI${ZUI[FMT_END]}! Module $mod, instance $ice." )

    # Non-selectable lines   Hops to jump with [ and ]   Local anchors
    reply2=( )               reply3=( 1 )                reply4=( )
}

## Start application ##
zui-event-loop 1:demo_generator_A

-zui_std_cleanup serialize

Other example which uses list-box: zui-demo-list-box

The API is described at the wiki. Checkout screenshots and Asciinema recordings.

Installation

The plugin is "standalone", which means that only sourcing it is needed. So to install, unpack zui somewhere and add

source {where-zui-is}/zui.plugin.zsh

to zshrc.

If using a plugin manager, then Zplugin is recommended, but you can use any other too, and also install with Oh My Zsh (by copying directory to ~/.oh-my-zsh/custom/plugins).

Zplugin

Add zplugin load zdharma/zui to your .zshrc file. Zplugin will handle cloning the plugin for you automatically the next time you start zsh. To update (i.e. to pull from origin) issue zplugin update zdharma/zui.

Antigen

Add antigen bundle zdharma/zui to your .zshrc file. Antigen will handle cloning the plugin for you automatically the next time you start zsh.

Oh-My-Zsh

1. cd ~/.oh-my-zsh/custom/plugins
2. git clone git@github.com:zdharma/zui.git
3. Add zui to your plugin list

Zgen

Add zgen load zdharma/zui to your .zshrc file in the same place you're doing your other zgen load calls in.