TSharpVision 1.2.0

T# Vision

T# Vision is a text-mode UI framework for .NET inspired by Borland Turbo Vision. Build keyboard-driven applications with windows, dialogs, menus and controls, using a Windows console, Linux/macOS terminal, or SDL desktop driver.

Install

Add the core package:

dotnet add package TSharpVision

For an interactive application, add one driver package as well. Each driver brings in the core package:

• TSharpVision.Drivers.Console — Windows console
• TSharpVision.Drivers.Terminal — interactive ANSI terminal on Linux or macOS
• TSharpVision.Drivers.SDL — SDL desktop window on Windows, Linux or macOS

Quick start

This minimal Windows Console application opens a window; Alt+X exits.

dotnet new console -n HelloTSharpVision -f net10.0
cd HelloTSharpVision
dotnet add package TSharpVision.Drivers.Console

Replace Program.cs with:

using System;
using TSharpVision;
using TSharpVision.Constants;
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("TSHARPVISION_DRIVER", "Win32ConsoleDriver");
return TSharpVisionRuntime.Run(() => new HelloApp(), "Hello TSharpVision");
sealed class HelloApp : TApplication
{
    public HelloApp()
    {
        var window = new TWindow(new TRect(2, 2, 52, 10), "Hello", Views.wnNoNumber);
        window.Insert(new TStaticText(new TRect(2, 2, 46, 4), "Hello from T# Vision! Alt+X exits."));
        DeskTop.Insert(window);
    }
}

Run dotnet run in an attached Windows console.

Packages

Optional pixel graphics

TSharpVision.Graphics is optional and depends only on the core package. GWindow hosts a GView display list of lines, shapes and images; GImage shows a PixelImage fitted or stretched, with nearest or linear sampling. It accepts decoded RGBA8888 pixels, not PNG, JPEG or WebP files: the application decodes them.

• TSharpVision.Graphics alone, or on the Console, Terminal and Null drivers: the views show a text fallback message instead of pixels.
• TSharpVision.Graphics + TSharpVision.Drivers.SDL: SDLGpuDriver and SDLDriver draw the pixels. The application references the SDL package itself; neither package depends on the other.

See showing an image in a window.

Command-line tools

The resource compiler, help compiler and resource inspector are .NET tool packages:

dotnet tool install --global TSharpVision.ResourceCompiler
svrc compile app_en.trc app_en.tvr

See command-line tools.

Documentation

• Documentation
• Getting started
• Driver guide
• Samples
• Source and issues
• Releases

New in 1.2.0

• TProgram.SetAppPalette switches a running program between the Color, BlackWhite and Monochrome palette families.
• SDLGpuDriver adds physical palettes (Default, Green, Amber, Grayscale) and one display effect at a time (Scanlines, Glow, Curvature, ShadowMask), set with [graphics] palette= / effect= or at run time. Palettes recolour text colours only, never pixel graphics; other drivers are unaffected.
• The new optional TSharpVision.Graphics package adds pixel graphics views, shapes and RGBA images (above).
• Built-in framework translations (cs, de, es, fr, it, pl, sk beside English) with [localization] language= and runtime switching via TSharpVisionIntl.UseBuiltInLanguage.
• Help search across several help files (THelpCollection), and file dialogs that start in the directory of the last file accepted in an Open dialog, for the rest of the session.
• The command-line tools svrc, svhc and svres are available as .NET tool packages (above).

All TSharpVision packages, the nine libraries and the three tools, share one version. See the changelog.