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comp / comp.lang.python / Re: Tools to help with text mode (i.e. non-GUI) input

SubjectAuthor
* RE: Tools to help with text mode (i.e. non-GUI) inputAlan Gauld
`- Re: Tools to help with text mode (i.e. non-GUI) inputKeith Thompson

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Subject: RE: Tools to help with text mode (i.e. non-GUI) input
From: Alan Gauld
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:46 UTC
References: 1 2
Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail
From: learn2program@gmail.com (Alan Gauld)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: RE: Tools to help with text mode (i.e. non-GUI) input
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:46:19 +0000
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On 11/01/2025 14:28, Chris Green via Python-list wrote:
> I'm looking for Python packages that can help with text mode input,

The standard package for this is curses which comes as part
of the standard library on *nix distros.

> What I'm specifically after is a way to provide a default value that
> can be accepted or changed easily and also a way to provide a number
> of different values to choose from.

The default value is easy. The list of values sounds like a pop-up menu.
Ofr you can just offer a prompt with a list in it that the user
picks(maybe by number?) Its really a programmers choice, curses provides
the tools to display it however you choose. (Yu might also find the
dialog third party package useful for displaying text mode dialog boxes)

> I.e. for the default sort of input one might see:-
>
> Colour? red
>
> Hitting return would return 'red' to the program but you could also
> backspace over the 'red' and enter something else. Maybe even better
> would be that the 'red' disappears as soon as you hit any key other
> than return.

All of that is possible in curses, you just have to code it.

> For the select a value type of input I want something like the above
> but hitting (say) arrow up and arrow down would change the value
> displayed by the 'Colour?' prompt and hitting return would accept the
> chosen value.

Again that's easy enough to do. Or you could pop up a menu and
allow the user to cursor up/dowmn (or use the mouse) to select
an option.

> In addition I want the ability to narrow down the list
> by entering one or more initial characters, so if you enter 'b' at the
> Colour? prompt the list of values presented would only include colours
> starting with 'b' (beige, blue, black, etc.)

Again that's more about the programmer's use of the tools. curses
allows you to display the characters wherever/however you want
on screen.

> Are there any packages that offer this sort of thing? I'd prefer ones
> from the Debian repositories but that's not absolutely necessary.

> It might also be possible/useful to use the mouse for this.

curses dores all you want but you need to do all the logic, its not as
simple as using a GUI toolkit. dialog sits on top of curses and provides
a more GUI like experiece.

urwin is another toolkit for text mode but it is more of a pseudo GUI
environment with a menu-bar, dialogs, forms etc etc. Curses is about
mapping areas of the screen(windows) and displaying text within those
areas. You can control colour and strength etc, move things around,
hide/show areas, position the cursor anywhere on screen. You can even
create huge virtual screens and use the visible screen as a viewport
into that(think like a big spreadsheet)

There are a couple of Howto type documents online

Shameless Plug:
---------
I wrote a short kindle book on curses with python:
https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/us/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/B091B85B77
-------------

HTH
--
Alan G
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/
http://www.amazon.com/author/alan_gauld
Follow my photo-blog on Flickr at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alangauldphotos

Subject: Re: Tools to help with text mode (i.e. non-GUI) input
From: Keith Thompson
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Organization: None to speak of
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:41 UTC
References: 1 2 3
Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com (Keith Thompson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: Re: Tools to help with text mode (i.e. non-GUI) input
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:41:51 -0800
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Alan Gauld <learn2program@gmail.com> writes:
> On 11/01/2025 14:28, Chris Green via Python-list wrote:
>> I'm looking for Python packages that can help with text mode input,
>
> The standard package for this is curses which comes as part
> of the standard library on *nix distros.

The thing about curses (which may or may not be a problem) is that, by
design, it takes over the whole screen. If you want to do simpler text
manipulations (showing a dismissible message, showing bold text, etc.)
without interfering with existing text, curses can't do it, at least not
easily.

If your terminal supports it, your current screen contents can be
restored after the application finishes (curses enables the "alternate
screen" and then restores the primary screen on exit).

There don't seem to be a lot of good solutions for doing curses-like
text manipulation without taking over the entire screen.

[...]

--
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */

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