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---
name: textual-tui
description: Build modern, interactive terminal user interfaces with Textual. Use when creating command-line applications, dashboard tools, monitoring interfaces, data viewers, or any terminal-based UI. Covers architecture, widgets, layouts, styling, event handling, reactive programming, workers for background tasks, and testing patterns.
---
# Textual TUI Development
Build production-quality terminal user interfaces using Textual, a modern Python framework for creating interactive TUI applications.
## Quick Start
Install Textual:
```bash
pip install textual textual-dev
```
Basic app structure:
```python
from textual.app import App, ComposeResult
from textual.widgets import Header, Footer, Button
class MyApp(App):
"""A simple Textual app."""
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
"""Create child widgets."""
yield Header()
yield Button("Click me!", id="click")
yield Footer()
def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:
"""Handle button press."""
self.exit()
if __name__ == "__main__":
app = MyApp()
app.run()
```
Run with hot reload during development:
```bash
textual run --dev your_app.py
```
Use the Textual console for debugging:
```bash
textual console
```
## Core Architecture
### App Lifecycle
1. **Initialization**: Create App instance with config
2. **Composition**: Build widget tree via `compose()` method
3. **Mounting**: Widgets mounted to DOM
4. **Running**: Event loop processes messages and renders UI
5. **Shutdown**: Cleanup and exit
### Message Passing System
Textual uses an async message queue for all interactions:
```python
from textual.message import Message
class CustomMessage(Message):
"""Custom message with data."""
def __init__(self, value: int) -> None:
self.value = value
super().__init__()
class MyWidget(Widget):
def on_click(self) -> None:
# Post message to parent
self.post_message(CustomMessage(42))
class MyApp(App):
def on_custom_message(self, message: CustomMessage) -> None:
# Handle message with naming convention: on_{message_name}
self.log(f"Received: {message.value}")
```
### Reactive Programming
Use reactive attributes for automatic UI updates:
```python
from textual.reactive import reactive
class Counter(Widget):
count = reactive(0) # Reactive attribute
def watch_count(self, new_value: int) -> None:
"""Called automatically when count changes."""
self.refresh()
def increment(self) -> None:
self.count += 1 # Triggers watch_count
```
## Layout System
### Container Layouts
Textual provides flexible layout options:
**Vertical Layout (default)**:
```python
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
yield Label("Top")
yield Label("Bottom")
```
**Horizontal Layout**:
```python
class MyApp(App):
CSS = """
Screen {
layout: horizontal;
}
"""
```
**Grid Layout**:
```python
class MyApp(App):
CSS = """
Screen {
layout: grid;
grid-size: 3 2; /* 3 columns, 2 rows */
}
"""
```
### Sizing and Positioning
Control widget dimensions:
```python
class MyApp(App):
CSS = """
#sidebar {
width: 30; /* Fixed width */
height: 100%; /* Full height */
}
#content {
width: 1fr; /* Remaining space */
}
.compact {
height: auto; /* Size to content */
}
"""
```
## Styling with CSS
Textual uses CSS-like syntax for styling.
### Inline Styles
```python
class StyledWidget(Widget):
DEFAULT_CSS = """
StyledWidget {
background: $primary;
color: $text;
border: solid $accent;
padding: 1 2;
margin: 1;
}
"""
```
### External CSS Files
```python
class MyApp(App):
CSS_PATH = "app.tcss" # Load from file
```
### Color System
Use Textual's semantic colors:
```css
.error { background: $error; }
.success { background: $success; }
.warning { background: $warning; }
.primary { background: $primary; }
```
Or define custom colors:
```css
.custom {
background: #1e3a8a;
color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
}
```
## Common Widgets
### Input and Forms
```python
from textual.widgets import Input, Button, Select
from textual.containers import Container
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
with Container(id="form"):
yield Input(placeholder="Enter name", id="name")
yield Select(options=[("A", 1), ("B", 2)], id="choice")
yield Button("Submit", variant="primary")
def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:
name = self.query_one("#name", Input).value
choice = self.query_one("#choice", Select).value
```
### Data Display
```python
from textual.widgets import DataTable, Tree, Log
# DataTable for tabular data
table = DataTable()
table.add_columns("Name", "Age", "City")
table.add_row("Alice", 30, "NYC")
# Tree for hierarchical data
tree = Tree("Root")
tree.root.add("Child 1")
tree.root.add("Child 2")
# Log for streaming output
log = Log(auto_scroll=True)
log.write_line("Log entry")
```
### Containers and Layout
```python
from textual.containers import (
Container, Horizontal, Vertical,
Grid, ScrollableContainer
)
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
with Vertical():
yield Header()
with Horizontal():
with Container(id="sidebar"):
yield Label("Menu")
with ScrollableContainer(id="content"):
yield Label("Content...")
yield Footer()
```
## Event Handling
### Built-in Events
```python
from textual.events import Key, Click, Mount
def on_mount(self) -> None:
"""Called when widget is mounted."""
self.log("Widget mounted!")
def on_key(self, event: Key) -> None:
"""Handle all key presses."""
if event.key == "q":
self.app.exit()
def on_click(self, event: Click) -> None:
"""Handle mouse clicks."""
self.log(f"Clicked at {event.x}, {event.y}")
```
### Widget-Specific Handlers
```python
def on_input_submitted(self, event: Input.Submitted) -> None:
"""Handle input submission."""
self.query_one(Log).write(event.value)
def on_data_table_row_selected(self, event: DataTable.RowSelected) -> None:
"""Handle table row selection."""
row_key = event.row_key
```
### Keyboard Bindings
```python
class MyApp(App):
BINDINGS = [
("q", "quit", "Quit"),
("d", "toggle_dark", "Toggle dark mode"),
("ctrl+s", "save", "Save"),
]
def action_quit(self) -> None:
self.exit()
def action_toggle_dark(self) -> None:
self.dark = not self.dark
```
## Advanced Patterns
### Custom Widgets
Create reusable components:
```python
from textual.widget import Widget
from textual.widgets import Label, Button
class StatusCard(Widget):
"""A card showing status info."""
def __init__(self, title: str, status: str) -> None:
super().__init__()
self.title = title
self.status = status
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
yield Label(self.title, classes="title")
yield Label(self.status, classes="status")
```
### Workers and Background Tasks
CRITICAL: Use workers for any long-running operations to prevent blocking the UI. The event loop must remain responsive.
#### Basic Worker Usage
Run tasks in background threads:
```python
from textual.worker import Worker, WorkerState
class MyApp(App):
def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:
# Start background task
self.run_worker(self.process_data(), exclusive=True)
async def process_data(self) -> str:
"""Long-running task."""
# Simulate work
await asyncio.sleep(5)
return "Processing complete"
```
#### Worker with Progress Updates
Update UI during processing:
```python
from textual.widgets import ProgressBar
class MyApp(App):
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
yield ProgressBar(total=100, id="progress")
def on_mount(self) -> None:
self.run_worker(self.long_task())
async def long_task(self) -> None:
"""Task with progress updates."""
progress = self.query_one(ProgressBar)
for i in range(100):
await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
progress.update(progress=i + 1)
# Use call_from_thread for thread safety
self.call_from_thread(progress.update, progress=i + 1)
```
#### Worker Communication Patterns
Use `call_from_thread` for thread-safe UI updates:
```python
import time
from threading import Thread
class MyApp(App):
def on_mount(self) -> None:
self.run_worker(self.fetch_data(), thread=True)
def fetch_data(self) -> None:
"""CPU-bound task in thread."""
# Blocking operation
result = expensive_computation()
# Update UI safely from thread
self.call_from_thread(self.display_result, result)
def display_result(self, result: str) -> None:
"""Called on main thread."""
self.query_one("#output").update(result)
```
#### Worker Cancellation
Cancel workers when no longer needed:
```python
class MyApp(App):
worker: Worker | None = None
def start_task(self) -> None:
# Store worker reference
self.worker = self.run_worker(self.long_task())
def cancel_task(self) -> None:
# Cancel running worker
if self.worker and not self.worker.is_finished:
self.worker.cancel()
self.notify("Task cancelled")
async def long_task(self) -> None:
for i in range(1000):
await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
# Check if cancelled
if self.worker.is_cancelled:
return
```
#### Worker Error Handling
Handle worker failures gracefully:
```python
class MyApp(App):
def on_mount(self) -> None:
worker = self.run_worker(self.risky_task())
worker.name = "data_processor" # Name for debugging
async def risky_task(self) -> str:
"""Task that might fail."""
try:
result = await fetch_from_api()
return result
except Exception as e:
self.notify(f"Error: {e}", severity="error")
raise
def on_worker_state_changed(self, event: Worker.StateChanged) -> None:
"""Handle worker state changes."""
if event.state == WorkerState.ERROR:
self.log.error(f"Worker failed: {event.worker.name}")
elif event.state == WorkerState.SUCCESS:
self.log.info(f"Worker completed: {event.worker.name}")
```
#### Multiple Workers
Manage concurrent workers:
```python
class MyApp(App):
def on_mount(self) -> None:
# Run multiple workers concurrently
self.run_worker(self.task_one(), name="task1", group="processing")
self.run_worker(self.task_two(), name="task2", group="processing")
self.run_worker(self.task_three(), name="task3", group="processing")
async def task_one(self) -> None:
await asyncio.sleep(2)
self.notify("Task 1 complete")
async def task_two(self) -> None:
await asyncio.sleep(3)
self.notify("Task 2 complete")
async def task_three(self) -> None:
await asyncio.sleep(1)
self.notify("Task 3 complete")
def cancel_all_tasks(self) -> None:
"""Cancel all workers in a group."""
for worker in self.workers:
if worker.group == "processing":
worker.cancel()
```
#### Thread vs Process Workers
Choose the right worker type:
```python
class MyApp(App):
def on_mount(self) -> None:
# Async task (default) - for I/O bound operations
self.run_worker(self.fetch_data())
# Thread worker - for CPU-bound tasks
self.run_worker(self.process_data(), thread=True)
async def fetch_data(self) -> str:
"""I/O bound: use async."""
async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
response = await client.get("https://api.example.com")
return response.text
def process_data(self) -> str:
"""CPU bound: use thread."""
# Heavy computation
result = [i**2 for i in range(1000000)]
return str(sum(result))
```
#### Worker Best Practices
1. **Always use workers for**:
- Network requests
- File I/O
- Database queries
- CPU-intensive computations
- Anything taking > 100ms
2. **Worker patterns**:
- Use `exclusive=True` to prevent duplicate workers
- Name workers for easier debugging
- Group related workers for batch cancellation
- Always handle worker errors
3. **Thread safety**:
- Use `call_from_thread()` for UI updates from threads
- Never modify widgets directly from threads
- Use locks for shared mutable state
4. **Cancellation**:
- Store worker references if you need to cancel
- Check `worker.is_cancelled` in long loops
- Clean up resources in finally blocks
### Modal Dialogs
```python
from textual.screen import ModalScreen
class ConfirmDialog(ModalScreen[bool]):
"""Modal confirmation dialog."""
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
with Container(id="dialog"):
yield Label("Are you sure?")
with Horizontal():
yield Button("Yes", variant="primary", id="yes")
yield Button("No", variant="error", id="no")
def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:
self.dismiss(event.button.id == "yes")
# Use in app
async def confirm_action(self) -> None:
result = await self.push_screen_wait(ConfirmDialog())
if result:
self.log("Confirmed!")
```
### Screens and Navigation
```python
from textual.screen import Screen
class MainScreen(Screen):
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
yield Header()
yield Button("Go to Settings")
yield Footer()
def on_button_pressed(self) -> None:
self.app.push_screen("settings")
class SettingsScreen(Screen):
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
yield Label("Settings")
yield Button("Back")
def on_button_pressed(self) -> None:
self.app.pop_screen()
class MyApp(App):
SCREENS = {
"main": MainScreen(),
"settings": SettingsScreen(),
}
```
## Testing
Test Textual apps with pytest and the Pilot API:
```python
import pytest
from textual.pilot import Pilot
from my_app import MyApp
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_app_starts():
app = MyApp()
async with app.run_test() as pilot:
assert app.screen is not None
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_button_click():
app = MyApp()
async with app.run_test() as pilot:
await pilot.click("#my-button")
# Assert expected state changes
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_keyboard_input():
app = MyApp()
async with app.run_test() as pilot:
await pilot.press("q")
# Verify app exited or state changed
```
## Best Practices
### Performance
- Use `Lazy` for expensive widgets loaded on demand
- Implement efficient `render()` methods, avoid unnecessary work
- Use reactive attributes sparingly for truly dynamic values
- Batch UI updates when processing multiple changes
### State Management
- Keep app state in the App instance for global access
- Use reactive attributes for UI-bound state
- Store complex state in dedicated data models
- Avoid deeply nested widget communication
### Error Handling
```python
from textual.widgets import RichLog
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
yield RichLog(id="log")
async def action_risky_operation(self) -> None:
try:
result = await some_async_operation()
self.notify("Success!", severity="information")
except Exception as e:
self.notify(f"Error: {e}", severity="error")
self.query_one(RichLog).write(f"[red]Error:[/] {e}")
```
### Accessibility
- Always provide keyboard navigation
- Use semantic widget names and IDs
- Include ARIA-like descriptions where appropriate
- Test with screen reader compatibility in mind
## Development Tools
### Textual Console
Debug running apps:
```bash
# Terminal 1: Run console
textual console
# Terminal 2: Run app with console enabled
textual run --dev app.py
```
App code to enable console:
```python
self.log("Debug message") # Appears in console
self.log.info("Info level")
self.log.error("Error level")
```
### Textual Devtools
Use the devtools for live inspection:
```bash
pip install textual-dev
textual run --dev app.py # Enables hot reload
```
## References
- **Widget Gallery**: See references/widgets.md for comprehensive widget examples
- **Layout Patterns**: See references/layouts.md for common layout recipes
- **Styling Guide**: See references/styling.md for CSS patterns and themes
- **Official Guides Index**: See references/official-guides-index.md for URLs to all official Textual documentation guides (use web_fetch for detailed information on-demand)
- **Example Apps**: See assets/ for complete example applications
## Common Pitfalls
1. **Forgetting async/await**: Many Textual methods are async, always await them
2. **Blocking the event loop**: CRITICAL - Use `run_worker()` for long-running tasks (network, I/O, heavy computation). Never use `time.sleep()` or blocking operations in the main thread
3. **Incorrect message handling**: Method names must match `on_{message_name}` pattern
4. **CSS specificity issues**: Use IDs and classes appropriately for targeted styling
5. **Not using query methods**: Use `query_one()` and `query()` instead of manual traversal
6. **Thread safety violations**: Never modify widgets directly from worker threads - use `call_from_thread()`
7. **Not cancelling workers**: Workers continue running even when screens close - always cancel or store references
8. **Using time.sleep in async**: Use `await asyncio.sleep()` instead of `time.sleep()` in async functions
9. **Not handling worker errors**: Workers can fail silently - always implement error handling
10. **Wrong worker type**: Use async workers for I/O, thread workers for CPU-bound tasks