layout

Build terminal output as a tree of boxes, rows, and columns, then render it to a styled string you can print. Handy for splash screens, summary panels, and side-by-side columns.

import { box, render } from "std::ui/layout"

const panel = box(title: "Hello", padding: 1) as b {
  b.text("Welcome!", bold: true)
  b.text("How are you?")
}
print(render(panel))

Containers (box, row, column) take a width: a number of columns, "50%" of the parent, or "full" for the whole terminal. Content wraps to fit its container; pass wrap: false to raw to preserve exact layout (ASCII art, pre-rendered tables). Unsized containers shrink to fit their content but cap at the available width, wrapping anything longer.

For live, redrawing UIs with input handling, use std::ui instead.

Types

LayoutNode

• Every layout node has the same shape. Containers carry their
• content in children; leaves have children: [].

/**
 * Every layout node has the same shape. Containers carry their
 * content in `children`; leaves have `children: []`.
 */
export type LayoutNode = {
  type: string;
  attrs: any;
  children: any[]
}

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LayoutBuilder

• Methods inside a container's trailing as name { ... } block. Each
• method constructs a leaf or container and pushes it onto the
• surrounding container's children array.

/**
 * Methods inside a container's trailing `as name { ... }` block. Each
 * method constructs a leaf or container and pushes it onto the
 * surrounding container's `children` array.
 */
export type LayoutBuilder = {
  text: any;
  raw: any;
  space: any;
  hline: any;
  vline: any;
  row: any;
  column: any;
  box: any
}

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Alignment

export type Alignment = "start" | "center" | "end"

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BorderStyle

export type BorderStyle = "rounded" | "heavy" | "double" | "light"

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Width

export type Width = number | "full" | string

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Functions

text

text(
  content: string,
  fgColor: string = "",
  bgColor: string = "",
  bold: boolean = false,
  italic: boolean = false,
  dim: boolean = false,
  underline: boolean = false,
  align: Alignment = "start",
): LayoutNode

A styled run of text. Newlines split it into multiple lines.

@param content - The text to display @param fgColor - Foreground color, named ("red") or hex ("#cc7a4a") @param bgColor - Background color @param bold - Use bold weight @param italic - Use italic style @param dim - Use reduced intensity @param underline - Underline the text @param align - For multi-line text, how shorter lines align to the longest

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
content	string
fgColor	string	""
bgColor	string	""
bold	boolean	false
italic	boolean	false
dim	boolean	false
underline	boolean	false
align	Alignment	"start"

Returns: LayoutNode

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raw

raw(
  content: string,
  align: Alignment = "start",
  wrap: boolean = true,
): LayoutNode

A pre-styled string (may carry its own ANSI or newlines). Wraps to the container width by default; pass wrap: false to render exactly as-is and never reflow (ASCII art, pre-rendered tables).

@param content - Raw string content (may contain ANSI codes or newlines) @param align - For multi-line content, how shorter lines align to the longest @param wrap - Reflow to the container width (default true). false preserves the exact layout.

Wraps to its container by default; pass wrap: false to preserve exact layout. Wrapping is ANSI-aware, so embedded color survives without bleeding into surrounding borders.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
content	string
align	Alignment	"start"
wrap	boolean	true

Returns: LayoutNode

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space

space(count: number = 1): LayoutNode

Blank space. Inside a row it adds columns; inside a column, rows.

@param count - Number of cells of blank space

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
count	number	1

Returns: LayoutNode

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hline

hline(
  char: string = "─",
  length: number = 0,
  fgColor: string = "",
  bold: boolean = false,
  dim: boolean = false,
): LayoutNode

A horizontal rule. Inside a column, leave length at 0 to span the column's width.

@param char - The character to repeat @param length - Explicit length (0 lets the parent size it) @param fgColor - Color of the line @param bold - Use bold weight @param dim - Use reduced intensity

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
char	string	"─"
length	number	0
fgColor	string	""
bold	boolean	false
dim	boolean	false

Returns: LayoutNode

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vline

vline(
  char: string = "│",
  length: number = 0,
  fgColor: string = "",
  bold: boolean = false,
  dim: boolean = false,
): LayoutNode

A vertical rule. Inside a row, leave length at 0 to span the row's height.

@param char - The character to repeat @param length - Explicit length (0 lets the parent size it) @param fgColor - Color of the line @param bold - Use bold weight @param dim - Use reduced intensity

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
char	string	"│"
length	number	0
fgColor	string	""
bold	boolean	false
dim	boolean	false

Returns: LayoutNode

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row

row(
  gap: number = 0,
  align: Alignment = "start",
  width: Width = null,
  children: LayoutNode[] = null,
  block: (LayoutBuilder) -> void = null,
): LayoutNode

A horizontal container. Children render left to right.

@param gap - Cells of blank space between children @param align - Vertical alignment of shorter children @param width - Width as a column count, "X%" of the parent, or "full" for the whole terminal (root only) @param children - Pre-built child nodes @param block - Trailing builder block, appended after children

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
gap	number	0
align	Alignment	"start"
width	Width	null
children	LayoutNode[]	null
block	(LayoutBuilder) => void	null

Returns: LayoutNode

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column

column(
  gap: number = 0,
  align: Alignment = "start",
  width: Width = null,
  children: LayoutNode[] = null,
  block: (LayoutBuilder) -> void = null,
): LayoutNode

A vertical container. Children render top to bottom.

@param gap - Blank rows between children @param align - Horizontal alignment of narrower children @param width - Width as a column count, "X%" of the parent, or "full" for the whole terminal (root only) @param children - Pre-built child nodes @param block - Trailing builder block, appended after children

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
gap	number	0
align	Alignment	"start"
width	Width	null
children	LayoutNode[]	null
block	(LayoutBuilder) => void	null

Returns: LayoutNode

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box

box(
  title: string = "",
  titleColor: string = "",
  borderStyle: BorderStyle = "rounded",
  borderColor: string = "",
  padding: number = 1,
  width: Width = null,
  children: LayoutNode[] = null,
  block: (LayoutBuilder) -> void = null,
): LayoutNode

A bordered panel. Multiple children stack vertically inside it.

@param title - Text shown in the top border (empty for none) @param titleColor - Color of the title text @param borderStyle - The border character style @param borderColor - Color of the border @param padding - Cells of padding between the border and content @param width - Width as a column count, "X%" of the parent, or "full" for the whole terminal (root only) @param children - Pre-built child nodes @param block - Trailing builder block, appended after children

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
title	string	""
titleColor	string	""
borderStyle	BorderStyle	"rounded"
borderColor	string	""
padding	number	1
width	Width	null
children	LayoutNode[]	null
block	(LayoutBuilder) => void	null

Returns: LayoutNode

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render

render(
  node: LayoutNode,
  color: "auto" | boolean = "auto",
  cols: number = 0,
  rows: number = 0,
): string

Render a layout tree to a styled, multi-line string ready to print.

@param node - The root layout node @param color - "auto" emits colors only to a terminal; true always; false strips styling @param cols - Width override in columns (0 auto-detects) @param rows - Height override in rows (0 uses the default)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default
node	LayoutNode
color	"auto" | boolean	"auto"
cols	number	0
rows	number	0

Returns: string

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