Guide

Hex1b is a comprehensive .NET terminal application stack. Whether you're building rich text-based user interfaces, need a programmable terminal emulator, want to test terminal applications, or integrate AI agents with terminal sessions, Hex1b has you covered.

Architecture

Hex1b is built around Hex1bTerminal, a pluggable terminal emulator at the core of the stack. On one side, workload adapters connect the terminal to data sources—whether that's a real shell with PTY, a child process, a network stream, or Hex1b's own TUI framework. On the other side, presentation adapters connect to display targets like native terminals, xterm.js in the browser, or a headless buffer for testing.

Sitting alongside the terminal core are tools for automation: input sequencers send scripted keystrokes with wait conditions, while pattern matchers search the 2D screen buffer for text, colors, and attributes—think regex, but for terminal cells. Filters intercept the data flow for tasks like render optimization or recording sessions to Asciinema files.

Hover over the diagram below to explore each component.

👆 Hover over any component to learn more, click to lock

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Features

• Terminal User Interfaces — Build rich, interactive TUIs with a React-inspired declarative API for dashboards, dev tools, and CLI experiences.
• Terminal Emulator — Embed a programmable terminal emulator in your .NET applications to host shells and run commands.
• Automation & Testing — Test terminal applications programmatically with input sequencing, pattern matching, and CI/CD integration.
• MCP Server — Expose terminal sessions to AI agents via the Model Context Protocol for LLM-driven automation.

Quick Start

New to Hex1b? Start here:

1. Your First App — Install Hex1b and build your first app
2. Widgets & Nodes — Understand the core architecture
3. Widget Reference — Explore all available widgets

Building TUIs

Once you're comfortable with the basics, dive deeper:

• Layout System — Master constraint-based layouts with HStack, VStack, and more
• Input Handling — Keyboard navigation, focus management, and shortcuts
• Theming — Customize colors, borders, and styles

API Reference

Looking for detailed API documentation?

• API Reference — Complete type and method documentation generated from source