ChatrixCD Turbo Vision-Style TUI Design
This document showcases the new Turbo Vision-inspired Text User Interface design for ChatrixCD.
Design Overview
The new TUI features:
- Menu bar at the top with File, Edit, Run, Help menus
- Classic 3D aesthetic with box-drawing characters and drop shadows
- Status bar at the bottom showing idle/running task status
- ChatrixCD brand colors (#4A9B7F green for highlights and borders)
- Windowed appearance with modal dialogs and shadows
- Logical menu organization based on functionality
Color Scheme
- Menu bar background: #4A9B7F (ChatrixCD Green)
- Status bar background: #2D3238 (Dark Gray)
- Window borders: #4A9B7F (ChatrixCD Green)
- Shadows: Dark gray (░ character)
- Primary buttons: #4A9B7F background with white text
- Regular text: White on dark background
Screenshots
1. Main Screen
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ║
║ ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║
║ ║ ChatrixCD - Matrix CI/CD Bot ║ ║
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║ ║ ║░ ║
║ ║ Welcome to ChatrixCD ║░ ║
║ ║ ║░ ║
║ ║ Use the menu bar above to navigate: ║░ ║
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║ ║ F1 - File Menu F2 - Edit Menu F3 - Run Menu F4 - Help ║░ ║
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║ ║ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ║░ ║
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║ ║ Active Tasks ║░ ║
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║ ║ No active tasks ║░ ║
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║ ║
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║ Idle ║
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The main screen features:
- Menu bar at top with File, Edit, Run, Help (highlighted in ChatrixCD green)
- Central window with 3D appearance and drop shadow
- Status bar at bottom showing current task status
- Active tasks display area
2. File Menu
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ╔═══════════════╗ ║
║ ║ Status ║ ║
║ ║ Admins ║ ║
║ ║ Rooms ║ ║
║ ║ ───────────── ║ ║
║ ║ Exit ║ ║
║ ╚═══════════════╝░ ║
║ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ║
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File menu options:
- Status: View bot status (Matrix connection, Semaphore status, uptime, metrics)
- Admins: View list of admin users
- Rooms: View list of joined Matrix rooms
- Exit: Quit the application
3. Edit Menu
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ╔═══════════════╗ ║
║ ║ Sessions ║ ║
║ ║ Options ║ ║
║ ╚═══════════════╝░ ║
║ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ║
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Edit menu options:
- Sessions: Manage encryption sessions, verify devices, view pending verifications
- Options: Merged SET and SHOW functionality - edit settings, view configuration, manage aliases
4. Run Menu
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ╔═══════════════╗ ║
║ ║ Send ║ ║
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Run menu options:
- Send: Send messages to Matrix rooms (formerly “Say”)
5. Help Menu
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ╔═══════════════╗ ║
║ ║ Show Log ║ ║
║ ║ About ║ ║
║ ║ Version ║ ║
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Help menu options:
- Show Log: View application logs
- About: Show application information and features
- Version: Display version information and dependencies
6. Status Window
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ║
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║ ║ Bot Status ║ ║
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║ ║ ║░ ║
║ ║ Bot Status ║░ ║
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║ ║ Matrix: Connected ║░ ║
║ ║ Semaphore: Connected ║░ ║
║ ║ Uptime: 2h 15m 30s ║░ ║
║ ║ ║░ ║
║ ║ Metrics ║░ ║
║ ║ Messages Processed: 42 ║░ ║
║ ║ Errors: 0 ║░ ║
║ ║ Warnings: 1 ║░ ║
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║ ║ [ OK ] ║░ ║
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║ ║
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║ Running 2 task(s) ║
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Modal window example showing:
- 3D window with border and shadow
- Bot connection status
- Runtime metrics
- Primary action button in ChatrixCD green
- Status bar updating to show running tasks
7. Options Window (Edit > Options)
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ║
║ ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║
║ ║ Options ║ ║
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║ ║ ║░ ║
║ ║ Configuration Options ║░ ║
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║ ║ [ Edit Settings ] ║░ ║
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║ ║ [ View Configuration ] ║░ ║
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║ ║ [ Manage Aliases ] ║░ ║
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║ ║ [ Close ] ║░ ║
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║ Idle ║
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The Options screen merges the former SET and SHOW commands into one unified interface:
- Edit Settings: Modify runtime configuration (formerly SET)
- View Configuration: Display current configuration (formerly SHOW)
- Manage Aliases: Add, edit, or remove command aliases
8. About Window (Help > About)
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║ File Edit Run Help ChatrixCD v1.0 ║
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║ ║
║ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║
║ ║ About ChatrixCD ║ ║
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║ ║ ║░ ║
║ ║ ChatrixCD ║░ ║
║ ║ ║░ ║
║ ║ Matrix bot for CI/CD automation through chat ║░ ║
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║ ║ Features: ║░ ║
║ ║ • End-to-end encrypted Matrix rooms ║░ ║
║ ║ • Native Matrix authentication (password and OIDC/SSO) ║░ ║
║ ║ • Interactive Text User Interface ║░ ║
║ ║ • Semaphore UI integration ║░ ║
║ ║ • Real-time task monitoring ║░ ║
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║ ║ License: GPL v3 ║░ ║
║ ║ Repository: github.com/CJFWeatherhead/ChatrixCD ║░ ║
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║ ║ [ OK ] ║░ ║
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The About window displays:
- Application name and description
- Key features list
- License information
- Repository link
Menu Structure
File Menu
- Status - View bot status
- Admins - View admin users
- Rooms - View joined rooms
- Exit - Quit application
Edit Menu
- Sessions - Manage encryption sessions and device verification
- Options - Configuration management (merged SET and SHOW)
- Edit Settings
- View Configuration
- Manage Aliases
Run Menu
- Send - Send messages to rooms (formerly Say)
Help Menu
- Show Log - View application logs
- About - Application information
- Version - Version and dependencies
Implementation Details
The Turbo Vision-style TUI is implemented in chatrixcd/tui_turbo.py and features:
- TurboMenuBar: Custom menu bar widget with F-key shortcuts
- TurboStatusBar: Status bar showing idle/running task information
- TurboWindow: Reusable window container with 3D borders and shadows
- Menu screens: FileMenuScreen, EditMenuScreen, RunMenuScreen, HelpMenuScreen
- Modal dialogs: StatusScreen, OptionsScreen, AboutScreen, VersionScreen
All screens reuse existing functionality from the original TUI while providing a more classic, windowed appearance inspired by Turbo Vision.
Keyboard Shortcuts
- F1: Open File menu
- F2: Open Edit menu
- F3: Open Run menu
- F4: Open Help menu
- Escape: Close current screen/menu
- Ctrl+C: Quit application
Status Bar States
The status bar at the bottom dynamically updates to show:
- “Idle”: No active tasks
- “Running X task(s)”: Number of currently running tasks
- “X task(s) (idle)”: Tasks tracked but not currently running
This provides at-a-glance information about the bot’s activity without needing to open additional screens.