Charm Development

Build production-quality terminal user interfaces using Bubbletea and the Charm ecosystem.

Primary Workflow

1. Understand the architecture → references/architecture/ELM-ARCHITECTURE.md

Read this first to understand The Elm Architecture (TEA) pattern that Bubbletea implements.

2. Find your pattern → references/bubbletea/examples/CONTEXTUAL-INVENTORY.md

Quick reference table (lines 5-45) maps use cases to example files. Find what you need, go to the example, copy the pattern.

3. Check API details → references/api/BUBBLETEA_API_FEATURES.md

Comprehensive API reference for advanced features (message filtering, focus reporting, bracketed paste, testing, etc.).

4. Style your UI → references/lipgloss/examples/

Use Lipgloss for all styling. Examples show layouts, colors, borders, alignment, and responsive design.

Architecture Quick Reference

Read these to understand Bubbletea's design:

• references/architecture/ELM-ARCHITECTURE.md - The Elm Architecture (Model-View-Update pattern)
• references/architecture/MVC-IN-BUBBLETEA.md - How TEA maps to MVC if you're familiar with that pattern
• references/architecture/COMPONENTS.md - Component composition and focus management
• references/architecture/BEST-PRACTICES.md - Do's and don'ts, common anti-patterns

Component Library Quick Reference

Find examples in: references/bubbletea/examples/CONTEXTUAL-INVENTORY.md

Common patterns:

Full table with 45+ patterns in CONTEXTUAL-INVENTORY.md lines 5-45.

Available Libraries

Bubbletea (references/bubbletea/) - Core TUI framework with 47 examples

• Forms, lists, tables, progress, spinners, timers
• Real-time updates, HTTP, external commands
• Mouse, keyboard, window events

Lipgloss (references/lipgloss/) - Styling and layout with 20 examples

• Colors, borders, padding, margins
• Layouts (horizontal, vertical, tables)
• Responsive design

Huh (references/huh/) - Interactive forms with 40 examples

• Input fields, selects, confirms
• Multi-step forms, validation
• Dynamic forms, SSH integration

Gum (references/gum/) - CLI components with 31 examples

• One-line CLI tools
• Filters, pickers, confirmations
• Quick script integration

Quick Start Pattern

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    tea "github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea"
)

// Model - All application state
type model struct {
    cursor int
    choices []string
}

// Init - Initial command
func (m model) Init() tea.Cmd {
    return nil
}

// Update - Handle messages
func (m model) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
    switch msg := msg.(type) {
    case tea.KeyMsg:
        switch msg.String() {
        case "up":
            if m.cursor > 0 {
                m.cursor--
            }
        case "down":
            if m.cursor < len(m.choices)-1 {
                m.cursor++
            }
        case "q", "ctrl+c":
            return m, tea.Quit
        }
    }
    return m, nil
}

// View - Render UI
func (m model) View() string {
    s := "Choose:\n\n"
    for i, choice := range m.choices {
        cursor := " "
        if i == m.cursor {
            cursor = ">"
        }
        s += fmt.Sprintf("%s %s\n", cursor, choice)
    }
    return s
}

func main() {
    p := tea.NewProgram(model{
        choices: []string{"Option 1", "Option 2", "Option 3"},
    })
    p.Run()
}

Development Approach

1. Find the closest example in CONTEXTUAL-INVENTORY.md
2. Read the complete example code - Don't skip this
3. Copy the pattern - Don't reinvent, adapt
4. Compose components - Use composable-views pattern for complex UIs
5. Style with Lipgloss - Keep styling separate from logic

Common Use Cases

Multi-step wizards → references/bubbletea/examples/credit-card-form/

Data tables → references/bubbletea/examples/table/

File browsers → references/bubbletea/examples/file-picker/

Progress indicators → references/bubbletea/examples/package-manager/

Chat interfaces → references/bubbletea/examples/chat/

External processes → references/bubbletea/examples/exec/

Real-time updates → references/bubbletea/examples/realtime/

Key Principles

Model = State - All state in one struct

View = Pure - (Model → String), no side effects

Update = Pure - ((Model, Msg) → (Model, Cmd)), no I/O

Commands = Side Effects - Async operations return messages

Always handle WindowSizeMsg - Make UIs responsive

Use Lipgloss for styling - Don't hand-craft ANSI codes

Batch commands - Use tea.Batch() for concurrent operations

Resources Structure

• references/architecture/ - TEA, MVC, components, best practices
• references/bubbletea/ - 47 Bubbletea examples + CONTEXTUAL-INVENTORY.md
• references/lipgloss/ - 20 styling examples
• references/huh/ - 40 form examples
• references/gum/ - 31 CLI component examples
• references/api/ - BUBBLETEA_API_FEATURES.md (comprehensive API reference)

Getting Help

For specific use case: Check CONTEXTUAL-INVENTORY.md lines 5-45 first

For architecture questions: Read ELM-ARCHITECTURE.md

For component composition: Read COMPONENTS.md

For common mistakes: Read BEST-PRACTICES.md

For API details: Check BUBBLETEA_API_FEATURES.md