dotnet-spectre-console
SKILL.md
dotnet-spectre-console
Spectre.Console for building rich console output (tables, trees, progress bars, prompts, markup, live displays) and Spectre.Console.Cli for structured command-line application parsing. Cross-platform across Windows, macOS, and Linux terminals.
Version assumptions: .NET 8.0+ baseline. Spectre.Console 0.54.0 (latest stable). Spectre.Console.Cli 0.53.1 (latest stable). Both packages target net8.0+ and netstandard2.0.
Scope
- Spectre.Console rich output: markup, tables, trees, progress bars, prompts, live displays
- Spectre.Console.Cli command-line application framework
Out of scope
- Full TUI applications (windows, menus, dialogs, views) -- see [skill:dotnet-terminal-gui]
- System.CommandLine parsing -- see [skill:dotnet-system-commandline]
- CLI application architecture and distribution -- see [skill:dotnet-cli-architecture] and [skill:dotnet-cli-distribution]
Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-terminal-gui] for full TUI alternative, [skill:dotnet-system-commandline] for System.CommandLine scope boundary, [skill:dotnet-cli-architecture] for CLI structure, [skill:dotnet-csharp-async-patterns] for async patterns, [skill:dotnet-csharp-dependency-injection] for DI with Spectre.Console.Cli, [skill:dotnet-accessibility] for TUI accessibility limitations and screen reader considerations.
Package References
<ItemGroup>
<!-- Rich console output: markup, tables, trees, progress, prompts, live displays -->
<PackageReference Include="Spectre.Console" Version="0.54.0" />
<!-- CLI command framework (adds command parsing, settings, DI support) -->
<PackageReference Include="Spectre.Console.Cli" Version="0.53.1" />
</ItemGroup>
```bash
Spectre.Console.Cli has a dependency on Spectre.Console -- install both only when you need the CLI framework. For rich output only, Spectre.Console alone is sufficient.
---
## Markup and Styling
Spectre.Console uses a BBCode-inspired markup syntax for styled console output.
### Basic Markup
```csharp
using Spectre.Console;
// Styled text with markup tags
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("[bold red]Error:[/] File not found.");
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("[green]Success![/] Build completed in [blue]2.3s[/].");
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("[underline]https://example.com[/]");
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("[dim italic]This is subtle text[/]");
// Nested styles
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("[bold [red on white]Warning:[/] check config[/]");
// Escape brackets with double brackets
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("Use [[bold]] for bold text.");
```text
### Figlet Text
```csharp
AnsiConsole.Write(
new FigletText("Hello!")
.Color(Color.Green)
.Centered());
```text
### Rule (Horizontal Line)
```csharp
// Simple rule
AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule());
// Titled rule
AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[yellow]Section Title[/]"));
// Aligned rule
AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[blue]Left Aligned[/]").LeftJustified());
```text
---
## Tables
```csharp
var table = new Table();
// Add columns
table.AddColumn("Name");
table.AddColumn(new TableColumn("Age").Centered());
table.AddColumn(new TableColumn("City").RightAligned());
// Add rows
table.AddRow("Alice", "30", "Seattle");
table.AddRow("[green]Bob[/]", "25", "Portland");
table.AddRow("Charlie", "35", "Vancouver");
// Styling
table.Border(TableBorder.Rounded);
table.BorderColor(Color.Grey);
table.Title("[underline]Team Members[/]");
table.Caption("[dim]Updated daily[/]");
// Column configuration
table.Columns[0].PadLeft(2);
table.Columns[0].NoWrap();
AnsiConsole.Write(table);
```text
### Nested Tables
```csharp
var innerTable = new Table()
.AddColumn("Detail")
.AddColumn("Value")
.AddRow("Role", "Developer")
.AddRow("Level", "Senior");
var outerTable = new Table()
.AddColumn("Name")
.AddColumn("Info")
.AddRow("Alice", innerTable);
AnsiConsole.Write(outerTable);
```text
---
## Trees
```csharp
var tree = new Tree("Solution");
// Add nodes
var srcNode = tree.AddNode("[yellow]src[/]");
var apiNode = srcNode.AddNode("Api");
apiNode.AddNode("Controllers/");
apiNode.AddNode("Program.cs");
var libNode = srcNode.AddNode("Library");
libNode.AddNode("Services/");
var testNode = tree.AddNode("[blue]tests[/]");
testNode.AddNode("Api.Tests/");
// Styling
tree.Style = Style.Parse("dim");
AnsiConsole.Write(tree);
```text
---
## Panels
```csharp
var panel = new Panel("This is [green]important[/] content.")
.Header("[bold]Notice[/]")
.Border(BoxBorder.Rounded)
.BorderColor(Color.Blue)
.Padding(2, 1) // horizontal, vertical
.Expand(); // fill available width
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);
```text
### Composing Renderables with Columns
```csharp
AnsiConsole.Write(new Columns(
new Panel("Left panel").Expand(),
new Panel("Right panel").Expand()));
```csharp
---
## Progress Displays
### Progress Bars
```csharp
await AnsiConsole.Progress()
.AutoClear(false) // keep completed tasks visible
.HideCompleted(false)
.Columns(
new TaskDescriptionColumn(),
new ProgressBarColumn(),
new PercentageColumn(),
new RemainingTimeColumn(),
new SpinnerColumn())
.StartAsync(async ctx =>
{
var downloadTask = ctx.AddTask("[green]Downloading[/]", maxValue: 100);
var extractTask = ctx.AddTask("[blue]Extracting[/]", maxValue: 100);
while (!ctx.IsFinished)
{
await Task.Delay(50);
downloadTask.Increment(1.5);
if (downloadTask.Value > 50)
{
extractTask.Increment(0.8);
}
}
});
```text
### Status Spinners
```csharp
await AnsiConsole.Status()
.Spinner(Spinner.Known.Dots)
.SpinnerStyle(Style.Parse("green bold"))
.StartAsync("Processing...", async ctx =>
{
await Task.Delay(1000);
ctx.Status("Compiling...");
ctx.Spinner(Spinner.Known.Star);
await Task.Delay(1000);
ctx.Status("Publishing...");
await Task.Delay(1000);
});
```text
---
## Prompts
### Text Prompt
```csharp
// Simple typed input
var name = AnsiConsole.Ask<string>("What's your [green]name[/]?");
var age = AnsiConsole.Ask<int>("What's your [green]age[/]?");
// With default value
var city = AnsiConsole.Prompt(
new TextPrompt<string>("Enter [green]city[/]:")
.DefaultValue("Seattle")
.ShowDefaultValue());
// Secret input (password)
var password = AnsiConsole.Prompt(
new TextPrompt<string>("Enter [green]password[/]:")
.Secret());
// With validation
var email = AnsiConsole.Prompt(
new TextPrompt<string>("Enter [green]email[/]:")
.Validate(input =>
input.Contains('@') && input.Contains('.')
? ValidationResult.Success()
: ValidationResult.Error("[red]Invalid email address[/]")));
// Optional (allow empty)
var nickname = AnsiConsole.Prompt(
new TextPrompt<string>("Enter [green]nickname[/] (optional):")
.AllowEmpty());
```text
### Confirmation Prompt
```csharp
bool proceed = AnsiConsole.Confirm("Continue with deployment?");
```csharp
### Selection Prompt
```csharp
var fruit = AnsiConsole.Prompt(
new SelectionPrompt<string>()
.Title("Pick a [green]fruit[/]:")
.PageSize(10)
.EnableSearch()
.WrapAround()
.AddChoices("Apple", "Banana", "Orange", "Mango", "Grape"));
// Grouped choices
var country = AnsiConsole.Prompt(
new SelectionPrompt<string>()
.Title("Select [green]destination[/]:")
.AddChoiceGroup("Europe", "France", "Italy", "Spain")
.AddChoiceGroup("Asia", "Japan", "Thailand", "Vietnam"));
```text
### Multi-Selection Prompt
```csharp
var toppings = AnsiConsole.Prompt(
new MultiSelectionPrompt<string>()
.Title("Choose [green]toppings[/]:")
.PageSize(10)
.Required()
.InstructionsText("[grey](Press [blue]<space>[/] to toggle, [green]<enter>[/] to accept)[/]")
.AddChoices("Cheese", "Pepperoni", "Mushrooms", "Olives", "Onions"));
```text
---
## Live Displays
Live displays update in-place for dynamic content that changes over time.
```csharp
var table = new Table()
.AddColumn("Time")
.AddColumn("Status");
await AnsiConsole.Live(table)
.AutoClear(false)
.Overflow(VerticalOverflow.Ellipsis)
.Cropping(VerticalOverflowCropping.Bottom)
.StartAsync(async ctx =>
{
table.AddRow(DateTime.Now.ToString("T"), "[yellow]Starting...[/]");
ctx.Refresh();
await Task.Delay(1000);
table.AddRow(DateTime.Now.ToString("T"), "[green]Processing...[/]");
ctx.Refresh();
await Task.Delay(1000);
table.AddRow(DateTime.Now.ToString("T"), "[blue]Complete![/]");
ctx.Refresh();
});
```text
### Replacing the Target
```csharp
await AnsiConsole.Live(new Markup("[yellow]Initializing...[/]"))
.StartAsync(async ctx =>
{
await Task.Delay(1000);
ctx.UpdateTarget(new Markup("[green]Ready![/]"));
await Task.Delay(1000);
ctx.UpdateTarget(
new Panel("Final result: [bold]42[/]")
.Header("Done")
.Border(BoxBorder.Rounded));
});
```text
---
## Spectre.Console.Cli Framework
Spectre.Console.Cli provides a structured command-line parsing framework with command hierarchies, typed settings, validation, and automatic help generation.
### Basic Command App
```csharp
using Spectre.Console.Cli;
var app = new CommandApp<GreetCommand>();
return app.Run(args);
// Command with typed settings
public sealed class GreetSettings : CommandSettings
{
[CommandArgument(0, "<name>")]
[Description("The person to greet")]
public string Name { get; init; } = string.Empty;
[CommandOption("-c|--count")]
[Description("Number of times to greet")]
[DefaultValue(1)]
public int Count { get; init; }
[CommandOption("--shout")]
[Description("Greet in uppercase")]
public bool Shout { get; init; }
}
public sealed class GreetCommand : Command<GreetSettings>
{
public override int Execute(CommandContext context, GreetSettings settings)
{
for (int i = 0; i < settings.Count; i++)
{
var greeting = $"Hello, {settings.Name}!";
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine(settings.Shout
? $"[bold]{greeting.ToUpperInvariant()}[/]"
: greeting);
}
return 0; // exit code
}
}
```text
### Command Hierarchy with Branches
```csharp
var app = new CommandApp();
app.Configure(config =>
{
config.AddBranch<RemoteSettings>("remote", remote =>
{
remote.AddCommand<RemoteAddCommand>("add")
.WithDescription("Add a remote");
remote.AddCommand<RemoteRemoveCommand>("remove")
.WithDescription("Remove a remote");
});
config.AddCommand<CloneCommand>("clone")
.WithDescription("Clone a repository");
});
return app.Run(args);
// Shared settings for the branch -- inherited by subcommands
public class RemoteSettings : CommandSettings
{
[CommandOption("-v|--verbose")]
[Description("Verbose output")]
public bool Verbose { get; init; }
}
// Subcommand settings inherit from branch settings
public sealed class RemoteAddSettings : RemoteSettings
{
[CommandArgument(0, "<name>")]
public string Name { get; init; } = string.Empty;
[CommandArgument(1, "<url>")]
public string Url { get; init; } = string.Empty;
}
public sealed class RemoteAddCommand : Command<RemoteAddSettings>
{
public override int Execute(CommandContext context, RemoteAddSettings settings)
{
if (settings.Verbose)
{
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[dim]Adding remote...[/]");
}
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"Added remote [green]{settings.Name}[/] -> {settings.Url}");
return 0;
}
}
```text
### Settings Validation
```csharp
public sealed class DeploySettings : CommandSettings
{
[CommandArgument(0, "<environment>")]
public string Environment { get; init; } = string.Empty;
[CommandOption("--timeout")]
[DefaultValue(30)]
public int TimeoutSeconds { get; init; }
public override ValidationResult Validate()
{
var validEnvs = new[] { "dev", "staging", "prod" };
if (!validEnvs.Contains(Environment, StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
{
return ValidationResult.Error(
$"Environment must be one of: {string.Join(", ", validEnvs)}");
}
if (TimeoutSeconds <= 0)
{
return ValidationResult.Error("Timeout must be positive");
}
return ValidationResult.Success();
}
}
```text
### Async Commands
```csharp
public sealed class FetchCommand : AsyncCommand<FetchSettings>
{
public override async Task<int> ExecuteAsync(
CommandContext context, FetchSettings settings)
{
await AnsiConsole.Status()
.StartAsync("Fetching data...", async ctx =>
{
await Task.Delay(2000); // simulate work
});
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("[green]Done![/]");
return 0;
}
}
```text
### Dependency Injection with ITypeRegistrar
```csharp
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Spectre.Console.Cli;
// Set up DI container
var services = new ServiceCollection();
services.AddSingleton<IGreetingService, GreetingService>();
services.AddSingleton<IAnsiConsole>(AnsiConsole.Console);
var registrar = new TypeRegistrar(services);
var app = new CommandApp<GreetCommand>(registrar);
return app.Run(args);
// TypeRegistrar bridges Microsoft DI to Spectre.Console.Cli
public sealed class TypeRegistrar(IServiceCollection services) : ITypeRegistrar
{
public ITypeResolver Build() => new TypeResolver(services.BuildServiceProvider());
public void Register(Type service, Type implementation)
=> services.AddSingleton(service, implementation);
public void RegisterInstance(Type service, object implementation)
=> services.AddSingleton(service, implementation);
public void RegisterLazy(Type service, Func<object> factory)
=> services.AddSingleton(service, _ => factory());
}
public sealed class TypeResolver(IServiceProvider provider) : ITypeResolver
{
public object? Resolve(Type? type)
=> type is null ? null : provider.GetService(type);
}
// Command receives services via constructor injection
public sealed class GreetCommand(IGreetingService greetingService) : Command<GreetSettings>
{
public override int Execute(CommandContext context, GreetSettings settings)
{
var message = greetingService.GetGreeting(settings.Name);
AnsiConsole.MarkupLine(message);
return 0;
}
}
```text
---
## Testable Console Output
Spectre.Console provides `IAnsiConsole` for testable output instead of writing directly to the real console.
```csharp
// Production: use AnsiConsole.Console (the real console)
IAnsiConsole console = AnsiConsole.Console;
// Testing: use a recording console
var console = AnsiConsole.Create(new AnsiConsoleSettings
{
Out = new AnsiConsoleOutput(new StringWriter())
});
// Use the abstraction instead of static AnsiConsole methods
console.MarkupLine("[green]Testable output[/]");
console.Write(new Table().AddColumn("Col").AddRow("Val"));
```text
---
## Agent Gotchas
1. **Do not use `AnsiConsole.Markup*` in redirected output.** When stdout is redirected (piped to a file or another process), ANSI escape codes corrupt the output. Check `AnsiConsole.Profile.Capabilities.Ansi` before using markup, or use `IAnsiConsole` with appropriate settings. See [skill:dotnet-csharp-async-patterns] for async pipeline patterns.
2. **Do not assume ANSI support in CI environments.** CI runners (GitHub Actions, Azure Pipelines) may not support ANSI escape codes. Set `TERM=dumb` or use `AnsiConsole.Create()` with `ColorSystemSupport.NoColors` for CI-safe output. Spectre.Console auto-detects capabilities, but explicit configuration prevents flaky rendering.
3. **Do not mix `AnsiConsole` static calls with `IAnsiConsole` instance calls.** Static `AnsiConsole.Write()` always targets the real console. When using DI with `IAnsiConsole`, consistently use the injected instance. Mixing the two produces duplicated or interleaved output.
4. **Do not modify a renderable from a background thread during `Live()`.** Live displays are not thread-safe. Mutate the target renderable only inside the `Start`/`StartAsync` callback, then call `ctx.Refresh()`. Concurrent mutations cause corrupted terminal output.
5. **Do not use prompts in non-interactive contexts.** `TextPrompt`, `SelectionPrompt`, and `ConfirmationPrompt` block waiting for user input. In CI or automated scripts, use environment variables or command-line arguments for input instead of prompts. Check `AnsiConsole.Profile.Capabilities.Interactive` before prompting.
6. **Do not confuse Spectre.Console.Cli with System.CommandLine.** They are independent frameworks with different APIs. Spectre.Console.Cli uses `CommandSettings` classes with `[CommandArgument]`/`[CommandOption]` attributes, while System.CommandLine uses `Option<T>` and `Argument<T>` builder pattern. Do not mix APIs. For System.CommandLine, see [skill:dotnet-system-commandline].
7. **Do not forget `ctx.Refresh()` after modifying live display content.** Changes to tables, trees, or panels inside a `Live()` callback are not rendered until `ctx.Refresh()` is called. Omitting it produces stale displays.
8. **Do not hardcode color values without fallback.** Terminals with limited color support silently degrade TrueColor values. Use named colors (`Color.Green`) when possible and test with `NO_COLOR=1` environment variable to verify graceful degradation.
---
## Prerequisites
- **NuGet packages:** `Spectre.Console` 0.54.0 for rich output; add `Spectre.Console.Cli` 0.53.1 for CLI framework
- **Target framework:** net8.0 or later (also supports netstandard2.0)
- **Terminal:** Any terminal emulator supporting ANSI escape sequences. Windows Terminal, iTerm2, or modern Linux terminal recommended for best experience (TrueColor, Unicode). Console output degrades gracefully on limited terminals.
- **For DI with Spectre.Console.Cli:** `Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection` package for the `ITypeRegistrar`/`ITypeResolver` bridge
---
## References
- [Spectre.Console GitHub](https://github.com/spectreconsole/spectre.console) -- source code, issues, samples
- [Spectre.Console Documentation](https://spectreconsole.net/) -- official guides and API reference
- [Spectre.Console NuGet](https://www.nuget.org/packages/Spectre.Console) -- package downloads and version history
- [Spectre.Console.Cli NuGet](https://www.nuget.org/packages/Spectre.Console.Cli) -- CLI framework package
- [Spectre.Console Examples](https://github.com/spectreconsole/spectre.console/tree/main/examples) -- official example projects
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