# TypeDialog
Type-safe interactive data collection tool supporting CLI, TUI, and Web backends for gathering, from a single input or structured declarative forms to data definition schemas, capable of creating and managing forms across multiple interfaces and output formats.
## Features
- **8 Prompt Types**: text, confirm, select, multi-select, password, custom, editor, date
- **Declarative Forms**: TOML-based UI definitions with fragments & composition
- **Dynamic Logic**: Conditional fields, smart defaults, real-time validation
- **Multi-Language Support**: Fluent (.ftl) translations with automatic locale detection
- **Multiple Output Formats**: JSON, YAML, TOML, and Nickel output
- **Zero Runtime Dependencies**: Core library runs anywhere, no external tools required
- **3 Backends**: CLI (inquire), TUI (ratatui), Web (axum)
### Integration Key
- **Type-Safe Schemas**: Bidirectional [Nickel](https://nickel-lang.org) integration to manage configurations and settings files.
It requires [Nickel CLI](https://nickel-lang.org/getting-started/)
## Quick Start
### Installation
See [docs/INSTALLATION.md](docs/INSTALLATION.md) for detailed setup.
Requirements:
- **Rust 1.70+** - [Install](https://rustup.rs/)
- **just** - `cargo install just` (or `brew install just`)
### Build & Run
```bash
# Clone
git clone https://github.com/anthropics/typedialog.git
cd typedialog
# Build
just build::default
# Test
just test::all
# Run example
cargo run --example form
```
## Backends at a Glance
### CLI Backend (inquire)
Interactive terminal prompts for scripting and automation.
```bash
# Simple prompt
typedialog text "Enter your name"
# With options
typedialog select "Choose role" Admin User Guest
# Output as JSON
typedialog text "Email" --format json
```
**Use for:** Scripts, CI/CD pipelines, server tools, piping between tools
**See:** [`examples/04-backends/cli/`](examples/04-backends/cli/)
### TUI Backend (ratatui)
Full terminal UI with keyboard navigation and mouse support.
```bash
cargo run -p typedialog-tui --example form_with_autocompletion
```
**Use for:** Interactive dashboards, system administration tools, complex forms
**See:** [`examples/04-backends/tui/`](examples/04-backends/tui/)
### Web Backend (axum)
HTTP server with browser-based forms.
```bash
cargo run -p typedialog-web -- --config config/web/dev.toml
# Open http://localhost:3000
```
**Use for:** SaaS platforms, public forms, mobile-friendly interfaces
**See:** [`examples/04-backends/web/`](examples/04-backends/web/)
**Complete backend guide:** [Backend-Specific Examples](examples/04-backends/)
## Nickel Integration
**Type-safe configuration management** with bidirectional Nickel schema support.
Generate interactive forms from Nickel schemas, collect user input, and produce validated configuration output:
```bash
# 1. Define schema in Nickel
nickel eval config.ncl > schema.toml
# 2. Run interactive form
typedialog form schema.toml --backend tui
# 3. Get validated output in any format
# JSON, YAML, TOML, or back to Nickel with type preservation
```
**Benefits:**
- Schema validation before/after collection
- Type contracts enforced throughout pipeline
- Documentation embedded in schemas
- Deterministic configuration generation
**Learn more:**
- [Nickel Integration Guide](docs/CONFIGURATION.md#nickel-integration)
- [Examples: 06-integrations/nickel/](examples/06-integrations/nickel/)
- [Nickel Lang Documentation](https://nickel-lang.org/)
## Documentation
Complete documentation in [`docs/`](docs/):
| Document | Purpose |
|----------|---------|
| [**INSTALLATION.md**](docs/INSTALLATION.md) | Prerequisites & setup |
| [**DEVELOPMENT.md**](docs/DEVELOPMENT.md) | Development workflows |
| [**BUILD.md**](docs/BUILD.md) | Building & cross-compilation |
| [**RELEASE.md**](docs/RELEASE.md) | Release process |
| [**CONFIGURATION.md**](docs/CONFIGURATION.md) | Backend & Nickel configuration |
## Examples
Complete working examples in [`examples/`](examples/):
| Category | Path | Contents |
|----------|------|----------|
| **Getting Started** | [01-basic](examples/01-basic/) | Form syntax, sections, validation |
| **Advanced Features** | [02-advanced](examples/02-advanced/) | Conditional logic, dynamic fields |
| **Styling** | [03-styling](examples/03-styling/) | Themes, borders, visual design |
| **Backends** | [04-backends](examples/04-backends/) | CLI, TUI, Web implementations |
| **Composition** | [05-fragments](examples/05-fragments/) | Reusable components |
| **Integrations** | [06-integrations](examples/06-integrations/) | [Nickel](examples/06-integrations/nickel/), [i18n](examples/06-integrations/i18n/) |
| **Production** | [09-templates](examples/09-templates/) | Real-world use cases |
**Quick start:** [examples/README.md](examples/README.md)
## Development
Use `just` for all development tasks:
```bash
# Show available commands
just --list
# Format, lint, test
just check-all
# Build & package
just distro::build-release
just distro::create-package
# Full CI/CD
just ci::full
```
See [docs/DEVELOPMENT.md](docs/DEVELOPMENT.md) for details.
## Building & Distribution
### Build from Source
```bash
just build::release
```
Binaries in `target/release/`
### Create Distribution Package
```bash
just distro::build-release
just distro::create-package
just distro::create-checksums
```
Package includes binaries, configs, and installers.
See [docs/BUILD.md](docs/BUILD.md) for complete guide.
### Install Distributed Release
```bash
# Linux/macOS
curl -fsSL https://github.com/anthropics/typedialog/releases/download/latest/install.sh | bash
# Windows PowerShell
irm https://github.com/anthropics/typedialog/releases/download/latest/install.ps1 | iex
```
See [docs/RELEASE.md](docs/RELEASE.md) for release workflow.
## Configuration
Pre-configured settings for each backend and environment:
```
config/
├── cli/ # default, dev, production
├── tui/ # default, dev, production
└── web/ # default, dev, production
```
See [docs/CONFIGURATION.md](docs/CONFIGURATION.md) for all options.
## Project Structure
```
typedialog/
├── crates/
│ ├── typedialog-core/ # Core library
│ ├── typedialog/ # CLI binary
│ ├── typedialog-tui/ # TUI binary
│ └── typedialog-web/ # Web binary
├── config/ # Configuration files
├── examples/ # Working examples
├── scripts/ # Build automation
├── installers/ # Installation scripts
├── docs/ # Documentation
├── justfile # Command orchestration
└── Cargo.toml # Workspace manifest
```
## Key Technologies
- **Rust** - Type-safe systems language
- **inquire** - Interactive prompt library (CLI backend)
- **Ratatui** - Terminal UI framework (TUI backend)
- **Axum** - Web framework (Web backend)
- **Nickel** - Type-safe configuration language (schema integration)
- **TOML** - Form and configuration language
- **Fluent** - Multi-language translation system
- **just** - Command orchestration
## Commands at a Glance
```bash
# Development
just fmt # Format code
just lint # Lint code
just test::all # Run tests
just dev::watch # Watch & rebuild
just dev::docs # Generate docs
# Building
just build::default # Debug build
just build::release # Release build
just distro::cross # Cross-compile
# CI/CD
just ci::full # Complete pipeline
just check-all # Format + lint + test
# Distribution
just distro::build-release # Release build
just distro::create-package # Package
just distro::create-checksums # Checksums
just distro::package-release # Prepare release
```
## System Requirements
### Minimum
- Rust 1.70+
- 4GB RAM
- 2GB disk space
### For Cross-Compilation
- Docker (or cargo-cross)
### Optional Tools
- **Nickel CLI** - For developing type-safe Nickel schemas (used with `06-integrations/nickel/` examples)
- **cargo-watch** - For hot-reload during development
- **cargo-cross** - For cross-compilation to other platforms
See [docs/INSTALLATION.md](docs/INSTALLATION.md) for setup.
## License & Compliance
- **Project License**: [MIT](LICENSE)
- **Dependency SBOM (SPDX)**: [SBOM.spdx.json](SBOM.spdx.json) - ISO/IEC 5962:2021
- **Dependency SBOM (CycloneDX)**: [SBOM.cyclonedx.json](SBOM.cyclonedx.json) - ECMA standard
- **Regenerate SBOMs**: `just distro::generate-sbom`
All dependencies are compatible with MIT license. Audit vulnerabilities: `just ci::audit`
## Getting Help
1. **Documentation** - Start with [docs/README.md](docs/)
2. **Examples** - Check [examples/README.md](examples/)
3. **Issues** - Open on [GitHub](https://github.com/anthropics/typedialog/issues)
## Contributing
Contributions welcome! See documentation for setup and guidelines.
---
**Ready to get started?** → [docs/INSTALLATION.md](docs/INSTALLATION.md)
