TypeDialog Integration
TypeDialog enables interactive form-based configuration from Nickel schemas.
Status
- TypeDialog Binary: Not yet installed (planned:
typedialogcommand) - TypeDialog Forms: Created and ready (setup wizard, auth login, MFA enrollment)
- Bash Wrappers: Implemented to handle TTY input properly
- ForminQuire: DEPRECATED - Archived to
.coder/archive/forminquire/
Directory Structure
.typedialog/
└── provisioning/platform/
├── README.md # This file
├── forms/ # Form definitions (to be generated)
│ ├── orchestrator.form.toml
│ ├── control-center.form.toml
│ └── ...
├── templates/ # Jinja2 templates for schema rendering
│ └── service-form.template.j2
├── schemas/ # Symlink to Nickel schemas
│ └── platform/schemas/ → ../../../schemas/platform/schemas/
└── constraints/ # Validation constraints
└── constraints.toml # Shared validation rules
How TypeDialog Would Work
1. Form Generation from Schemas
# Auto-generate form from Nickel schema
typedialog generate-form --schema orchestrator.ncl
--output forms/orchestrator.form.toml
2. Interactive Configuration
# Run interactive form
typedialog run-form --form forms/orchestrator.form.toml
--output orchestrator-configured.ncl
3. Validation
# Validate user input against schema
typedialog validate --form forms/orchestrator.form.toml
--data user-config.ncl
Current Status: TypeDialog Forms Ready
TypeDialog forms have been created and are ready to use:
Form Locations:
- Setup wizard:
provisioning/.typedialog/core/forms/setup-wizard.toml - Auth login:
provisioning/.typedialog/core/forms/auth-login.toml - MFA enrollment:
provisioning/.typedialog/core/forms/mfa-enroll.toml
Bash Wrappers (TTY-safe, handle input properly):
provisioning/core/shlib/setup-wizard-tty.shprovisioning/core/shlib/auth-login-tty.shprovisioning/core/shlib/mfa-enroll-tty.sh
Usage Pattern:
- Bash wrapper calls TypeDialog (handles TTY input)
- TypeDialog generates Nickel config file
- Nushell scripts read the generated config (no input issues)
Example:
# Run TypeDialog setup wizard
./provisioning/core/shlib/setup-wizard-tty.sh
# Nushell reads the generated config
let config = (open provisioning/.typedialog/core/generated/setup-wizard-result.json | from json)
Note: ForminQuire (Jinja2-based forms) has been archived to provisioning/.coder/archive/forminquire/ and is no longer in use.
Integration Plan (When TypeDialog Available)
Step 1: Install TypeDialog
cargo install --path /Users/Akasha/Development/typedialog
typedialog --version
Step 2: Generate Forms from Schemas
# Batch generate all forms
for schema in provisioning/schemas/platform/schemas/*.ncl; do
service=$(basename $schema .ncl)
typedialog generate-form
--schema $schema
--output provisioning/platform/.typedialog/forms/${service}.form.toml
done
Step 3: Create Setup Wizard
# Unified setup workflow
provisioning setup-platform
--mode solo|multiuser|enterprise
--provider docker|kubernetes
--interactive # Uses TypeDialog forms
Step 4: Update Platform Setup Script
# provisioning/platform/scripts/setup-platform-config.sh
if command -v typedialog &> /dev/null; then
# TypeDialog is installed - use bash wrapper for proper TTY handling
./provisioning/core/shlib/setup-wizard-tty.sh
# Read generated JSON config
# Nushell scripts can now read the config without input issues
else
# Fallback to basic prompts
echo "TypeDialog not available. Using basic interactive prompts..."
# Nushell wizard with basic input prompts
nu -c "use provisioning/core/nulib/lib_provisioning/setup/wizard.nu *; run-setup-wizard"
fi
Form Definition Example
# provisioning/platform/.typedialog/forms/orchestrator.form.toml
[metadata]
name = "Orchestrator Configuration"
description = "Configure the Orchestrator service"
version = "1.0.0"
schema = "orchestrator.ncl"
[fields.mode]
type = "enum"
label = "Deployment Mode"
description = "Select deployment mode: solo, multiuser, or enterprise"
options = ["solo", "multiuser", "enterprise"]
default = "solo"
required = true
[fields.server.port]
type = "number"
label = "Server Port"
description = "HTTP server port (1-65535)"
min = 1
max = 65535
default = 8080
required = true
[fields.database.host]
type = "string"
label = "Database Host"
description = "PostgreSQL host"
default = "localhost"
required = true
[fields.logging.level]
type = "enum"
label = "Logging Level"
options = ["debug", "info", "warning", "error"]
default = "info"
required = false
Validation Constraints
# provisioning/platform/.typedialog/constraints/constraints.toml
[orchestrator]
mode = ["solo", "multiuser", "enterprise"]
port = "range(1, 65535)"
database_pool_size = "range(1, 100)"
memory = "pattern(^\\d+[MG]B$)"
[control-center]
port = "range(1, 65535)"
replicas = "range(1, 10)"
[nginx]
worker_processes = "range(1, 32)"
worker_connections = "range(1, 65536)"
Workflow: Setup to Deployment
1. User runs setup command
↓
2. TypeDialog displays form
↓
3. User fills form with validation
↓
4. Form data → Nickel config
↓
5. Nickel config → TOML (via ConfigLoader)
↓
6. Service reads TOML config
↓
7. Service starts with configured values
Benefits of TypeDialog Integration
- ✅ Type-safe forms - Generated from Nickel schemas
- ✅ Real-time validation - Enforce constraints as user types
- ✅ Progressive disclosure - Show advanced options only when needed
- ✅ Consistent UX - Same forms across platforms (CLI, Web, TUI)
- ✅ Auto-generated - Forms stay in sync with schemas automatically
- ✅ TTY handling - Bash wrappers solve Nushell input stack issues
- ✅ Graceful fallback - Falls back to basic prompts if TypeDialog unavailable
Testing TypeDialog Forms
# Validate form structure
typedialog check-form provisioning/platform/.typedialog/forms/orchestrator.form.toml
# Run form with test data
typedialog run-form
--form provisioning/platform/.typedialog/forms/orchestrator.form.toml
--test-mode # Automated validation
# Generate sample output
typedialog generate-sample
--form provisioning/platform/.typedialog/forms/orchestrator.form.toml
--output /tmp/orchestrator-sample.ncl
Migration Path
Phase A: Legacy (DEPRECATED)
FormInquire (Jinja2) → Nushell processing → TOML config
Status: ARCHIVED to .coder/archive/forminquire/
Phase B: Current Implementation
Bash wrapper → TypeDialog (TTY input) → Nickel config → JSON export → Nushell reads JSON
Status: IMPLEMENTED with forms ready
Phase C: TypeDialog Binary Available (Future)
TypeDialog binary installed → Full nickel-roundtrip workflow → Auto-sync with schemas
Status: PLANNED - awaiting TypeDialog binary release
Phase D: Unified (Future)
ConfigLoader discovers config → Service reads → TypeDialog updates UI
Integration with Infrastructure Schemas
TypeDialog forms work seamlessly with infrastructure schemas:
Infrastructure Configuration Workflow
1. Define Infrastructure Schemas (completed)
- Location:
provisioning/schemas/infrastructure/ - 6 schemas: docker-compose, kubernetes, nginx, prometheus, systemd, oci-registry
- All validated with
nickel typecheck
2. Generate Infrastructure Configs (completed)
- Script:
provisioning/platform/scripts/generate-infrastructure-configs.nu - Supports: solo, multiuser, enterprise, cicd modes
- Formats: YAML, JSON, conf, service
3. Validate Generated Configs (completed)
- Script:
provisioning/platform/scripts/validate-infrastructure.nu - Tools: docker-compose config, kubectl apply --dry-run, nginx -t, promtool check
- Examples:
examples-solo-deployment.ncl,examples-enterprise-deployment.ncl
4. Interactive Setup with Forms (TypeDialog ready)
- Script:
provisioning/platform/scripts/setup-with-forms.sh - Bash wrappers:
provisioning/core/shlib/*-tty.sh(handle TTY input) - Forms ready: setup-wizard, auth-login, mfa-enroll
- Fallback: Basic Nushell prompts if TypeDialog unavailable
Current Status: Full Infrastructure Support
| Component | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Schemas | ✅ Complete | 6 infrastructure schemas (1,577 lines) |
| Examples | ✅ Complete | 2 deployment examples (solo, enterprise) |
| Generation Script | ✅ Complete | Auto-generates configs for all modes |
| Validation Script | ✅ Complete | Validates Docker, K8s, Nginx, Prometheus |
| Setup Wizard | ✅ Complete | TypeDialog forms + bash wrappers ready |
| TypeDialog Integration | ⏳ Pending | Structure ready, awaiting binary |
Validated Examples
Solo Deployment (examples-solo-deployment.ncl):
- ✅ Type-checks without errors
- ✅ Exports to 198 lines of JSON
- ✅ 5 Docker Compose services
- ✅ Resource limits: 1.0-4.0 CPU, 256M-1024M RAM
- ✅ Prometheus: 4 scrape jobs
- ✅ Registry backend: Zot (filesystem)
Enterprise Deployment (examples-enterprise-deployment.ncl):
- ✅ Type-checks without errors
- ✅ Exports to 313 lines of JSON
- ✅ 6 Docker Compose services with HA
- ✅ Resource limits: 2.0-4.0 CPU, 512M-4096M RAM
- ✅ Prometheus: 7 scrape jobs with remote storage
- ✅ Registry backend: Harbor (S3 distributed)
Test Infrastructure Generation
# Export solo infrastructure
nickel export --format json provisioning/schemas/infrastructure/examples-solo-deployment.ncl > /tmp/solo.json
# Validate JSON
jq . /tmp/solo.json
# Check Docker Compose services
jq '.docker_compose_services | keys' /tmp/solo.json
# Compare resource allocation (solo vs enterprise)
jq '.docker_compose_services.orchestrator.deploy.resources.limits' /tmp/solo.json
jq '.docker_compose_services.orchestrator.deploy.resources.limits' /tmp/enterprise.json
Next Steps
-
Infrastructure Setup (available now):
- Generate infrastructure configs with automation scripts
- Validate with format-specific tools
- Use interactive setup wizard for configuration
-
When TypeDialog binary becomes available:
- Install TypeDialog binary
- Forms already created and ready to use
- Bash wrappers handle TTY input (no Nushell stack issues)
- Full nickel-roundtrip workflow will be enabled
-
Production Deployment:
- Use validated infrastructure configs
- Deploy with ConfigLoader + infrastructure schemas
- Monitor via Prometheus (auto-generated from schemas)
Version: 1.2.0 (TypeDialog Forms + Bash Wrappers) Status: TypeDialog forms ready with bash wrappers; Awaiting TypeDialog Binary Last Updated: 2025-01-09 ForminQuire Status: DEPRECATED - Archived to .coder/archive/forminquire/ Fallback: Basic Nushell prompts if TypeDialog unavailable Tested: Infrastructure examples (solo + enterprise) validated