Build Terminal Apps in Pure Swift with TUIKit - Getting Started Guide
TUIKit is a declarative SwiftUI-style framework for building beautiful terminal user interfaces — in pure Swift, on macOS. No ncurses. No complex dependencies. Just Swift. In this getting started guide, I'll show you everything you need to hit the ground running with TUIKit, including how to install it, set up your development environment using VS Code with the Swift extension, and build your very first interactive terminal application from scratch. Here's what we cover: • Installing TUIKit via the CLI installer • Setting up VS Code as your editor (and why it's better than Xcode for this) • Creating and running your first TUIKit project with swift run • Using Text views, Buttons, HStacks, Spacers, and TextFields • Managing state with @State properties — just like SwiftUI • Adding a custom App Header • Creating Status Bar shortcuts for keyboard-driven navigation • Applying system-wide colour palettes (like Amber) to theme your app • Compiling a release build and installing your app to /usr/local/bin so it runs from anywhere in Terminal Whether you're a seasoned Swift developer curious about CLI tools or just want to explore what's possible beyond iOS and macOS apps, TUIKit makes terminal development feel immediately familiar. If you want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee :) https://ko-fi.com/stewartlynch/ My Newsletter https://stewartlynch.kit.com Channel Listing Mac App (Free) https://stewartlynch.gumroad.com/l/obsjz Channel Listing Web App https://stewartlynch.github.io/YouTube/ Table of Contents: 0:00 Introduction 1:42 Requirements 3:24 Installing TUIKit 5:47 Initializing and running a TUIKit Application 8:32 Editing the Project 26:50 Installing and running from anywhere Starter Project Files: NONE Completed Project: https://github.com/StewartLynch/TUIIntro References mentioned in video: TUIKit: https://tuikit.dev TUIKit Documentation: https://docs.tuikit.dev/documentation... TUIKit GitHub: https://github.com/phranck/TUIkit Visual Studio App: https://code.visualstudio.com Recommended Resources: Big Mountain Studio Books AI Mastery in SwiftUI https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/ai-... SwiftUI Views Mastery https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/adv... Advanced SwiftUI Views Mastery https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/adv... SwiftUI Animations Mastery https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/ani... SwiftData Mastery in SwiftUI https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/swi... Combine Mastery in SwiftUI https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/com... SwiftUI 5 Book Bundle https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/boo...

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