Editing Text-based user interface (section)

== Under Unix-like systems ==
[[File:XFdrake.png|thumb|300px|Snapshot of 'XFdrake', a TUI used in [[Mandriva Linux]] to configure the graphical system]]
[[File:Btop screenshot.png|thumb|300px|btop - task manager utility for Linux and other unix-like OS]]
In [[Unix-like]] operating systems, TUIs are often constructed using the terminal control [[library (computer science)|library]] ''[[curses (programming library)|curses]]'', or ''[[ncurses]]'' (a mostly compatible library), or the alternative ''[[S-Lang]]'' library. The advent of the ''curses'' library with [[Berkeley Software Distribution|Berkeley Unix]] created a portable and stable API for which to write TUIs. The ability to talk to various [[text terminal]] types using the same [[API|interfaces]] led to more widespread use of "visual" Unix programs, which occupied the entire terminal screen instead of using a simple line interface. This can be seen in [[text editor]]s such as [[Vi (text editor)|vi]], [[Email client|mail clients]] such as [[pine (email client)|pine]] or [[mutt (email client)|mutt]], system management tools such as [[System Management Interface Tool|SMIT]], [[SAM (HP-UX)|SAM]], [[FreeBSD]]'s [[Sysinstall]] and [[web browser]]s such as [[lynx (web browser)|lynx]]. Some applications, such as [[w3m]], and older versions of pine and [[Vi (text editor)|vi]] use the less-able [[termcap]] library, performing many of the functions associated with [[curses (programming library)|curses]] within the application. Custom TUI applications based on ''widgets'' can be easily developed using the [[Dialog (software)|dialog]] program (based on [[ncurses]]), or the [[Newt (programming library)|Whiptail]] program (based on [[S-Lang]]).

In addition, the rise in popularity of [[Linux]] brought many former DOS users to a Unix-like platform, which has fostered a DOS influence in many TUIs. The program [[minicom]], for example, is modeled after the popular DOS program [[Telix]]. Some other TUI programs, such as the [[Twin (windowing system)|Twin]] desktop, were [[ported]] over.

Most Unix-like operating systems (Linux, FreeBSD, etc.) support [[virtual console]]s, typically accessed through a Ctrl-Alt-F key combination. For example, under Linux up to 64 consoles may be accessed (12 via function keys), each displaying in full-screen text mode.

The [[free software]] program [[GNU Screen]] provides for managing multiple sessions inside a single TUI, and so can be thought of as being like a [[window manager]] for text-mode and command-line interfaces. [[Tmux]] can also do this.

The proprietary [[macOS]] [[text editor]] [[BBEdit]] includes a ''shell worksheet'' function that works as a full-screen shell window. The [[free software|free]] [[Emacs]] text editor can run a shell inside of one of its buffers to provide similar functionality. There are several shell implementations in Emacs, but only <code>ansi-term</code> is suitable for running TUI programs. The other common shell modes, <code>shell</code> and <code>eshell</code> only emulate command lines and TUI programs will complain "Terminal is not fully functional" or display a garbled interface. The [[free software|free]] [[Vim (text editor)|Vim]] and [[Neovim]] text editors have terminal windows (simulating [[xterm]]). The feature is intended for running jobs, parallel builds, or tests, but can also be used (with window splits and tab pages) as a lightweight terminal multiplexer.