ZigZag

A TUI framework for Zig.

Features · How it works · Quick start · Components · Examples · Reference

ZigZag brings typed Model-Update-View applications, rich styling, flexible layout, and 40+ components to the terminal with no third-party dependencies.

Features

Capability	Highlights
Architecture	Typed Model-Update-View, commands, async tasks, sub-programs
Components	40+ inputs, tables, lists, charts, forms, and overlays
Styling	ANSI, 256-color, TrueColor, adaptive themes, borders, and text overflow
Layout	Placement, Flexbox constraints, split panes, and layered composition
Terminal support	Keyboard, mouse, clipboard, images, suspend/resume
Performance	Diff rendering, ANSI compression, and virtual lists

How it works

Events update the model, then view renders the next terminal frame.

flowchart LR
  E["Input · timer · async"] --> U["update"]
  U --> M["Model"]
  M --> V["view"]
  V --> T["Terminal"]
  U --> C["Command"]
  C --> E

Loading

Quick start

Requires Zig 0.16.0 or newer.

zig fetch --save git+https://github.com/meszmate/zigzag#main

const zigzag = b.dependency("zigzag", .{
    .target = target,
    .optimize = optimize,
});

exe.root_module.addImport("zigzag", zigzag.module("zigzag"));

Start with the counter example.

Components

Category	Includes
Input and forms	Text input, text area, checkbox, radio group, slider, dropdown, form, file picker, stepper
Data and navigation	List, virtual list, table, sortable table, data table, tree, tabs, breadcrumbs, screen stacks
Visualization	Progress, spinner, gauge, sparkline, chart, bar chart, heatmap, canvas, Braille canvas
Overlays and feedback	Modal, confirmation, tooltip, notification, toast, context menu, command palette
Content and tooling	Markdown, code view, diff view, rich log, status bar, help, developer console

Browse the component index →

Examples

Demo	Run
Showcase	zig build run-showcase
Dashboard	zig build run-dashboard
File browser	zig build run-file_browser
WebAssembly	zig build run-wasm_app

See every example →

Documentation

Reference · Examples · Contributing

Projects using ZigZag

• zmenu, a simple Zig application launcher for GNU/Linux

Star ZigZag ⭐

If ZigZag helps you build a terminal application, consider starring the repository. Stars help other Zig developers discover the project, show that the framework is useful, and motivate continued work on components, terminal support, and documentation.

License

MIT