API Reference

This page provides an overview of the Elaris.UI API structure, namespaces, and common patterns.

Namespace Organization

Elaris.UI uses a clear namespace structure:

Ambystech.Elaris.UI - Core application and main types
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets - Base widget class
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Layout - Layout widgets
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Display - Display widgets
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Input - Input widgets
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Data - Data widgets
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Menu - Menu widgets
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Rendering - Rendering system
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Input - Input handling
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Core - Core utilities
Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Enums - Enumerations

Core Classes

Application

The main application class that manages the event loop and rendering.

Method	Description
`Run(Widget rootWidget)`	Starts the application with the specified root widget
`Stop()`	Stops the application
`SetFocus(Widget widget)`	Sets the focused widget

Property	Type	Description
`Screen`	`Screen?`	The current screen instance
`TargetFps`	`int`	Target frames per second (default: 30)
`InitialFocusWidget`	`Widget?`	Widget to receive initial focus

Screen

The terminal screen abstraction with double-buffered rendering.

Method	Description
`Clear()`	Clears the back buffer
`SetCell(int x, int y, Cell cell)`	Sets a cell in the back buffer
`WriteText(int x, int y, string text, ...)`	Writes text to the back buffer
`FillRectangle(Rectangle rect, ...)`	Fills a rectangle
`DrawRectangle(Rectangle rect, ...)`	Draws a rectangle border
`Render()`	Renders the back buffer to console
`Resize(int width, int height)`	Resizes the screen buffer

The abstract base class for all UI widgets.

Method	Description
`Add(Widget child)`	Adds a child widget
`Remove(Widget child)`	Removes a child widget
`Clear()`	Removes all children
`Render(Screen screen)`	Renders the widget

Property	Type	Description
`Bounds`	`Rectangle`	Widget bounds
`X`, `Y`, `Width`, `Height`	`int`	Position and size
`Visible`	`bool`	Visibility
`Enabled`	`bool`	Enabled state
`ForegroundColor`	`Color`	Text color
`BackgroundColor`	`Color`	Background color
`ZIndex`	`int`	Rendering order
`Parent`	`Widget?`	Parent widget
`Children`	`IReadOnlyList<Widget>`	Child widgets
`IsFocusable`	`bool`	Can receive focus
`HasFocus`	`bool`	Currently has focus

Common Patterns

Creating and Running an Application

var app = new Application();
var rootWidget = new Frame("My App");
app.Run(rootWidget);

Adding Widgets

var container = new Container();
var label = new Label("Hello");
container.Add(label);

Handling Events

button.Click += () =>
{
    Console.WriteLine("Clicked!");
};

Using Colors

// Using ColorHelper
var color = ColorHelper.FromRgb(100, 200, 255);
var hexColor = ColorHelper.FromHex("#64C8FF");

// Using System.Drawing.Color
var white = Color.White;
var transparent = Color.Transparent;

Enumerations

LayoutMode

Absolute - Children maintain manual positions
Vertical - Children stacked vertically
Horizontal - Children arranged horizontally
Fill - Children fill container

BorderStyle

None - No border
Single - Single-line border
Double - Double-line border
Rounded - Rounded corners

ButtonStyle

Standard - Standard button
Rounded - Rounded corners
Outline - Outlined button
Gradient - Gradient background

HorizontalAlignment

Left - Left aligned
Center - Center aligned
Right - Right aligned

VerticalAlignment

Top - Top aligned
Middle - Middle aligned
Bottom - Bottom aligned

Helper Classes

ColorHelper

Static utility class for color operations.

Method	Description
`FromRgb(byte r, byte g, byte b)`	Creates color from RGB
`FromRgba(byte r, byte g, byte b, byte a)`	Creates color from RGBA
`FromHex(string hex)`	Creates color from hex string
`TryFromHex(string hex, Color fallback)`	Tries to parse hex color
`Lerp(Color start, Color end, float t)`	Linear interpolation

XML Documentation

Elaris.UI includes comprehensive XML documentation comments. When viewing the code in an IDE, you’ll see detailed documentation for all public members.

Architecture - System architecture
Base Widget - Widget base class
Widgets - All widget types