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Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”

Before installing Elaris.UI, ensure you have:

  • .NET SDK 8.0 or 9.0 installed
  • A terminal that supports ANSI escape codes and truecolor (24-bit RGB)
    • Windows: Windows Terminal (recommended), PowerShell 7+, or modern terminal emulators
    • macOS: iTerm2 (recommended), Terminal.app
    • Linux: Most modern terminal emulators (GNOME Terminal, Konsole, etc.)

Installation

Section titled “Installation”

NuGet Package Manager

Section titled “NuGet Package Manager”

Install Elaris.UI using the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio:

  1. Right-click on your project in Solution Explorer
  2. Select Manage NuGet Packages…
  3. Search for Ambystech.Elaris.UI
  4. Click Install

Package Manager Console

Section titled “Package Manager Console”
Terminal window
Install-Package Ambystech.Elaris.UI

.NET CLI

Section titled “.NET CLI”
Terminal window
dotnet add package Ambystech.Elaris.UI

Manual Package Reference

Section titled “Manual Package Reference”

Add the package reference directly to your .csproj file:

<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Ambystech.Elaris.UI" Version="0.1.0-alpha" />
</ItemGroup>

Then restore packages:

Terminal window
dotnet restore

First Steps

Section titled “First Steps”

After installation, you’re ready to create your first Elaris.UI application!

1. Add Required Usings

Section titled “1. Add Required Usings”
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Display;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Layout;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Core;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Enums;
using System.Drawing;

2. Create Your First Application

Section titled “2. Create Your First Application”
var app = new Application();


var frame = new Frame("Hello Elaris!")
{
    BorderStyle = BorderStyle.Rounded,
    ForegroundColor = ColorHelper.FromRgb(100, 200, 255),
};


var label = new Label("Welcome to Elaris!")
{
    X = 2,
    Y = 2,
    Width = 50,
    Height = 1,
    ForegroundColor = ColorHelper.FromRgb(255, 200, 100),
    Bold = true
};


frame.Add(label);
app.Run(frame);

3. Run Your Application

Section titled “3. Run Your Application”
Terminal window
dotnet run

Terminal Configuration

Section titled “Terminal Configuration”

Windows Terminal

Section titled “Windows Terminal”

Windows Terminal has excellent support for ANSI escape codes and truecolor. No additional configuration needed.

PowerShell

Section titled “PowerShell”

Ensure you’re using PowerShell 7+ for best compatibility. PowerShell 5.1 has limited ANSI support.

macOS Terminal

Section titled “macOS Terminal”

For the best experience on macOS, use iTerm2 which has full truecolor support. Terminal.app also works but may have limited color support.

Linux

Section titled “Linux”

Most modern Linux terminal emulators support truecolor. If colors don’t appear correctly, check your terminal’s color settings.

Verifying Installation

Section titled “Verifying Installation”

To verify that Elaris.UI is installed correctly, try running the Hello World example:

using Ambystech.Elaris.UI;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Display;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Widgets.Layout;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Core;
using Ambystech.Elaris.UI.Enums;
using System.Drawing;


var app = new Application();


var frame = new Frame("Installation Test")
{
    BorderStyle = BorderStyle.Rounded,
    ForegroundColor = ColorHelper.FromRgb(100, 200, 255),
};


var label = new Label("Elaris.UI is installed correctly!")
{
    X = 2,
    Y = 2,
    Width = 50,
    Height = 1,
    ForegroundColor = Color.Green,
    Bold = true
};


frame.Add(label);
app.Run(frame);

If you see a colored frame with text, your installation is successful!

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Colors Not Displaying

Section titled “Colors Not Displaying”
  • Ensure your terminal supports truecolor (24-bit RGB)
  • Check that your terminal is not in compatibility mode
  • Try using a different terminal emulator

Package Not Found

Section titled “Package Not Found”
  • Verify you’re using .NET 8.0 or 9.0
  • Check your NuGet package source configuration
  • Ensure you have an internet connection for package restore

Build Errors

Section titled “Build Errors”
  • Run dotnet restore to restore packages
  • Ensure all required using statements are included
  • Check that your project targets .NET 8.0 or 9.0

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”

Now that you have Elaris.UI installed: