ttktui: add experimental TermTk based text user interface

Launch in a terminal with command line argument `nicotine --tui`
Depends on ceccopierangiolieugenio/pyTermTk#469

Author: slook

pynicotine/__init__.py

@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ def check_arguments():
         "-n", "--headless", action="store_true",
         help=_("start the program in headless mode (no GUI)")
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-t", "--tui", action="store_true",
+        help=_("start the program in text terminal mode (TermTk TUI)")
+    )
     parser.add_argument(
         "-v", "--version", action="version", version=f"{__application_name__} {__version__}",
         help=_("display version and exit")
@@ -94,7 +98,7 @@ def check_arguments():
     core.cli_interface_address = args.bindip
     core.cli_listen_port = args.port
 
-    return args.headless, args.hidden, args.ci_mode, args.isolated, args.rescan, multi_instance
+    return args.headless, args.tui, args.hidden, args.ci_mode, args.isolated, args.rescan, multi_instance
 
 
 def check_python_version():
@@ -188,17 +192,28 @@ def run():
     set_up_python()
     rename_process(b"nicotine")
 
-    headless, hidden, ci_mode, isolated_mode, rescan, multi_instance = check_arguments()
+    headless, tui, hidden, ci_mode, isolated_mode, rescan, multi_instance = check_arguments()
     error = check_python_version()
 
     if error:
         print(error)
         return 1
 
-    core.init_components(
-        enabled_components={"cli", "shares"} if rescan else None,
-        isolated_mode=isolated_mode
-    )
+    if rescan:
+        enabled_components = {"cli", "shares"}
+
+    elif tui:
+        enabled_components = {
+            "error_handler", "signal_handler", "portmapper", "network_thread", "shares", "users",
+            "notifications", "network_filter", "now_playing", "statistics", "port_checker", "update_checker",
+            "search", "downloads", "uploads", "interests", "userbrowse", "userinfo", "buddies",
+            "chatrooms", "privatechat", "pluginhandler"
+        }
+
+    else:
+        enabled_components = None  # Enable all components by default
+
+    core.init_components(enabled_components=enabled_components, isolated_mode=isolated_mode)
 
     # Dump tracebacks for C modules (in addition to pure Python code)
     try:
@@ -214,8 +229,16 @@ def run():
     if rescan:
         return rescan_shares()
 
-    # Initialize GTK-based GUI
-    if not headless:
+    if tui:
+        # Initialize TermTk-based TUI
+        from pynicotine import ttktui as application
+        exit_code = application.run(ci_mode)
+
+        if exit_code is not None:
+            return exit_code
+
+    elif not headless:
+        # Initialize GTK-based GUI
         from pynicotine import gtkgui as application
         exit_code = application.run(hidden, ci_mode, isolated_mode, multi_instance)
 

pynicotine/cli.py

@@ -1,6 +1,21 @@
 # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022-2025 Nicotine+ Contributors
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
 
+try:
+    # Enable line editing and history
+    import readline
+
+    try:
+        readline.get_line_buffer()  # pylint: disable=no-member
+    except Exception as curses_error:
+        raise ImportError from curses_error
+
+    READLINE_ENABLED = True
+
+except ImportError:
+    # Readline is not available on this OS
+    READLINE_ENABLED = False
+
 import sys
 import time
 
@@ -19,14 +34,7 @@ def __init__(self):
 
         super().__init__(name="CLIInputProcessor", daemon=True)
 
-        try:
-            # Enable line editing and history
-            import readline  # noqa: F401  # pylint:disable=unused-import
-
-        except ImportError:
-            # Readline is not available on this OS
-            pass
-
+        self.has_buffer = READLINE_ENABLED
         self.has_custom_prompt = False
         self.prompt_message = ""
         self.prompt_callback = None
@@ -43,7 +51,9 @@ def run(self):
 
             except Exception as error:
                 log.add_debug("CLI input prompt is no longer available: %s", error)
-                return
+                break
+
+        self.has_buffer = False
 
     def _handle_prompt_callback(self, user_input, callback):
 
@@ -89,6 +99,13 @@ def _handle_prompt(self):
         # No custom prompt, treat input as command
         self._handle_prompt_command(user_input)
 
+    def get_prompt_line(self):
+
+        if not self.has_buffer:
+            return ""
+
+        return f"{self.prompt_message}{readline.get_line_buffer()}"  # pylint: disable=no-member
+
 
 class CLI:
     __slots__ = ("_input_processor", "_log_message_queue", "_tty_attributes")
@@ -127,10 +144,10 @@ def prompt(self, message, callback, is_silent=False):
         self._input_processor.prompt_callback = callback
         self._input_processor.prompt_silent = is_silent
 
-    def _print_log_message(self, log_message):
+    def _print_log_message(self, log_message, prompt_line=None):
 
         try:
-            print(log_message, flush=True)
+            print(f"\x1b[2K{log_message}\n{prompt_line}", end="", flush=True)
 
         except OSError:
             # stdout is gone, prevent future errors
@@ -149,12 +166,13 @@ def _log_message(self, timestamp_format, msg, _title, _level):
         else:
             log_message = msg
 
-        if self._input_processor.has_custom_prompt:
-            # Don't print log messages while custom prompt is active
+        if self._input_processor.has_custom_prompt and not READLINE_ENABLED:
+            # Unless there's a way to avoid overwriting the prompt and user
+            # input, don't print log messages while custom prompt is active
             self._log_message_queue.append(log_message)
             return
 
-        self._print_log_message(log_message)
+        self._print_log_message(log_message, prompt_line=self._input_processor.get_prompt_line())
 
     def _quit(self):
         """Restores TTY attributes and re-enables echo on quit."""

pynicotine/ttktui/__init__.py

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Nicotine+ Contributors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+
+def run(ci_mode):
+    """Run Nicotine+ TTk Text User Interface (TUI)."""
+
+    sys.path.append(os.path.join(sys.path[0], 'pynicotine', 'external', 'pyTermTk'))  # ../libs/pyTermTk
+
+    from pynicotine.ttktui.application import Application
+    return Application(ci_mode).run()