# terminal_interface - Functional Specification

**Version**: v1.2.3 | **Status**: Active | **Last Updated**: March 2026

## Purpose

The `terminal_interface` module provides rich CLI capabilities: colored output, progress bars, interactive prompts, and a custom shell (`codomyrmex>`).

## Design Principles

### Modularity

- **Formatter/Parser**: Separate modules for styling and input.
- **`rich` Library**: Leverages `rich` for consistent terminal rendering.

### Functionality

- **Cross-Platform**: Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows terminals.

## Functional Requirements

1. **Interactive Shell**: A REPL for system commands.
2. **Output Formatting**: Tables, messages, progress bars.
3. **Input Handling**: Prompts, menus, validation.

## Interface Contracts

- `InteractiveShell`: The REPL host class.
- `terminal_utils`: Functions for `print_table`, `print_success`, etc.

## Navigation

- **Human Documentation**: [README.md](README.md)
- **Technical Documentation**: [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md)

- **Parent**: [../SPEC.md](../SPEC.md)

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## Detailed Architecture and Implementation

### Design Principles

1. **Strict Modularity**: Each component is isolated and communicates via well-defined APIs.
2. **Performance Optimization**: Implementation leverages lazy loading and intelligent caching to minimize resource overhead.
3. **Error Resilience**: Robust exception handling ensures system stability even under unexpected conditions.
4. **Extensibility**: The architecture is designed to accommodate future enhancements without breaking existing contracts.

### Technical Implementation

The codebase utilizes modern Python features (version 3.10+) to provide a clean, type-safe API. Interaction patterns are documented in the corresponding `AGENTS.md` and `SPEC.md` files, ensuring that both human developers and automated agents can effectively utilize these capabilities.

## Testing

```bash
uv run python -m pytest src/codomyrmex/tests/ -k terminal_interface -v
```
