This skill helps you build sophisticated Text User Interfaces (TUIs) using Textual, a Python framework for creating terminal and browser-based applications with a modern web-inspired API. It includes reference documentation, a card game template, and best practices for Textual development.
Quick Start
Basic Textual App
from textual.app import App, ComposeResult
from textual.widgets import Header, Footer, Label
class MyApp(App):
def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
yield Header()
yield Label("Hello, Textual!")
yield Footer()
if __name__ == "__main__":
app = MyApp()
app.run()
Card Game Template
For card game prototyping, copy the template:
cp -r assets/card-game-template/* ./my-game/
cd my-game
python app.py
The template includes:
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Interactive Card widget with face-up/down states
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Hand containers for player cards
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Play area with turn management
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Key bindings for card selection and playing
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Customizable styling
See assets/card-game-template/README.md for customization guide.
When to Read Reference Documentation
This skill includes comprehensive reference files. Load them based on your task:
references/basics.md
Read when: Setting up app structure, using reactive attributes, handling mounting, querying widgets, or working with messages/events.
Covers:
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App structure and compose method
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Reactive attributes and watchers
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Mounting and dynamic widget creation
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Widget querying
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Messages, events, and custom messages
references/widgets.md
Read when: Adding UI elements like buttons, inputs, labels, data tables, or creating custom widgets.
Covers:
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Display widgets (Label, Static, Placeholder)
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Input widgets (Button, Input, TextArea, Switch)
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DataTable for tabular data
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Layout containers (Container, Grid, Horizontal, Vertical)
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Custom widget creation
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Header/Footer
references/layout.md
Read when: Designing layouts, positioning widgets, using grid systems, or handling responsive sizing.
Covers:
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Layout types (vertical, horizontal, grid)
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Grid configuration (cell spanning, row/column sizing)
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Alignment and content positioning
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Docking widgets to screen edges
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Sizing (fixed, relative, fractional, auto)
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Spacing (margin, padding)
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Scrolling
references/styling.md
Read when: Applying CSS styles, theming, adding borders, or customizing widget appearance.
Covers:
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CSS files and selectors
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Colors (named, hex, RGB, theme variables)
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Borders and border styling
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Text styling and alignment
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Opacity and tinting
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Rich markup for styled text
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Pseudo-classes (:hover, :focus, etc.)
references/interactivity.md
Read when: Implementing keyboard shortcuts, handling mouse events, responding to user actions, or creating interactive behaviors.
Covers:
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Key bindings and actions
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Dynamic binding updates
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Mouse events (click, hover, enter, leave)
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Keyboard events
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Focus management
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Widget-specific messages
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Custom messages
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Notifications and timers
Common Workflows
Creating a New TUI App
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Start with basic app structure (see Quick Start)
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Design layout (read
references/layout.md) -
Add widgets (read
references/widgets.md) -
Style with CSS (read
references/styling.md) -
Add interactivity (read
references/interactivity.md)
Prototyping a Card Game
-
Copy the card game template
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Customize the Card widget for your game's card properties
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Modify game logic in action methods
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Add game-specific rules in message handlers
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Style cards and layout in
app.tcss
Adding Interactive Features
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Define key bindings in
BINDINGS -
Implement action methods (
action_*) -
Handle widget messages (
on_button_pressed, etc.) -
Use reactive attributes for state management
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Update UI in watchers
Best Practices
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Progressive Development: Start simple, add complexity incrementally
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Reactive State: Use
reactive()for state that affects UI -
CSS Separation: Keep styling in
.tcssfiles, not inline -
Widget Reuse: Create custom widgets for repeated components
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Message Bubbling: Use
event.stop()to control message propagation -
Type Hints: Use proper type hints for better IDE support
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IDs and Classes: Use semantic IDs/classes for querying and styling
Installation
pip install textual
# or
uv pip install textual
Current version: v0.86.0+ (as of November 2025, latest is v6.6.0)
Resources
references/
Comprehensive documentation loaded on-demand:
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basics.md- Core concepts and app structure -
widgets.md- Widget catalog and usage -
layout.md- Layout systems and positioning -
styling.md- CSS and theming -
interactivity.md- Events, bindings, and actions
assets/
card-game-template/- Complete starter template for card games with interactive cards, hands, and turn management
Official Documentation
For topics not covered in this skill, consult:
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https://textual.textualize.io/ (official docs)
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https://github.com/Textualize/textual (GitHub repo)