Project 3: A menuconfig-style Configuration Editor

An interactive, menu-driven tool for editing a configuration file. Users navigate a nested menu with arrow keys, toggle options with the spacebar, and enter string values.

Quick Reference

Attribute Value
Primary Language C
Alternative Languages C++, Rust
Difficulty Level 2: Intermediate
Time Estimate 1-2 weeks
Knowledge Area TUI / Interactive Forms
Tooling ncurses library
Prerequisites Project 2, strong C skills (structs, pointers, enums).

What You Will Build

An interactive, menu-driven tool for editing a configuration file. Users navigate a nested menu with arrow keys, toggle options with the spacebar, and enter string values.

Why It Matters

This project builds core skills that appear repeatedly in real-world systems and tooling.

Core Challenges

  • Representing the menu structure in C → maps to using structs and arrays to model your UI state
  • Handling navigation and selection logic → maps to managing a “currently selected item” index and input handling
  • Drawing different widget types (checkbox, textbox) → maps to rendering state visually
  • Reading initial state from a file and writing it back → maps to persistence

Key Concepts

  • Data-Driven UI: Your C structs define the menu, not hardcoded draw calls.
  • State Management: Keeping track of the cursor, selected values, and menu hierarchy.
  • Ncurses Forms Library (or manual implementation): The forms library can help, but building it manually teaches more.

Real-World Outcome

(Terminal Output)

     Application Configuration
 ┌──────────────────────────────────┐
 │                                  │
 │    [X] Enable Networking         │
 │    ( ) Enable TLS                │
 │    --- Server Settings ---       │
 │    Host: [localhost      ]       │
 │    Port: [8080           ]       │
 │                                  │
 └──────────────────────────────────┘
   <  OK  >      < Cancel >

Implementation Guide

  1. Reproduce the simplest happy-path scenario.
  2. Build the smallest working version of the core feature.
  3. Add input validation and error handling.
  4. Add instrumentation/logging to confirm behavior.
  5. Refactor into clean modules with tests.

Milestones

  • Milestone 1: Minimal working program that runs end-to-end.
  • Milestone 2: Correct outputs for typical inputs.
  • Milestone 3: Robust handling of edge cases.
  • Milestone 4: Clean structure and documented usage.

Validation Checklist

  • Output matches the real-world outcome example
  • Handles invalid inputs safely
  • Provides clear errors and exit codes
  • Repeatable results across runs

References

  • Main guide: LEARN_TUI_PROGRAMMING_PROJECTS.md
  • “C Programming: A Modern Approach” by K. N. King