Project 9: A `ncurses`-like TUI Library

A high-level, idiomatic Zig wrapper around a C library like ncurses or BearLibTerminal. Your library will expose a safe, Zig-style API for building terminal applications.

Quick Reference

Attribute	Value
Primary Language	Zig
Alternative Languages	C, Rust
Difficulty	Level 3: Advanced
Time Estimate	1-2 weeks
Knowledge Area	C Interoperability / TUI
Tooling	A terminal user interface library
Prerequisites	Project 4. Basic knowledge of C.

What You Will Build

A high-level, idiomatic Zig wrapper around a C library like ncurses or BearLibTerminal. Your library will expose a safe, Zig-style API for building terminal applications.

Why It Matters

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

Core Challenges

Importing C headers → maps to using @cImport and understanding how C types map to Zig types
Wrapping C functions → maps to creating a Zig function that calls the C function and translates its inputs/outputs
Handling C strings → maps to converting between null-terminated [:0]u8 and Zig slices []const u8
Managing library state → maps to creating an init function that calls the C setup function and a deinit that cleans up

Key Concepts

C Interoperability: Zig Docs - @cImport
String Conversion: std.mem.sliceTo and std.mem.span.
API Design: “API Design Patterns” by JJ Geewax.

Real-World Outcome

// Your library's API
var tui = try MyTui.init(allocator);
defer tui.deinit();

try tui.print(10, 5, "Hello from Zig!", .{.fg = .white, .bg = .blue});
try tui.refresh();
_ = tui.readChar();

Implementation Guide

Reproduce the simplest happy-path scenario.
Build the smallest working version of the core feature.
Add input validation and error handling.
Add instrumentation/logging to confirm behavior.
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_ZIG_DEEP_DIVE.md
“The C Programming Language” by K&R (for understanding C idioms)

Project 9: A ncurses-like TUI Library