File: docs/index.md
Intro to TTE
What is TTE?
TerminalTextEffects (TTE) is a terminal visual effects engine. TTE can be installed as a system application to produce
effects in your terminal, or as a Python library to enable effects within your Python scripts/applications. TTE
includes a growing library of built-in effects which showcase the engine's features. These features include:
- XTerm 256 and RGB hex color support, including colors parsed from the input text.
- Complex character movement via Paths, Waypoints, and motion easing, with support for quadratic/cubic Bezier curves.
- Complex animations via Scenes with symbol/color changes, layers, easing, and Path-synced progression.
- Variable stop/step color gradient generation.
- Event handling for Path/Scene state changes with custom callback support and many predefined actions.
- Effect customization exposed through a typed effect configuration dataclass that is automatically handled as CLI
arguments. - Flexible character ordering by rows, columns, diagonals, rings, and spirals.
- Inline output that preserves terminal state and workflow, with an optional alternate-screen mode.
- Random and repeated playback, plus recording effects to files for low-CPU replay.
- Community effects loaded from your configuration directory.
Character ordering, alternate-screen output, repeated playback, and recording are new in 0.16.0 and are not in the
published 0.15.0 package.
Getting Started
TTE can be used as a system application or as a Python library. To get started, visit the installation and usage guides below.
Installation Guide{ .md-button } Application Usage{ .md-button } Library Usage{ .md-button }
Effects Library
TTE includes a growing library of built-in effects. Visit the showroom to see examples of each effect.
Effects Showroom{ .md-button }
Library Cookbook
Check out the cookbook to see interesting examples using the TTE library.
Library Cookbook{ .md-button }
Release Write-Ups
Friendly release write-ups can be found in the ChangeBlog.
ChangeBlog{ .md-button }