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|
# Events Reference
## Overview
go-tui routes terminal input through a typed event system. Keyboard presses, mouse clicks, and terminal resizes each have their own event type. Components receive these events through two interfaces: `KeyListener` for keyboard input and `MouseListener` for mouse input.
The `KeyMap` system gives you a declarative way to bind keys to handlers. Bindings are checked in tree order, and you can control whether an event continues propagating or stops at the first match.
## Event Interface
```go
type Event interface {
isEvent()
}
```
`Event` is a marker interface shared by all event types. The `isEvent()` method is unexported, so only the framework's own types satisfy it. Use a type switch to handle specific event types:
```go
switch ev := event.(type) {
case tui.KeyEvent:
// handle keyboard input
case tui.MouseEvent:
// handle mouse input
case tui.ResizeEvent:
// handle terminal resize
}
```
## KeyEvent
```go
type KeyEvent struct {
Key Key
Rune rune
Mod Modifier
}
```
Represents a single keyboard input.
**Fields:**
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `Key` | `Key` | The key pressed. For printable characters this is `KeyRune`; for special keys (arrows, function keys, etc.) it's the specific constant. |
| `Rune` | `rune` | The character for `KeyRune` events. Zero for special keys. |
| `Mod` | `Modifier` | Modifier flags: any combination of `ModCtrl`, `ModAlt`, `ModShift`. |
**Methods:**
### App
```go
func (e KeyEvent) App() *App
```
Returns the `App` that dispatched this event. Use it in key handlers to call app-level methods.
```go
tui.On(tui.KeyEscape, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
ke.App().Stop()
})
```
### IsRune
```go
func (e KeyEvent) IsRune() bool
```
Returns `true` if the event is a printable character (i.e., `Key == KeyRune`).
```go
tui.On(tui.AnyRune, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
if ke.IsRune() {
fmt.Printf("typed: %c\n", ke.Rune)
}
})
```
### Is
```go
func (e KeyEvent) Is(key Key, mods ...Modifier) bool
```
Checks whether the event matches a key and (optionally) a set of modifiers. When multiple modifiers are passed, they are combined, and the event must have exactly that modifier set.
```go
// Match Enter with no modifier check
ke.Is(tui.KeyEnter)
// Match Ctrl+S
ke.Is(tui.KeyCtrlS)
// Match a key with specific modifiers
ke.Is(tui.KeyUp, tui.ModShift)
```
### Char
```go
func (e KeyEvent) Char() rune
```
Returns the rune if the event is a `KeyRune` event, or `0` otherwise. A convenience wrapper around checking `Key == KeyRune` and reading `Rune`.
## MouseEvent
```go
type MouseEvent struct {
Button MouseButton
Action MouseAction
X int
Y int
Mod Modifier
}
```
Represents a mouse input event. Mouse events are only delivered when mouse reporting is enabled (see [App Reference](app.md), `WithMouse()`).
**Fields:**
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `Button` | `MouseButton` | Which button was involved. |
| `Action` | `MouseAction` | The type of action (press, release, drag). |
| `X` | `int` | Column position, 0-indexed from the left edge. |
| `Y` | `int` | Row position, 0-indexed from the top edge. |
| `Mod` | `Modifier` | Modifier flags held during the mouse event. |
**Methods:**
### App
```go
func (e MouseEvent) App() *App
```
Returns the `App` that dispatched this event.
## ResizeEvent
```go
type ResizeEvent struct {
Width int
Height int
}
```
Emitted when the terminal window changes size. The framework handles resize internally: it updates the buffer dimensions, recalculates layout, and triggers a full redraw. You rarely need to handle this yourself.
## Key Constants
`Key` is a `uint16` enum. Every constant has a `String()` method that returns a human-readable name (e.g., `"Escape"`, `"Ctrl+A"`, `"F5"`).
### Special Keys
| Constant | String | Description |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| `KeyNone` | `"None"` | Zero value. No key. |
| `KeyRune` | `"Rune"` | Printable character. Check `Rune` field for the character. |
| `KeyEscape` | `"Escape"` | Escape key. |
| `KeyEnter` | `"Enter"` | Enter / Return key. |
| `KeyTab` | `"Tab"` | Tab key. |
| `KeyBackspace` | `"Backspace"` | Backspace key. |
| `KeyDelete` | `"Delete"` | Delete key. |
| `KeyInsert` | `"Insert"` | Insert key. |
### Arrow Keys
| Constant | String |
|----------|--------|
| `KeyUp` | `"Up"` |
| `KeyDown` | `"Down"` |
| `KeyLeft` | `"Left"` |
| `KeyRight` | `"Right"` |
### Navigation Keys
| Constant | String |
|----------|--------|
| `KeyHome` | `"Home"` |
| `KeyEnd` | `"End"` |
| `KeyPageUp` | `"PageUp"` |
| `KeyPageDown` | `"PageDown"` |
### Function Keys
| Constant | String |
|----------|--------|
| `KeyF1` – `KeyF12` | `"F1"` – `"F12"` |
All twelve function keys are defined: `KeyF1`, `KeyF2`, `KeyF3`, `KeyF4`, `KeyF5`, `KeyF6`, `KeyF7`, `KeyF8`, `KeyF9`, `KeyF10`, `KeyF11`, `KeyF12`.
### Control Keys
| Constant | String |
|----------|--------|
| `KeyCtrlA` – `KeyCtrlZ` | `"Ctrl+A"` – `"Ctrl+Z"` |
| `KeyCtrlSpace` | `"Ctrl+Space"` |
Each constant is a `RuneSpec` matching the corresponding `Rune(letter).Ctrl()` pattern. `On(tui.KeyCtrlS, handler)` and `On(tui.Rune('s').Ctrl(), handler)` are equivalent.
### Ctrl+H, Ctrl+I, Ctrl+M and Backspace/Tab/Enter
Three Ctrl+letter combinations share a terminal byte with a functional key:
| Ctrl combo | Functional key | Shared legacy byte |
|------------|---------------|-------------------|
| Ctrl+H | Backspace | `0x08` |
| Ctrl+I | Tab | `0x09` |
| Ctrl+M | Enter | `0x0D` |
**Ctrl+H / Backspace (0x08):** Modern terminals send `0x7F` for Backspace, so go-tui treats `0x08` as Ctrl+H. `KeyCtrlH` and `KeyBackspace` are separate bindings: Backspace matches `0x7F` (and Kitty's `CSI 127;1u`), while `KeyCtrlH` matches `0x08` (and Kitty's `CSI 104;5u`). Terminals configured with `stty erase ^H` send `0x08` for Backspace, which will fire `KeyCtrlH` handlers instead of `KeyBackspace`.
**Ctrl+I / Tab and Ctrl+M / Enter:** In legacy mode, the terminal sends `0x09` for both Tab and Ctrl+I (and `0x0D` for both Enter and Ctrl+M). go-tui maps these bytes to `KeyTab` and `KeyEnter`, so `KeyCtrlI` and `KeyCtrlM` only fire when the Kitty keyboard protocol is active and the terminal sends distinct sequences. If you need Tab or Enter handling without Kitty, bind `KeyTab` or `KeyEnter`.
## Modifier Flags
```go
type Modifier uint8
const (
ModNone Modifier = 0
ModCtrl Modifier = 1 << iota // 1
ModAlt // 2
ModShift // 4
)
```
Modifiers are bit flags and can be combined with `|`:
```go
// Check for Ctrl+Shift
if ke.Mod == tui.ModCtrl|tui.ModShift {
// ...
}
```
**Methods:**
### Has
```go
func (m Modifier) Has(mod Modifier) bool
```
Tests whether a specific modifier is present in the set.
```go
if ke.Mod.Has(tui.ModAlt) {
// Alt was held
}
```
### String
```go
func (m Modifier) String() string
```
Returns a human-readable representation. Multiple modifiers are joined with `+`:
```go
tui.ModNone.String() // "None"
tui.ModCtrl.String() // "Ctrl"
(tui.ModCtrl | tui.ModShift).String() // "Ctrl+Shift"
```
## MouseButton Constants
```go
type MouseButton int
```
| Constant | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `MouseLeft` | Left (primary) button. |
| `MouseMiddle` | Middle button (scroll wheel click). |
| `MouseRight` | Right (secondary) button. |
| `MouseWheelUp` | Scroll wheel up. |
| `MouseWheelDown` | Scroll wheel down. |
| `MouseNone` | No button (motion events). |
## MouseAction Constants
```go
type MouseAction int
```
| Constant | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `MousePress` | A button was pressed down. |
| `MouseRelease` | A button was released. |
| `MouseDrag` | Mouse moved while a button is held. |
## KeyMap
```go
type KeyMap []KeyBinding
```
A `KeyMap` is a slice of key bindings. Components return one from their `KeyMap()` method (the `KeyListener` interface). The framework collects bindings from all mounted components in tree order and checks them against each incoming key event. The first matching binding fires; if that binding has `Stop: true`, no further bindings run.
```go
func (a *myApp) KeyMap() tui.KeyMap {
return tui.KeyMap{
tui.On(tui.KeyEscape, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
ke.App().Stop()
}),
tui.On(tui.Rune('q'), func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
ke.App().Stop()
}),
}
}
```
## KeyBinding
```go
type KeyBinding struct {
Pattern KeyPattern
Handler func(KeyEvent)
Stop bool
}
```
Associates a key pattern with a handler function. When `Stop` is `true`, the event does not propagate to any later bindings in the dispatch table.
## KeyPattern
```go
type KeyPattern struct {
Key Key
Rune rune
AnyRune bool
Mod Modifier
ExcludeMods Modifier
}
```
Describes which key events a binding matches.
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `Key` | `Key` | Match a specific special key (`KeyEscape`, `KeyEnter`, etc.), or `0` for none. |
| `Rune` | `rune` | Match a specific printable character, or `0` for none. |
| `AnyRune` | `bool` | When `true`, match any printable character. |
| `Mod` | `Modifier` | When non-zero, the event must have exactly these modifiers. |
| `ExcludeMods` | `Modifier` | Reject the event if any of these modifiers are present. |
You don't usually construct `KeyPattern` directly. Use the helper functions below instead.
## KeyMap Helper Functions
These functions build `KeyBinding` values for common use cases. They accept a `KeyMatcher` that describes which key events to match.
### KeyMatcher
A `KeyMatcher` describes which key events a binding should match. Three implementations are available:
- **Key constants** (`tui.KeyEscape`, `tui.KeyEnter`, etc.) match specific special keys directly.
- **`tui.Rune(r rune)`** returns a `RuneSpec` that matches a specific printable character.
- **`tui.AnyRune`** matches any printable character.
Both `Key` and `RuneSpec` support modifier methods that return a new matcher requiring the specified modifier:
```go
tui.KeyUp.Shift() // Match Shift+Up
tui.KeyUp.Ctrl() // Match Ctrl+Up
tui.KeyUp.Alt() // Match Alt+Up
tui.Rune('s').Ctrl() // Match Ctrl+S
tui.Rune('x').Alt() // Match Alt+X
```
### On
```go
func On(m KeyMatcher, handler func(KeyEvent)) KeyBinding
```
Creates a binding that matches the given key pattern. The event continues propagating to later bindings.
```go
tui.On(tui.KeyEnter, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.submit()
})
tui.On(tui.Rune('+'), func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.count.Update(func(v int) int { return v + 1 })
})
tui.On(tui.AnyRune, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.buffer.Update(func(s string) string {
return s + string(ke.Rune)
})
})
```
### OnStop
```go
func OnStop(m KeyMatcher, handler func(KeyEvent)) KeyBinding
```
Same as `On`, but stops propagation after the handler runs. No later bindings will fire for this event.
```go
tui.OnStop(tui.KeyEnter, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.submit() // this component owns Enter exclusively
})
tui.OnStop(tui.Rune('/'), func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.activateSearch() // capture '/' before anything else sees it
})
tui.OnStop(tui.AnyRune, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.searchQuery.Update(func(s string) string {
return s + string(ke.Rune)
})
})
```
### OnFocused
```go
func OnFocused(m KeyMatcher, handler func(KeyEvent)) KeyBinding
```
Creates a binding that only fires when the component has focus. Stops propagation when it matches. Useful for focus-gated input handling.
```go
tui.OnFocused(tui.AnyRune, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.textInput.Update(func(s string) string {
return s + string(ke.Rune)
})
})
```
### OnPreemptStop
```go
func OnPreemptStop(m KeyMatcher, handler func(KeyEvent)) KeyBinding
```
Creates a preemptive stop-propagation binding. Fires before all normal handlers in the dispatch table, preventing parent components from seeing the event. Used internally by Modal (when `trapFocus` is true) to block parent key handlers when the overlay is open. Also useful for custom modal key bindings via `WithModalKeyMap`.
```go
// Block all keys from reaching parent handlers
tui.OnPreemptStop(tui.AnyKey, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {})
// Preemptive Escape handler
tui.OnPreemptStop(tui.KeyEscape, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
closeOverlay()
})
```
## Component Interfaces
### KeyListener
```go
type KeyListener interface {
KeyMap() KeyMap
}
```
Implement this on a struct component to handle keyboard input. The framework calls `KeyMap()` during each tree walk when the component is dirty, so you can return different bindings based on current state.
```go
func (a *myApp) KeyMap() tui.KeyMap {
if a.searchActive.Get() {
return tui.KeyMap{
tui.OnStop(tui.KeyEscape, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.searchActive.Set(false)
}),
tui.OnStop(tui.AnyRune, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.searchQuery.Update(func(s string) string {
return s + string(ke.Rune)
})
}),
}
}
return tui.KeyMap{
tui.On(tui.KeyEscape, func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
ke.App().Stop()
}),
tui.On(tui.Rune('/'), func(ke tui.KeyEvent) {
a.searchActive.Set(true)
}),
}
}
```
### MouseListener
```go
type MouseListener interface {
HandleMouse(MouseEvent) bool
}
```
Implement this to handle mouse input. The framework walks the component tree and dispatches mouse events to each `MouseListener`. Return `true` if the event was consumed.
```go
func (a *myApp) HandleMouse(me tui.MouseEvent) bool {
return tui.HandleClicks(me,
tui.Click(a.saveBtn, a.save),
tui.Click(a.cancelBtn, a.cancel),
)
}
```
## Click Handling
For full details on ref-based click handling, see [Refs Reference](refs.md). The relevant functions:
### Click
```go
func Click(ref *Ref, fn func()) ClickBinding
```
Creates a binding between an element ref and a click handler.
### HandleClicks
```go
func HandleClicks(me MouseEvent, bindings ...ClickBinding) bool
```
Tests a mouse event against a list of click bindings. Only left-button press events are matched. Returns `true` if any binding's ref contained the click coordinates.
`HandleClicks` checks `MouseLeft` + `MousePress`. Other buttons and actions are ignored. The first binding whose ref element contains the click point `(X, Y)` fires, and the function returns `true`.
```go
func (c *counter) HandleMouse(me tui.MouseEvent) bool {
return tui.HandleClicks(me,
tui.Click(c.incrementBtn, c.increment),
tui.Click(c.decrementBtn, c.decrement),
)
}
```
## Event Dispatch Flow
Here's how events flow through the system.
**Keyboard events:**
1. Terminal input is read and parsed into a `KeyEvent`.
2. If the app uses the component model (struct components with `KeyMap()`), the dispatch table is built from all `KeyListener` components in tree order.
3. **Preemptive pass**: bindings marked as preemptive (e.g., modal catch-all when `trapFocus` is true) fire first. If any stops the event, normal dispatch is skipped entirely.
4. Bindings are checked in order. The first match fires. If `Stop` is true, dispatch ends.
5. If no binding stopped the event, it falls through to `App.Dispatch()` and the focus manager for element-level handlers.
6. In legacy mode (no components), `WithGlobalKeyHandler` runs first. If it returns `true`, the event is consumed.
**Mouse events:**
1. Terminal input is read and parsed into a `MouseEvent`.
2. The framework walks the component tree and dispatches to each `MouseListener`.
3. If any listener returns `true`, the event is consumed.
4. Otherwise, the event goes to `App.Dispatch()` which does hit-testing against the element tree.
**Resize events:**
1. The terminal reports a size change.
2. `App.Dispatch()` handles it directly: resizes the buffer, marks the root dirty, and schedules a full redraw.
## Global Key Handler
For apps not using the component model, you can set a global key handler that runs before focus-based dispatch.
### WithGlobalKeyHandler (AppOption)
```go
func WithGlobalKeyHandler(fn func(KeyEvent) bool) AppOption
```
Sets a handler that runs before key events reach the focus manager. Return `true` to consume the event.
```go
app, err := tui.NewApp(
tui.WithRootComponent(MyApp()),
tui.WithGlobalKeyHandler(func(ke tui.KeyEvent) bool {
if ke.Key == tui.KeyCtrlC {
// handle Ctrl+C globally
return true
}
return false
}),
)
```
### SetGlobalKeyHandler
```go
func (a *App) SetGlobalKeyHandler(fn func(KeyEvent) bool)
```
Sets or replaces the global key handler at runtime. Pass `nil` to remove it.
## See Also
- [State Reference](state.md) — reactive state that key handlers typically modify
- [Refs Reference](refs.md) — element references used for click hit-testing
- [Focus Reference](focus.md) — focus management and Tab navigation
- [App Reference](app.md) — app lifecycle, `WithMouse()`, `Dispatch()`
|