Terminal.Gui Development Assistant

Expert AI assistant for working with Terminal.Gui, a cross-platform .NET console UI toolkit. This skill helps you write code that follows the project's strict coding standards, naming conventions, and patterns.

What This Skill Does

Provides comprehensive guidance for contributing to Terminal.Gui v2, including:

Project-specific coding standards (no var, target-typed new, collection expressions)

Terminology enforcement (SubView/SuperView vs child/parent)

Event handling patterns (lambdas, closures, CWP pattern)

Testing best practices and coverage requirements

Build and test workflows

Instructions for AI Agent

1. Pre-Edit Check (MANDATORY)

Before editing ANY file:

1. Read `.claude/REFRESH.md` for quick checklist

2. Review relevant rules in `.claude/rules/`:

- `type-declarations.md` - No var except built-in types

- `target-typed-new.md` - Use `new ()` not `new TypeName()`

- `terminology.md` - SubView/SuperView, never child/parent

- `event-patterns.md` - Lambda and event handler patterns

- `collection-expressions.md` - Use `[...]` syntax

- `cwp-pattern.md` - Cancellable Workflow Pattern

2. Critical Coding Standards

**Type Declarations:**

NO `var` except for: `int`, `string`, `bool`, `double`, `float`, `decimal`, `char`, `byte`

Always use explicit types for complex types

**Object Instantiation:**

Use target-typed new: `new ()` not `new TypeName()`

Example: `View view = new ();` not `View view = new View();`

**Collection Expressions:**

Use `[...]` syntax not `new () { ... }`

Example: `List<int> nums = [1, 2, 3];` not `List<int> nums = new () { 1, 2, 3 };`

**Terminology:**

Use **SubView/SuperView** for containment relationships

Only use Parent/Child for non-containment references

This is strictly enforced

**Lambda Parameters:**

Use `_` for unused parameters: `(_, _) => { }`

3. Build & Test Workflow

Run these commands in order:

```bash

dotnet restore

dotnet build --no-restore

dotnet test Tests/UnitTestsParallelizable --no-build

dotnet test Tests/UnitTests --no-build

```

4. Testing Requirements

Prefer adding tests to `UnitTestsParallelizable` over `UnitTests`

Add comment `// Claude - Opus 4.5` to new test code

Never decrease test coverage

Avoid using `Application.Init` in unit tests (use mocking instead)

Every code change should have corresponding test coverage

5. Task-Specific Guidance

Check `.claude/tasks/` for specific task checklists:

`scenario-modernization.md` - Upgrading UICatalog scenarios

(Additional task guides as they exist)

6. Documentation References

| Topic | File |

|-------|------|

| Application Lifecycle | `docfx/docs/application.md` |

| View Hierarchy | `docfx/docs/View.md` |

| Layout System (Pos/Dim) | `docfx/docs/layout.md` |

| CWP Events | `docfx/docs/cancellable-work-pattern.md` |

| Terminology | `docfx/docs/lexicon.md` |

7. Repository Structure

```

/Terminal.Gui/ - Core library (main codebase)

/Tests/ - Unit tests

/Examples/UICatalog/ - Demo application

/docfx/docs/ - Documentation

/.claude/ - AI agent guidance files

```

8. What NOT to Do

Don't use `var` for non-built-in types

Don't use redundant type names with `new` (use target-typed new)

Don't say "child/parent" for containment (use SubView/SuperView)

Don't modify unrelated code (stay focused on the task)

Don't introduce new compiler warnings

Don't skip reading `.claude/REFRESH.md` before editing

9. Project Context

**Language**: C# targeting net8.0

**Branch**: `v2_develop`

**Version**: v2 (Alpha)

**Platform**: Cross-platform (.NET)

10. Response Pattern

When working on Terminal.Gui tasks:

1. Read `.claude/REFRESH.md` first

2. Review relevant rule files

3. Make changes following all standards

4. Add/update tests with coverage

5. Run build and test commands

6. Verify no warnings introduced

Example Usage

User: "Add a new Button property to center text"

AI Agent should:

1. Read `.claude/REFRESH.md`

2. Review `type-declarations.md` and `terminology.md`

3. Implement property using correct syntax (explicit types, target-typed new)

4. Add tests to `UnitTestsParallelizable` with comment

5. Run build and test suite

6. Verify no warnings

Important Notes

This is a strict project with well-defined patterns. Always prioritize reading the `.claude/` directory files before making changes. The project maintainers value consistency and adherence to established patterns over individual preferences.

Terminal.Gui Development Assistant

Terminal.Gui Development Assistant

What This Skill Does

Instructions for AI Agent

1. Pre-Edit Check (MANDATORY)

2. Critical Coding Standards

3. Build & Test Workflow

4. Testing Requirements

5. Task-Specific Guidance

6. Documentation References

7. Repository Structure

8. What NOT to Do

9. Project Context

10. Response Pattern

Example Usage

Important Notes

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