Json ui

Manual++
1

Kakoune user interfaces can be implemented through the json-rpc 2.0
protocol.

By launching kakoune in client mode with the -ui json option, the
launched client will write newline separated json-rpc requests on stdout
and read json-rpc requests on stdin. Errors will be reported on stderr
(not in json format).

Kakoune requests are always using positional parameters, never named,
and Kakoune won’t be able to parse named parameters in requests.

Here are the data structures used:

  • Color: a string, either a named color, or #rrggbb, or default

  • Attribute: one of {underline, reverse, blink, bold, dim, italic,
    final_fg, final_bg, final_attr}

  • Face { Color fg; Color bg; Array<Attribute> attributes; }

  • Atom { Face face; String contents; }

  • Line : Array of Atom

  • Coord { int line; int column }

Here are the requests that can be written by the json ui on stdout:

  • draw(Array<Line> lines, Face default_face, Face
    padding_face) padding_face is the face of the padding characters
    ~ in the terminal UI.

  • draw_status(Line status_line, Line mode_line, Face default_face)

  • menu_show(Array<Line> items, Coord anchor, Face
    selected_item_face, Face menu_face, String style) style can be:

    • prompt: display the menu as a prompt menu (anchor is ignored)

    • inline: display the menu next to (above or below) the anchor
      coordinate

  • menu_select(int selected)

  • menu_hide()

  • info_show(String title, String content, Coord anchor, Face face,
    String style) style can be:

    • prompt: display the info as a prompt info (anchor is ignored)

    • inline: display the info next to (above or below) the anchor
      coordinate

    • inlineAbove: display the info next to (above) the anchor
      coordinate

    • inlineBelow: display the info next to (below) the anchor
      coordinate

    • menuDoc: display the info next to the menu, as a documentation
      for it

    • modal: display the info in a way that shows Kakoune is waiting
      for a special action related to it.

  • info_hide()

  • set_cursor(String mode, Coord coord) set the main cursor position
    mode can be:

    • prompt: the coordinate line should be 0, and the cursor is in
      the prompt area

    • buffer: the cursor is in the buffer display area

  • set_ui_options(Map<String, String> options) called when
    ui_options changed with a map of options name to option values

  • refresh(bool force)

The requests that the json ui can interpret on stdin are:

  • keys(String key1, String key2…): keystrokes

  • resize(int rows, int columns): notify ui resize

  • mouse(String type, int line, int column): mouse event, type can be:
    move, press, release, wheel_up, wheel_down, line, column
    is the cursor position.

  • menu_select(int index): explicit select of given menu entry