How can I spawn a separate terminal in order to debug my TUI application in NodeJS with Ink React?

Debugging a Text User Interface (TUI) application in NodeJS with Ink React can be a bit challenging, especially when you need to inspect the application’s behavior in a separate terminal window. In this blog post, we will explore a couple of solutions to spawn a separate terminal for debugging purposes.

Solution 1: Using the child_process module

The child_process module in NodeJS provides a way to spawn child processes and communicate with them. We can utilize this module to spawn a new terminal window and execute our TUI application within it.

Here’s an example code snippet that demonstrates how to spawn a separate terminal using the child_process module:


const { spawn } = require('child_process');

// Spawn a new terminal window
const terminal = spawn('gnome-terminal', ['-e', 'node', 'your-tui-application.js']);

// Handle terminal events
terminal.on('close', (code) => {
    console.log(`Terminal closed with code ${code}`);
});

This code snippet uses the gnome-terminal command to spawn a new terminal window and execute the TUI application using the node command. You can replace gnome-terminal with the appropriate terminal command for your operating system.

Solution 2: Using a package like open

If you prefer a more cross-platform solution, you can use a package like open to open a new terminal window and execute your TUI application.

First, install the open package using npm:


npm install open

Then, use the following code snippet to spawn a new terminal window:


const open = require('open');

// Spawn a new terminal window
open('your-tui-application.js', { app: 'terminal' });

This code snippet uses the open package to open a new terminal window and execute the TUI application. The app: 'terminal' option ensures that the application is opened in a terminal window.

Conclusion

By using either the child_process module or a package like open, you can easily spawn a separate terminal window to debug your TUI application in NodeJS with Ink React. Choose the solution that best fits your needs and operating system.

Happy debugging!