TextFrame: Terminal UI testing primitive with pytest/syrupy integration

CHANGES

@@ -45,6 +45,13 @@ $ uvx --from 'libtmux' --prerelease allow python
 _Notes on the upcoming release will go here._
 <!-- END PLACEHOLDER - ADD NEW CHANGELOG ENTRIES BELOW THIS LINE -->
 
+### New features
+
+#### TextFrame Terminal UI Testing (#613)
+
+TextFrame is a new snapshot-based testing primitive for terminal UIs. It captures
+pane content into structured frames for assertion in tests, with syrupy integration
+for snapshot baselines and a fluent API for content matching.
 ## libtmux 0.61.0 (2026-07-04)
 
 libtmux 0.61.0 hardens support for the tmux 3.7 patch line. It fixes

docs/internals/index.md

@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ api/libtmux._internal.dataclasses
 api/libtmux._internal.query_list
 api/libtmux._internal.constants
 api/libtmux._internal.sparse_array
+textframe
 ```
 
 ## Environmental variables

docs/internals/textframe.md

@@ -0,0 +1,326 @@
+# TextFrame - ASCII Frame Simulator
+
+TextFrame provides a fixed-size ASCII frame simulator for visualizing terminal content with overflow detection and diagnostic rendering. It integrates with [syrupy](https://github.com/tophat/syrupy) for snapshot testing and pytest for rich assertion output.
+
+## Installation
+
+TextFrame is available as an optional extra:
+
+```bash
+pip install libtmux[textframe]
+```
+
+This installs syrupy and registers the pytest plugin automatically.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+After installation, the `textframe_snapshot` fixture and `pytest_assertrepr_compare` hook are auto-discovered by pytest:
+
+```python
+from libtmux.textframe import TextFrame
+
+def test_my_terminal_ui(textframe_snapshot):
+    frame = TextFrame(content_width=20, content_height=5)
+    frame.set_content(["Hello", "World"])
+    assert frame == textframe_snapshot
+```
+
+## Overview
+
+TextFrame is designed for testing terminal UI components. It provides:
+
+- Fixed-dimension ASCII frames with borders
+- Configurable overflow behavior (error or truncate)
+- Syrupy snapshot testing with `.frame` files
+- Rich pytest assertion output for frame comparisons
+
+## Core Components
+
+### TextFrame Dataclass
+
+```python
+from libtmux.textframe import TextFrame, ContentOverflowError
+
+# Create a frame with fixed dimensions
+frame = TextFrame(content_width=10, content_height=2)
+frame.set_content(["hello", "world"])
+print(frame.render())
+```
+
+Output:
+```
++----------+
+|hello     |
+|world     |
++----------+
+```
+
+### Interactive Display
+
+For exploring large frames interactively, use `display()` to open a scrollable curses viewer:
+
+```python
+frame = TextFrame(content_width=80, content_height=50)
+frame.set_content(["line %d" % i for i in range(50)])
+frame.display()  # Opens interactive viewer
+```
+
+**Controls:**
+
+| Key | Action |
+|-----|--------|
+| ↑/↓ or w/s or k/j | Scroll up/down |
+| ←/→ or a/d or h/l | Scroll left/right |
+| PgUp/PgDn | Page up/down |
+| Home/End | Jump to top/bottom |
+| q, Esc, Ctrl-C | Quit |
+
+The viewer shows a status bar at the bottom with scroll position, frame dimensions, and help text.
+
+**Note:** `display()` requires an interactive terminal (TTY). It raises `RuntimeError` if stdout is not a TTY (e.g., when piped or in CI environments).
+
+### Overflow Behavior
+
+TextFrame supports two overflow behaviors:
+
+**Error mode (default):** Raises `ContentOverflowError` with a visual diagnostic showing the content and a mask of valid/invalid areas.
+
+```python
+frame = TextFrame(content_width=5, content_height=2, overflow_behavior="error")
+frame.set_content(["this line is too long"])  # Raises ContentOverflowError
+```
+
+The exception includes an `overflow_visual` attribute showing:
+1. A "Reality" frame with the actual content
+2. A "Mask" frame showing valid (space) vs invalid (dot) areas
+
+**Truncate mode:** Silently clips content to fit the frame dimensions.
+
+```python
+frame = TextFrame(content_width=5, content_height=1, overflow_behavior="truncate")
+frame.set_content(["hello world", "extra row"])
+print(frame.render())
+```
+
+Output:
+```
++-----+
+|hello|
++-----+
+```
+
+## Syrupy Integration
+
+### SingleFileSnapshotExtension
+
+TextFrame uses syrupy's `SingleFileSnapshotExtension` to store each snapshot in its own `.frame` file. This provides:
+
+- Cleaner git diffs (one file per test vs all-in-one `.ambr`)
+- Easier code review of snapshot changes
+- Human-readable ASCII art in snapshot files
+
+### Extension Implementation
+
+```python
+# src/libtmux/textframe/plugin.py
+from syrupy.extensions.single_file import SingleFileSnapshotExtension, WriteMode
+
+class TextFrameExtension(SingleFileSnapshotExtension):
+    _write_mode = WriteMode.TEXT
+    file_extension = "frame"
+
+    def serialize(self, data, **kwargs):
+        if isinstance(data, TextFrame):
+            return data.render()
+        if isinstance(data, ContentOverflowError):
+            return data.overflow_visual
+        return str(data)
+```
+
+Key design decisions:
+
+1. **`file_extension = "frame"`**: Uses `.frame` suffix for snapshot files instead of the default `.raw`
+2. **`_write_mode = WriteMode.TEXT`**: Stores snapshots as text (not binary)
+3. **Custom serialization**: Renders TextFrame objects and ContentOverflowError exceptions as ASCII art
+
+### Auto-Discovered Fixtures
+
+When `libtmux[textframe]` is installed, the following fixture is available:
+
+```python
+@pytest.fixture
+def textframe_snapshot(snapshot: SnapshotAssertion) -> SnapshotAssertion:
+    """Snapshot fixture configured with TextFrameExtension."""
+    return snapshot.use_extension(TextFrameExtension)
+```
+
+### Snapshot Directory Structure
+
+```
+__snapshots__/
+  test_module/
+    test_frame_rendering[basic_success].frame
+    test_frame_rendering[overflow_width].frame
+    test_frame_rendering[empty_frame].frame
+    ...
+```
+
+## pytest Assertion Hook
+
+The `pytest_assertrepr_compare` hook provides rich diff output for TextFrame comparisons:
+
+```python
+# Auto-registered via pytest11 entry point
+def pytest_assertrepr_compare(config, op, left, right):
+    if not isinstance(left, TextFrame) or not isinstance(right, TextFrame):
+        return None
+    if op != "==":
+        return None
+
+    lines = ["TextFrame comparison failed:"]
+
+    # Dimension mismatch
+    if left.content_width != right.content_width:
+        lines.append(f"  width: {left.content_width} != {right.content_width}")
+    if left.content_height != right.content_height:
+        lines.append(f"  height: {left.content_height} != {right.content_height}")
+
+    # Content diff using difflib.ndiff
+    left_render = left.render().splitlines()
+    right_render = right.render().splitlines()
+    if left_render != right_render:
+        lines.append("")
+        lines.append("Content diff:")
+        lines.extend(ndiff(right_render, left_render))
+
+    return lines
+```
+
+This hook intercepts `assert frame1 == frame2` comparisons and shows:
+- Dimension mismatches (width/height)
+- Line-by-line diff using `difflib.ndiff`
+
+## Plugin Discovery
+
+The textframe plugin is registered via pytest's entry point mechanism:
+
+```toml
+# pyproject.toml
+[project.entry-points.pytest11]
+libtmux-textframe = "libtmux.textframe.plugin"
+
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+textframe = ["syrupy>=4.0.0"]
+```
+
+When installed with `pip install libtmux[textframe]`:
+1. syrupy is installed as a dependency
+2. The pytest11 entry point is registered
+3. pytest auto-discovers the plugin on startup
+4. `textframe_snapshot` fixture and assertion hooks are available
+
+## Architecture Patterns
+
+### From syrupy
+
+- **Extension hierarchy**: `SingleFileSnapshotExtension` extends `AbstractSyrupyExtension`
+- **Serialization**: Override `serialize()` for custom data types
+- **File naming**: `file_extension` class attribute controls snapshot file suffix
+
+### From pytest
+
+- **`pytest_assertrepr_compare` hook**: Return `list[str]` for custom assertion output
+- **pytest11 entry points**: Auto-discovery of installed plugins
+- **Fixture auto-discovery**: Fixtures defined in plugins are globally available
+
+### From CPython dataclasses
+
+- **`@dataclass(slots=True)`**: Memory-efficient, prevents accidental attribute assignment
+- **`__post_init__`**: Validation after dataclass initialization
+- **Type aliases**: `OverflowBehavior = Literal["error", "truncate"]`
+
+## Files
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| `src/libtmux/textframe/core.py` | `TextFrame` dataclass and `ContentOverflowError` |
+| `src/libtmux/textframe/plugin.py` | Syrupy extension, pytest hooks, and fixtures |
+| `src/libtmux/textframe/__init__.py` | Public API exports |
+
+## Pane.capture_frame() Integration
+
+The `Pane.capture_frame()` method provides a high-level way to capture pane content as a TextFrame:
+
+```python
+from libtmux.test.retry import retry_until
+
+def test_cli_output(pane, textframe_snapshot):
+    """Test CLI output with visual snapshot."""
+    pane.send_keys("echo 'Hello, World!'", enter=True)
+
+    # Wait for output to appear
+    def output_appeared():
+        return "Hello" in "\n".join(pane.capture_pane())
+    retry_until(output_appeared, 2, raises=True)
+
+    # Capture as frame for snapshot comparison
+    frame = pane.capture_frame(content_width=40, content_height=10)
+    assert frame == textframe_snapshot
+```
+
+### Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
+|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
+| `start` | `int \| "-" \| None` | `None` | Starting line (same as `capture_pane`) |
+| `end` | `int \| "-" \| None` | `None` | Ending line (same as `capture_pane`) |
+| `content_width` | `int \| None` | Pane width | Frame width in characters |
+| `content_height` | `int \| None` | Pane height | Frame height in lines |
+| `overflow_behavior` | `"error" \| "truncate"` | `"truncate"` | How to handle overflow |
+
+### Design Decisions
+
+**Why `overflow_behavior="truncate"` by default?**
+
+Pane content can exceed nominal dimensions during:
+- Terminal resize transitions
+- Shell startup (MOTD, prompts)
+- ANSI escape sequences in output
+
+Using `truncate` avoids spurious test failures in CI environments.
+
+**Why does it call `self.refresh()`?**
+
+Pane dimensions can change (resize, zoom). `refresh()` ensures we use current values when `content_width` or `content_height` are not specified.
+
+### Using with retry_until
+
+For asynchronous terminal output, combine with `retry_until`:
+
+```python
+from libtmux.test.retry import retry_until
+
+def test_async_output(session):
+    """Wait for output using capture_frame in retry loop."""
+    window = session.new_window()
+    pane = window.active_pane
+
+    pane.send_keys('for i in 1 2 3; do echo "line $i"; done', enter=True)
+
+    def all_lines_present():
+        frame = pane.capture_frame(content_width=40, content_height=10)
+        rendered = frame.render()
+        return all(f"line {i}" in rendered for i in [1, 2, 3])
+
+    retry_until(all_lines_present, 3, raises=True)
+```
+
+## Public API
+
+```python
+from libtmux.textframe import (
+    TextFrame,           # Core dataclass
+    ContentOverflowError, # Exception with visual diagnostic
+    TextFrameExtension,  # Syrupy extension for custom usage
+)
+```

pyproject.toml

@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ dev = [
   "pytest-mock",
   "pytest-watcher",
   "pytest-xdist",
+  "syrupy",
   # Coverage
   "codecov",
   "coverage",
@@ -99,8 +100,12 @@ lint = [
   "mypy",
 ]
 
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+textframe = ["syrupy>=4.0.0"]
+
 [project.entry-points.pytest11]
 libtmux = "libtmux.pytest_plugin"
+libtmux-textframe = "libtmux.textframe.plugin"
 
 [build-system]
 requires = ["hatchling"]