Image: Wikimedia Commons

text-based user interface

Type of interface based on outputting to or controlling a text display

Also known as textual user interface · terminal user interface · text user interface · TUI

Instance of: software feature
Subclass of: user interface

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

In computing, text-based user interfaces (TUI), is a retronym describing a type of user interface (UI) common as an early form of human–computer interaction, before the advent of bitmapped displays and modern conventional graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Like modern GUIs, they can use the entire screen area and may accept mouse and other inputs. They may also use color and often structure the display using box-drawing characters such as ┌ and ╣. The modern context of use is usually a terminal emulator.

Overview

All data

12 statements · 8% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Different from: client
Uses: monospaced typeface nature of statement: often
Based on: string

On other databases

4 identifiers linking text-based user interface across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

externally sourced

Source last edited June 7, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

Suggest a fact or correction

Links

Use this data

curl https://aidb.si/api/v1/entities/Q184752

API docs, limits & keys

Cite this page

AIDB. (2026). text-based user interface (Q184752). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/text-based-user-interface-Q184752