cli-boxes

library4.0.1jsnpmunverified

cli-boxes is a utility package providing a collection of pre-defined ASCII and Unicode box character sets, formatted as JSON objects, for rendering borders in terminal applications. It is currently at version 4.0.1 and is actively maintained by Sindre Sorhus, with releases primarily driven by Node.js LTS version compatibility and major architectural shifts like the move to pure ESM. Unlike full terminal UI libraries, cli-boxes focuses solely on delivering the raw character data, allowing other packages (like `boxen`) to handle the actual drawing logic. This makes it a lightweight and foundational component for console-based interfaces, distinguishing it from more comprehensive alternatives by its single-purpose design.

http-networking

npm install cli-boxes

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · CLI-BOXES

cli-boxes

http-networkingjavascriptv4.0.1

Install

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Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

cliBoxes

✓ import cliBoxes from 'cli-boxes';

✗ const cliBoxes = require('cli-boxes');

Since v4.0.0, cli-boxes is a pure ESM package and cannot be imported using CommonJS `require()`. Ensure your project is configured for ESM or use an older version.

cliBoxes.single

✓ import cliBoxes from 'cli-boxes'; const singleBox = cliBoxes.single;

Access individual box definitions as properties of the default export. The structure of these objects changed in v3.0.0 for custom box definitions.

Box

✓ import type { Box } from 'cli-boxes';

While `cli-boxes` exports types, the primary usage often involves direct access to the `cliBoxes` object without explicitly importing its internal type definitions unless needed for custom type declarations.

Demonstrates importing the `cli-boxes` module, accessing the character definitions for the 'single' and 'double' box styles, and a simple example of how to use them to print a basic box in the terminal.

import cliBoxes from 'cli-boxes'; // Log the character definitions for the 'single' box style console.log(cliBoxes.single); /* { topLeft: '┌', top: '─', topRight: '┐', right: '│', bottomRight: '┘', bottom: '─', bottomLeft: '└', left: '│' } */ // You can use these characters to construct a box const { topLeft, top, topRight, left, right, bottomLeft, bottom, bottomRight } = cliBoxes.double; console.log(topLeft + top.repeat(5) + topRight); console.log(left + ' Hello ' + right); console.log(bottomLeft + bottom.repeat(5) + bottomRight);

Debug

Known issues

breakingVersion 4.0.0 of `cli-boxes` is pure ESM (ECMAScript Modules) and requires Node.js 18 or higher. Projects using CommonJS or older Node.js versions must either remain on `cli-boxes@3.x` or refactor to use ESM.

fix

Migrate your project to use ES modules by setting `"type": "module"` in `package.json`, updating your `import` statements, and ensuring Node.js 18+ is installed. For CommonJS projects that cannot migrate, pin `cli-boxes` to a version lower than 4.0.0 (e.g., `^3.0.0`).

affects: >=4.0.0

breakingVersion 3.0.0 introduced a change in the configuration keys for custom box definitions. The `vertical` and `horizontal` keys were renamed to `left`, `right`, `top`, and `bottom` respectively. This affects users providing custom box objects.

fix

Update any custom box definitions to use the new key names: `vertical` becomes `left` and `right`, `horizontal` becomes `top` and `bottom`. Refer to the diff provided in the v3.0.0 release notes.

affects: >=3.0.0

breakingVersion 2.0.0 renamed two box styles: `single-double` became `singleDouble` and `double-single` became `doubleSingle`. Accessing the old hyphenated names will result in undefined values.

fix

Update your code to use the camelCase names `cliBoxes.singleDouble` and `cliBoxes.doubleSingle` instead of `cliBoxes['single-double']` and `cliBoxes['double-single']`.

affects: >=2.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ESM]: require() of ES Module ...cli-boxes/index.js from ... not supported.

`cli-boxes` version 4.0.0 and above is pure ESM, but your project is trying to import it using CommonJS `require()` syntax.

fix

Change your `require('cli-boxes')` statement to `import cliBoxes from 'cli-boxes';` and ensure your `package.json` has `"type": "module"` or your file uses the `.mjs` extension. Upgrade Node.js to version 18 or higher. If you cannot migrate to ESM, downgrade `cli-boxes` to version `3.x`.

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'vertical')

You are attempting to access `vertical` or `horizontal` properties on a custom box definition using `cli-boxes` version 3.0.0 or higher.

fix

Update your custom box definitions to use the new property names: `left`, `right`, `top`, and `bottom` instead of `vertical` and `horizontal`.

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'single-double')

You are trying to access a box style using its old, hyphenated name (e.g., 'single-double') with `cli-boxes` version 2.0.0 or higher.

fix

Use the camelCase equivalent for the box name, e.g., `cliBoxes.singleDouble` instead of `cliBoxes['single-double']`.

Upgrade

Version history

4.0.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

23 hits · last 30 days

node

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/sindresorhus/cli-boxes ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/cli-boxes ↗