BoxMux Development Roadmap

Project Vision

Create a declarative, accessible framework that makes building rich terminal interfaces as simple as writing configuration files.

Accessibility: Make TUI development accessible to non-programmers
Performance: Maintain high performance even with complex interfaces
Flexibility: Support diverse use cases from system monitoring to development tools

BoxMux is a mature terminal UI framework with 79 implemented features (92% complete).

YAML Configuration System - Declarative interface definition with JSON schema validation
Multi-threaded Architecture - Responsive UI with separate rendering/input threads
Socket-based API - External control via Unix domain sockets
Rich Component Library - Boxes, menus, charts, tables, real-time updates
Auto-Scroll Output - Auto-scroll for command output with scroll-to-bottom
Data Visualization - Charts and tables with sorting, filtering, pagination
Plugin System - Dynamic component loading with security validation
Cross-platform Support - Verified on macOS, Linux, Unix systems
Performance Optimization - Sub-millisecond input handling, efficient rendering

Auto-Scroll to Bottom: Boxes automatically scroll to show latest content for logs and command output
Enhanced Data Visualization: Table system with CSV/JSON parsing, sorting, filtering, pagination
Chart Layout Improvements: Smart chart layout engine with responsive sizing
Plugin System: Dynamic component loading with security validation
Clipboard Integration: Ctrl+C copies focused box content to clipboard
Configuration Schema Validation: JSON Schema validation for YAML configurations

Focus: Advanced features and developer experience improvements

Performance Profiling
- Built-in performance monitoring and optimization tools
- Runtime metrics collection and display
Advanced Process Control
- Visual process indicators and status monitoring
- Signal handling for background scripts
Automatic Layout System
- Grid and flex layouts built on percentage-based positioning
- Better error reporting with line numbers and context
Plugin Architecture
- Dynamic loading of custom box types
- Standardized plugin API
- Plugin marketplace and distribution
- Community-contributed components

Hot Configuration Reload
- Watch configuration files for changes
- Safe state preservation during reload
- Error recovery and rollback mechanisms
Performance Optimizations
- Memory usage analysis and reduction
- Faster rendering pipeline optimizations
- Background processing improvements
- Built-in profiling and benchmarking tools

Focus: Enterprise features and ecosystem expansion

Multi-file Configuration System
- Include/import system for modular configurations
- Template and component libraries
- Configuration inheritance and composition
Network Communication
- TCP/WebSocket support for remote interfaces
- Distributed dashboard capabilities
- Real-time collaboration features
- Authentication and secure remote access
Advanced UI Features
- Mouse support for terminal interactions
- Graphics and image support beyond ASCII
- Custom themes and visual customization
- Responsive design templates

Enhanced Tooling
- Configuration file generator and wizard
- Visual layout editor
- Debug mode with live configuration editing
- Integration with popular IDEs and editors

For the latest updates, see our GitHub milestones and project boards.