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Print Above Examples

JLine provides powerful features for printing text above the current input line. This is particularly useful for displaying asynchronous information without disrupting the user's input.

Basic Print Above Example​

The simplest way to print above the current line is to use the printAbove method of the LineReader class:

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In this example, notifications will appear above the input line, and the user can continue typing without interruption.

Using PrintAboveWriter​

For more control, you can use the PrintAboveWriter class:

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The PrintAboveWriter class provides a standard PrintWriter interface, making it easy to integrate with existing code that expects a PrintWriter.

Best Practices​

When using these features, keep these best practices in mind:

  1. Use sparingly: Too many messages can be distracting.
  2. Keep messages concise: Long messages may wrap and take up too much screen space.
  3. Consider styling: Use colors and styles to differentiate types of messages.
  4. Flush the writer: Always call flush() after writing to ensure the message is displayed immediately.
  5. Thread safety: Access to the terminal should be synchronized if multiple threads are writing to it.