ZLI: Cursor Visibility Issue & Potential Fix

Hey everyone! 👋 Let's dive into a tiny but noticeable issue some of us have encountered while using ZLI. It seems the cursor's default hiding behavior during spinning animations has gone missing. Let's explore what's happening and how we might address it.

The Case of the Vanishing (or Not) Cursor

So, what's the deal? Previously, when ZLI was doing its thing and displaying a spinning animation, the cursor would politely disappear, keeping things clean and distraction-free. This was achieved using specific escape codes. These codes are like secret handshakes that tell the terminal what to do. More specifically, the escape code \x1b[?25l was used to hide the cursor, and \x1b[?25h brought it back into view when the spinning stopped. You can see it clearly in the old code. But now, it seems these codes are no longer in use, leading to the cursor stubbornly staying visible during those spinning animations. This might not seem like a huge deal, but for those of us who appreciate a clean and focused terminal experience, it's a bit of a nuisance. Imagine you're running a command, and while waiting, you see a blinking cursor in the middle of the spinning animation. It's like a tiny disco ball crashing the party. The absence of cursor hiding might stem from a recent update or modification to the codebase where those specific lines were inadvertently removed or altered. Debugging might be needed in the current version.

Delving into the Code: What Changed?

To get a clearer picture, let's peek under the hood. If you look back at a previous version of the spin.zig file (specifically, at commit 53450f766615967c5090afb00540e432cc8b7779), you'll find the lines responsible for hiding and showing the cursor. These lines, as mentioned before, used the escape codes \x1b[?25l and \x1b[?25h. So, the question becomes: what happened to them? Did they get accidentally deleted? Were they commented out during a debugging session and never re-enabled? Or were they perhaps removed intentionally as part of a larger code refactoring effort? Without digging deeper into the commit history and any related discussions, it's hard to say for sure. However, the fact remains that their absence is the root cause of the issue we're seeing. By examining the commit logs and diffs, we might uncover the reason behind their removal and gain valuable context for deciding how to best address the problem.

The Proposed Solution: A Potential Pull Request

Now, let's talk solutions. The most straightforward approach would be to simply reintroduce those escape codes to hide the cursor during spinning. The original poster of this discussion has even offered to submit a pull request (PR) that does just that! This PR would essentially add the \x1b[?25l escape code at the beginning of the spinning animation and the \x1b[?25h escape code at the end, ensuring that the cursor is hidden while the animation is running and then shown again when it's finished. This seems like a reasonable and relatively simple fix, but before merging such a PR, it's important to consider a few things. First, we should ensure that this change doesn't introduce any unexpected side effects. For example, could it interfere with other terminal applications or environments? Second, we might want to explore whether there's a more elegant or robust way to achieve the same result. Perhaps there's a terminal library or API that provides a more reliable and platform-independent way to control cursor visibility. Finally, it's always a good idea to discuss the proposed change with other contributors and maintainers to get their feedback and ensure that it aligns with the overall goals and direction of the project.

Why Hide the Cursor Anyway? The Importance of User Experience

Some of you might be thinking, "Why bother hiding the cursor at all? Is it really that important?" Well, while it might seem like a minor detail, cursor visibility can actually have a noticeable impact on the user experience. A blinking cursor in the middle of a spinning animation can be distracting and can make the terminal feel cluttered and less polished. Hiding the cursor creates a cleaner, more focused visual experience, allowing users to concentrate on the information that's being presented. This is especially important in command-line interfaces (CLIs), where users often spend a lot of time staring at the terminal. By paying attention to these small details, we can create a more enjoyable and productive environment for developers and other CLI users. Think of it like this: you wouldn't want a blinking cursor constantly flashing in your face while you're watching a movie, would you? The same principle applies to the terminal. Hiding the cursor during animations is simply a way to reduce visual noise and create a more pleasant user experience.

Community Input: What Do You Think?

Before any code changes are made, it's important to gather feedback from the community. What do you guys think about this issue? Do you find the visible cursor during spinning animations distracting? Would you welcome a PR that hides the cursor by default? Or do you have any alternative suggestions or concerns? Your input is valuable and can help ensure that any changes made to ZLI are in the best interest of its users. So, please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below! Let's have a constructive discussion and work together to make ZLI the best it can be.

Let's Get This Sorted!

To summarize, it looks like the cursor hiding functionality during spinning animations in ZLI has gone missing. The original escape codes used to achieve this are no longer present in the current code. A potential solution is to reintroduce those escape codes via a pull request. However, before doing so, it's important to consider potential side effects and explore alternative approaches. And most importantly, we need to gather feedback from the community to ensure that any changes align with the needs and preferences of ZLI users. So, let's keep the discussion going and work together to resolve this issue and improve the overall user experience of ZLI! Thanks for reading, and I hope this was helpful!