Terminal Todo List Manager

A lightweight, ncurses-based Terminal User Interface (TUI) application for managing tasks. Written in C++17, this project demonstrates the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern applied to a console application.

It features persistent storage, hierarchical list management, and a modal-based input system.

Features

• Hierarchical Organization: Create multiple Todo Lists to categorize tasks.
• Persistent Storage: Automatically saves and loads data from ~/.local/share/todo/ (XDG Base Directory compliant).
• Modal Interface: distinct windows for navigation, input, and alerts using ncurses panels.
• Keyboard Driven: Optimized for fast navigation without a mouse.
• MVC Architecture: Clean separation between data logic, rendering, and input handling.

Dependencies

To build and run this application, you need a C++ compiler supporting C++17 and the ncurses library.

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt install build-essential libncurses5-dev libncursesw5-dev

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S ncurses base-devel

Fedora

sudo dnf install ncurses-devel

Installation

The project includes an automated installation script.

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/dengo07/tui-task-manager
cd tui-task-manager

2. Run the install script:

chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

or

make install

This will compile the source and move the binary to /usr/local/bin/todo. 3. Run the application:

todo

Manual Build

If you prefer to build locally without installing globally:

make
./todo

Usage Controls

The application is controlled entirely via keyboard shortcuts.

Key	Context	Action
↑ / ↓	Global	Navigate up and down lists or tasks.
Enter	Main List	Open the selected Todo List.
Enter	Todo List	Toggle task completion status.
c	Global	Create a new List or a new Task (opens input modal).
d	Global	Delete the selected List or Task.
q	Global	Go back (if inside a list) or Quit the application.
Esc	Input Modal	Cancel input and close modal.

Technical Architecture

The project is structured around the MVC design pattern:

• Models (src/Models/): Handles data structures (Todo, TodoList, ListOfLists) and file I/O operations.
• Views (src/Views/): Manages the Ncurses windows and panels. Responsible for rendering the UI state provided by the controller.
• Controllers (src/Controllers/): Processes user input, updates the AppState, and mediates data flow between Models and Views.
• State (src/State/): Defines the application state machine (AppState enum) to manage navigation context (Main List, Todo List, Input Modal, etc.).

File Structure

.
├── src/
│   ├── Controllers/   # Input handling and logic
│   ├── Models/        # Data structures and Persistence
│   ├── State/         # AppState definitions
│   ├── Views/         # Ncurses rendering logic
│   └── main.cpp       # Entry point
├── install.sh         # Installation script
├── uninstall.sh       # Uninstallation script
├── makefile           # Build configuration
└── README.md

Uninstallation

To remove the application binary:

chmod +x uninstall.sh
./uninstall.sh

or

make uninstall

During uninstallation, the script will ask if you wish to remove your configuration and saved data located in ~/.local/share/todo.