Configure (library only) - Ftxui

@page installation_meson Meson

@tableofcontents

FTXUI supports Meson as an alternative build system.

Prerequisites

C++17 compatible compiler (GCC >= 7, Clang >= 5, MSVC >= 2017)
Meson >= 1.1.0
Ninja (recommended backend)

Quick Start

bash

# Configure (library only)
meson setup builddir

# Build
ninja -C builddir

# Install
ninja -C builddir install

Build Options

Option	Default	Description
`examples`	`false`	Build example applications
`tests`	`false`	Build and run tests

Build with examples

bash

meson setup builddir -Dexamples=true
ninja -C builddir

Build with tests

bash

meson setup builddir -Dtests=true
ninja -C builddir
meson test -C builddir

Build everything

bash

meson setup builddir -Dexamples=true -Dtests=true
ninja -C builddir
meson test -C builddir

Dependencies

Google Test (tests only)

When tests are enabled, FTXUI depends on Google Test (v1.17.0).

The dependency resolution follows the same strategy as the CMake build:

System-installed gtest: If gtest is available via pkg-config or system paths, it will be used directly.
Automatic download (fallback): If not found on the system, Meson will automatically download gtest v1.17.0 via the WrapDB using the subprojects/gtest.wrap file.

No manual intervention is required — Meson handles this transparently.

Library Targets

The build produces three libraries:

Library	Description
`libftxui-screen`	Terminal rendering and input
`libftxui-dom`	Layout and styling elements
`libftxui-component`	Interactive UI components

Dependencies between them:

component → dom → screen

Using FTXUI as a Meson Subproject

To use FTXUI in your own Meson project, create a wrap file at subprojects/ftxui.wrap:

ini

[wrap-git]
url = https://github.com/ArthurSonzogni/FTXUI.git
revision = v7.0.0

[provide]
ftxui-screen = ftxui_screen_dep
ftxui-dom = ftxui_dom_dep
ftxui-component = ftxui_component_dep

Then in your meson.build:

meson

ftxui_component_dep = dependency('ftxui-component',
  fallback: ['ftxui', 'ftxui_component_dep'],
)

executable('my_app',
  'main.cpp',
  dependencies: ftxui_component_dep,
)

Reconfiguring

To change options after initial configuration:

bash

meson configure builddir -Dtests=true
ninja -C builddir

Clean Build

bash

rm -rf builddir
meson setup builddir