Pretty feedback for Bash scripts.
Lightweight • Dependency-free • Pleasant by default
Use the functions in this script by sourcing it in your scripts, e.g.
source [path_to]/pfb.sh
An example of pretty feedback provided by pfb can be shown by running the following command.
source ./pfb.sh && pfb test
pfb can be configured using environment variables:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
PFB_SPINNER_STYLE |
2 |
Spinner style (0-16). Run pfb test to see all styles |
PFB_DEFAULT_LOG_DIR |
$HOME/logs |
Directory where command logs are stored |
PFB_DEFAULT_LOG |
scripts |
Base name for log files (creates $PFB_DEFAULT_LOG.log) |
NO_COLOR |
(unset) | Disable colors (see no-color.org) |
PFB_NO_COLOR |
0 |
pfb-specific color disable (set to 1 to disable) |
PFB_FORCE_COLOR |
(unset) | Force colors even when not a TTY |
Example:
export PFB_SPINNER_STYLE=13
export PFB_DEFAULT_LOG_DIR="/var/log/myscripts"
export NO_COLOR=1 # Disable colors for accessibility
source ./pfb.sh
pfb provides regular log level feedback using the following command.
pfb [info|warn|error|success] message
pfb provides headings with a leading icon and sub-headings for adding detail under the heading.
A heading is echoed by using the following pfb command.
pfb heading message [icon]
Subheadings can be echoed after headings using
pfb subheading message
Not really a heading but a formatted subheading indicating a suggestion...
pfb suggestion message
pfb can provide feedback that a command is being processed using
pfb spinner start message some_command
You can also start a spinner manually and stop it later:
pfb spinner start message
pfb spinner stopThis is usefully followed up with a pfb success log level message or a pfb answer message.
Collect text input from the user with an optional default value:
result=$(pfb input "prompt message" [default_value])
Example:
name=$(pfb input "What's your name?" "Anonymous")
echo "Hello, $name!"The default value is shown in brackets and used if the user presses enter without typing anything.
Ask the user a yes/no question and get the result as an exit code:
pfb confirm "question"
Returns exit code 0 for yes, 1 for no. Use left/right arrow keys, y/n, or enter to select.
Example:
if pfb confirm "Delete this file?"; then
rm file.txt
pfb success "File deleted"
else
pfb info "Cancelled"
fi
pfb provides a way to select from a list of options using the up/down keys using
pfb select array_of_options
Example:
options=("Option 1" "Option 2" "Option 3")
pfb select "${options[@]}"
selected=$?
echo "You selected: ${options[$selected]}"
For integrating with external tools like fzf, use the prompt/answer pattern:
pfb prompt message
The pfb answer message can be used to put a formatted answer after the prompt message.
pfb answer message
This pattern saves the cursor position after the prompt and restores it when displaying the answer, keeping everything on one line. For simple text input, use pfb input instead.
pfb uses ANSI/VT100 Terminal Control Escape Sequences which you can use yourself:
| Function Name | Use |
|---|---|
| cursor_on | Turn on the cursor |
| cursor_off | Turn off the cursor |
| get_cursor_row | Echo the current row number of the cursor |
| get_cursor_col | Echo the current column number of the cursor |
| cursor_to row [column] | Move the cursor to a position |
| cursor_up | Move the cursor to the row above |
| cursor_down | Move the cursor to the row below |
| cursor_sol | Move the cursor to the start of the current line |
| erase_down | Remove all content from the cursor down |
| erase_up | Remove all content from the cursor up |
| erase_screen | Remove all content from the screen |
| erase_eol | Remove all content from the cursor to the end of the line |
| erase_sol | Remove all content from the cursor to the start of the line |
| erase_line | Remove all content on the current line |
| save_pos | Store the current position of the cursor |
| restore_pos | Restore the position of the cursor to the last saved position |
| rgb_fg r g b | Set foreground color using RGB values (0-255) |
| rgb_bg r g b | Set background color using RGB values (0-255) |
Examples of how these area used can be seen in the pfb script.
| Variable Name | Use |
|---|---|
| BLACK RED GREEN YELLOW BLUE MAGENTA CYAN WHITE | Basic 8-color foreground colors |
| BBLACK BRED BGREEN BYELLOW BBLUE BMAGENTA BCYAN BWHITE | Basic 8-color background colors |
| INFO_COLOR | Soft blue-cyan (RGB: 100, 180, 220) for info messages |
| WARN_COLOR | Warm amber (RGB: 255, 180, 80) for warnings |
| ERROR_COLOR | Clear red (RGB: 240, 90, 90) for errors |
| SUCCESS_COLOR | Fresh green (RGB: 90, 200, 120) for success |
| SPINNER_COLOR | Claude orange (RGB: 215, 119, 87) for spinners |
| PROMPT_COLOR | Bright cyan (RGB: 120, 220, 240) for prompts |
| BOLD DIM REV RESET | Display attributes |
Examples using these variables:
printf "${BYELLOW}${RED}${BOLD}This is bold red text on a yellow background${RESET}"
echo "${REV}This is reversed text${RESET}"
printf "${INFO_COLOR}Informational message${RESET}\n"
printf "${SUCCESS_COLOR}Success message${RESET}\n"
Examples using RGB color functions:
printf "$(rgb_fg 215 119 87)Orange text${RESET}\n"
printf "$(rgb_bg 50 150 50)Green background${RESET}\n"
printf "$(rgb_fg 255 100 200)$(rgb_bg 50 50 100)Custom colors${RESET}\n"
gum is a more comprehensive TUI toolkit that offers similar functionality with additional components like file browsers, tables, pagers, and advanced text filtering.
When to use pfb:
- Zero dependencies - just source a single bash file (~10KB)
- Maximum portability (works anywhere with bash 4.0+)
- No external binary installation required
- Direct function calls (no process spawning overhead)
- Basic terminal feedback is sufficient for your needs
When to use gum:
- Need advanced components (file browser, tables, fuzzy filtering, pagers)
- Building sophisticated interactive scripts
- Prefer standalone binaries over sourced libraries
- Want extensive styling options via CLI flags
pfb occupies the lightweight, dependency-free niche - ideal for scripts you distribute or run in constrained environments where installing external tools adds friction.