have you checked the python curses howto already? I have written a curses wrapper for one of my projects. Maybe it can help showing what steps you need. I've been using curses a lot for my own projects so feel free to ask me if there's something you want to know. The python curses library is mostly just a wrapper around calls to the ncurses system library. Documentation for that library or ports in other languages will likely help you in python too. Answer from troido on reddit.com
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Python documentation
docs.python.org › 3 › howto › curses.html
Curses Programming with Python — Python 3.14.4 documentation
Author, A.M. Kuchling, Eric S. Raymond,, Release, 2.04,. Abstract: This document describes how to use the curses extension module to control text-mode displays. What is curses?: The curses library ...
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Python
docs.python.org › 3 › library › curses.html
curses — Terminal handling for character-cell displays
Source code: Lib/curses The curses module provides an interface to the curses library, the de-facto standard for portable advanced terminal handling. While curses is most widely used in the Unix en...
Discussions

import curses
While curses is a standard module, it is merely a wrapper around the curses library. On Windows, that isn't installed by default. You can rectify this by installing the windows-curses package, for example via pip install windows-curses (or the equivalent command in whichever package manager you are using). More on reddit.com
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June 29, 2022
windows - What is needed for curses in Python 3.4 on Windows7? - Stack Overflow
I have a running Python 2.7/3.4 installation on my Windows 7 (x64) machine. I would like to test curses on Windows. Curses is installed but not working: >>> import curses Traceback (most More on stackoverflow.com
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user interface - Are there any toolkit libraries for curses with Python bindings? - Stack Overflow
Urwid is the best library to work with curses and python that I know. More on stackoverflow.com
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Does python have a curses lib that looks THIS good?
Well it turns out my search abilities lacked on my first attempt. I just found this same question asked already. https://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/5tjyag/are_there_any_equivalents_to_blessed_a_js_cli_ui/ More on reddit.com
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February 2, 2018
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/roguelikedev › any python/curses resources?
r/roguelikedev on Reddit: Any Python/Curses resources?
May 10, 2021 -

I know curses is generally disliked around here, and tcod is recommended. I've tried to get tcod working on two operating systems though, and couldn't get it to work on either. I haven't tried really hard though, because curses really appeals to me, both by being the traditional library used for most of the roguelikes I played growing up, and also because of the small footprint when it comes to system resources.

There aren't many Python/Curses resources out there. I've found a few non-roguelike-specific tutorials on youtube, the Rogue Detective source, and this non-functional algorithm. I'm pretty sure this is enough for me to cobble together something playable. I'm just curious whether there are better methods I could be using.

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W3Schools
w3schools.com › python › ref_module_curses.asp
Python curses Module
Python Examples Python Compiler ... Certificate Python Training ... The curses module provides terminal handling for character-cell displays, supporting text UIs....
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GitHub
github.com › cgohlke › python-curses-build
GitHub - cgohlke/python-curses-build: Build python-curses wheels for Windows. · GitHub
py.exe -3.14 -m pip install python_curses-2.2.5-cp314-cp314-win_amd64.whl
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Languages   C
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Substack
codedrome.substack.com › p › an-introduction-to-curses-in-python
An Introduction to curses in Python - by Chris Webb
May 20, 2025 - In a few of my projects I have used various ANSI terminal codes to manipulate terminal output, specifically moving the cursor around and changing text colours. These codes are often cryptic, can be cumbersome if used extensively, and cannot be relied upon to work across different platforms. A better solution is to use Python's implementation of the venerable curses library, and in this post I will provide a short introduction to what I consider its core functionalities: moving the cursor around and printing in different colours.
Find elsewhere
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PyPI
pypi.org › project › windows-curses
windows-curses · PyPI
Adds support for the standard Python curses module on Windows. Based on these wheels.
      » pip install windows-curses
    
Published   Mar 31, 2026
Version   2.4.2
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This Old Coder
datagod.hashnode.dev › creating-a-text-based-user-interface-with-python-and-curses
Programming text based interface in python with curses
September 11, 2021 - The curses library supplies a terminal-independent screen-painting and keyboard-handling facility for text-based terminals; such terminals include VT100s, the Linux console, and the simulated terminal provided by various programs.
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DZone
dzone.com › coding › languages › python curses, part 1: drawing with text
Python curses, Part 1: Drawing With Text
April 21, 2025 - Discover how to draw with text using the Python curses library. Learn setup, key considerations and how to create basic framework for your application.
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YouTube
youtube.com › playlist
Python Curses Tutorial - YouTube
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
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GitHub
github.com › zephyrproject-rtos › windows-curses
GitHub - zephyrproject-rtos/windows-curses: Windows Curses Python module · GitHub
This is the repository for the windows-curses wheels on PyPI. The wheels are based on the wheels on Christoph Gohlke's page. Only build-wheels.bat is original work. Wheels built from this repository can be installed with this command: ... Starting with version 2.0, these wheels include a hack to make resizing work for Python applications that haven't been specifically adapted for PDCurses.
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ActiveState
docs.activestate.com › activepython › 2.7 › python › howto › curses.html
Curses Programming with Python
April 20, 2020 - The addstr() function takes a Python string as the value to be displayed, while the addch() functions take a character, which can be either a Python string of length 1 or an integer. If it’s a string, you’re limited to displaying characters between 0 and 255. SVr4 curses provides constants for extension characters; these constants are integers greater than 255.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Curses_(programming_library)
curses (programming library) - Wikipedia
February 23, 2026 - Each window is represented by a character matrix. The programmer sets up the desired appearance of each window, then tells the curses package to update the screen.
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Python
docs.python.org › 3 › c-api › curses.html
Curses C API — Python 3.14.3 documentation
curses exposes a small C interface for extension modules. Consumers must include the header file py_curses.h(which is not included by default by Python.h) and import_curses() must be invoked, usual...
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DZone
dzone.com › coding › languages › python curses, part 3: working with windowed content
Python curses, Part 3: Working With Windowed Content
April 23, 2025 - Explore window customization, content updates, window size management, and CPU optimization with Python's curses module for efficient terminal interfaces.
Top answer
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Urwid is the best library to work with curses and python that I know.

Altenatively, you might find also interesting snack (newt-based library).

For more information, please have a look at this question.

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npyscreen

Npyscreen is a Python widget library and application framework for programming terminal or console applications. It is built on top of ncurses, which is part of the standard library.

The focus of this library is to provide a rapid way to develop console applications. In general, adding a control to the screen requires only one line of code.

This framework should be powerful enough to create everything from quick, simple programs to complex, multi-screen applications.

#!/usr/bin/env python
# encoding: utf-8

import npyscreen
class TestApp(npyscreen.NPSApp):
    def main(self):
        # These lines create the form and populate it with widgets.
        # A fairly complex screen in only 8 or so lines of code - a line for each control.
        F  = npyscreen.Form(name = "Welcome to Npyscreen",)
        t  = F.add(npyscreen.TitleText, name = "Text:",)
        fn = F.add(npyscreen.TitleFilename, name = "Filename:")
        fn2 = F.add(npyscreen.TitleFilenameCombo, name="Filename2:")
        dt = F.add(npyscreen.TitleDateCombo, name = "Date:")
        s  = F.add(npyscreen.TitleSlider, out_of=12, name = "Slider")
        ml = F.add(npyscreen.MultiLineEdit,
               value = """try typing here!\nMutiline text, press ^R to reformat.\n""",
               max_height=5, rely=9)
        ms = F.add(npyscreen.TitleSelectOne, max_height=4, value = [1,], name="Pick One",
                values = ["Option1","Option2","Option3"], scroll_exit=True)
        ms2= F.add(npyscreen.TitleMultiSelect, max_height =-2, value = [1,], name="Pick Several",
                values = ["Option1","Option2","Option3"], scroll_exit=True)

        # This lets the user interact with the Form.
        F.edit()

        print(ms.get_selected_objects())

if __name__ == "__main__":
    App = TestApp()
    App.run()