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Accessible Terminal

License .NET Platform Accessibility

A professional, feature-rich Windows terminal application designed from the ground up with full accessibility support for screen readers and assistive technologies. Built for developers, system administrators, and power users who rely on keyboard navigation and screen readers like NVDA, JAWS, and Windows Narrator.

🌟 Key Highlights

  • ✅ Full Screen Reader Support - Optimized for NVDA, JAWS, and Windows Narrator with live announcements
  • ✅ Multi-Shell Environment - PowerShell, CMD, and Bash with seamless switching
  • ✅ 46+ Unix Commands - Native Unix command support on Windows without WSL
  • ✅ Advanced Navigation - Structural output navigation, bookmarks, and error jumping
  • ✅ Reading Mode - Navigate terminal output like a document with arrow keys
  • ✅ Smart Folding - Auto-collapse large outputs with intelligent summaries
  • ✅ Zero Installation - Portable, self-contained executable with all dependencies

📋 Table of Contents

✨ Features

🎯 Core Functionality

  • Multi-Shell Support

    • PowerShell (default) with full cmdlet support
    • Windows Command Prompt (CMD)
    • Bash with 46+ bundled Unix binaries
    • Seamless switching between shells without restarting

  • Intelligent Auto-Completion

    • Tab completion for commands and file paths
    • Context-aware suggestions
    • Bash mode uses forward slashes (/), PowerShell/CMD use backslashes (\)
    • Multi-match display when multiple options exist

  • Command History

    • Up/Down arrow navigation through previous commands
    • Persistent history within session
    • Smart deduplication (doesn't repeat identical consecutive commands)
    • Maximum 1000 command history buffer

  • Protected Prompt

    • Cannot accidentally delete the command prompt
    • Backspace/Delete only work on user input
    • Home key jumps to start of command (after prompt)

♿ Accessibility Features

  • Full Screen Reader Integration

    • Real-time output announcements via UIA Notification events
    • Context-aware announcements (avoids information overload)
    • All UI elements properly labeled with AutomationProperties
    • Works with NVDA, JAWS, and Windows Narrator

  • Reading Mode (Ctrl+R)

    • Toggle between input mode and reading mode
    • Navigate output with arrow keys like reading a document
    • Page Up/Down support for quick scrolling
    • Automatic focus management

  • High Contrast Theme (Ctrl+H)

    • Toggle between standard and high contrast color schemes
    • Yellow text on black background (high contrast mode)
    • Black text on white background (standard mode)
    • Optimized for visual accessibility

  • Keyboard-Only Operation

    • Complete functionality without mouse
    • All features accessible via keyboard shortcuts
    • Logical key combinations following Windows conventions

  • Smart Output Announcements

    • Full output text announced automatically
    • Error messages announced immediately
    • Folded output announces line count and summary
    • Bookmark navigation announces name and context

🔧 Advanced Features

Output Management

  • Automatic Folding

    • Auto-folds outputs exceeding 50 lines
    • Detects and folds stack traces automatically
    • Intelligent summaries for folded content
    • Ctrl+F to expand/collapse current block
    • Ctrl+D to unfold all blocks

  • Structural Navigation

    • Ctrl+N: Jump to next output block
    • Ctrl+P: Jump to previous output block
    • Ctrl+E: Jump to next error in output
    • Clear visual separation between commands and outputs

  • Output Categorization

    • Automatic categorization: Errors, Warnings, Status Messages
    • Ctrl+O to view categorized output panels
    • Timestamp tracking for all categorized items
    • Maximum 500 items per category (auto-cleanup)

Bookmarking System

  • Custom Bookmarks

    • Ctrl+B: Add bookmark at current position with custom name
    • Ctrl+J: Jump to next bookmark
    • Ctrl+K: Jump to previous bookmark
    • Each bookmark stores: Position, Custom Label, Context (surrounding text)

  • Bookmark Navigation

    • Wraps around (first → last, last → first)
    • Announces bookmark name and context when navigating
    • Automatic cleanup of invalid bookmarks

Keyword Monitoring

  • Real-time Keyword Tracking

    • Monitor specific keywords in command output
    • Automatic screen reader announcement when keyword detected
    • Predefined keywords: error, exception, failed, timeout, warning, success, connected, completed

  • Keyword Management

    • Ctrl+M: Open keyword manager
    • monitor add <keyword>: Add new keyword
    • monitor remove <keyword>: Remove keyword
    • monitor clear: Clear all keywords
    • monitor list: List all monitored keywords

🎨 Display & Customization

  • Adjustable Font Sizes

    • Ctrl+Plus: Increase font size (range: 12-32pt)
    • Ctrl+Minus: Decrease font size
    • Ctrl+0: Reset to default (14pt)

  • Clipboard Integration

    • Ctrl+C: Copy selected text
    • Ctrl+V: Paste from clipboard

  • Memory Management

    • Auto-truncates terminal buffer at 500,000 characters
    • Prevents application slowdown with long-running processes

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

  • Operating System: Windows 10 (version 1809+) or Windows 11
  • Runtime: .NET 8.0 Runtime (included in self-contained build)
  • Disk Space: ~150 MB for application and dependencies

Download & Run

  1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
  2. Extract the archive to any location (e.g., C:\Tools\AccessibleTerminal)
  3. Run AccessibleTerminal.exe - No installation or admin rights required

Portable Installation

The application is fully portable:

  • Copy the entire folder to any location (USB drive, network share, etc.)
  • All Unix binaries are included in bin/unix/ folder
  • No registry modifications or system dependencies

🚀 Quick Start

First Launch

  1. Launch AccessibleTerminal.exe
  2. You'll start in PowerShell mode by default
  3. Type help and press Enter to see all available commands
  4. Press Ctrl+R to toggle Reading Mode and explore with arrow keys

Basic Usage Examples

# Display help information
help

# Clear the terminal screen
clear

# Switch to Bash mode (Unix commands)
bash

# List files in current directory (Bash)
ls -la

# Change directory
cd Documents

# Create a new directory
mkdir NewFolder

# Search for text in files
grep "search term" *.txt

# Switch back to PowerShell
powershell

# Use PowerShell cmdlets
Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt 100}

# Exit the application
exit

Using Tab Completion

# Type partial path and press Tab
cd Doc[TAB] → cd Documents\

# Complete with multiple matches
cd D[TAB] → Shows: Desktop, Documents, Downloads

# Navigate paths
cd Documents\Pro[TAB] → cd Documents\Projects\

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Essential Shortcuts

Shortcut Action Description
Enter Execute command Run the current command
Up/Down Command history Navigate through previous commands
Tab Auto-complete Complete commands and paths
Ctrl+L Clear screen Clear all terminal output
Ctrl+C Copy Copy selected text to clipboard
Ctrl+V Paste Paste text from clipboard
Home Start of command Jump to beginning of current command

Reading & Navigation

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+R Toggle Reading Mode Enable/disable arrow key navigation of output
Ctrl+N Next block Jump to next output block
Ctrl+P Previous block Jump to previous output block
Ctrl+E Next error Jump to next error in output
Arrow Keys Navigate (Reading Mode) Move through output when Reading Mode is on
Page Up/Down Scroll (Reading Mode) Quick scrolling when Reading Mode is on

Output Management

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+F Toggle fold/expand Fold or expand current output block
Ctrl+D Unfold all Expand all folded output blocks

Bookmarks

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+B Add bookmark Create bookmark at current position with custom name
Ctrl+J Next bookmark Jump to next bookmark (wraps around)
Ctrl+K Previous bookmark Jump to previous bookmark (wraps around)

Display & Appearance

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+H Toggle High Contrast Switch between standard and high contrast themes
Ctrl+Plus Increase font size Make text larger (max: 32pt)
Ctrl+Minus Decrease font size Make text smaller (min: 12pt)
Ctrl+0 Reset font size Return to default size (14pt)

Advanced Features

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+M Keyword manager Open keyword monitoring manager
Ctrl+O Output panels Show categorized output (errors/warnings/status)

🔤 Built-in Commands

Terminal Control Commands

Command Description
help Display comprehensive help with all shortcuts and features
clear or cls Clear the terminal screen
exit or quit Close the application

Shell Switching Commands

Command Description
bash Switch to Bash mode with Unix commands
powershell or pwsh Switch to PowerShell mode
cmd Switch to Windows Command Prompt mode

Privilege Escalation

Command Description
sudo su or sudo Restart application with administrator rights (UAC prompt)

Keyword Monitoring Commands

Command Description
monitor add <keyword> Add keyword to monitoring list
monitor remove <keyword> Remove keyword from monitoring
monitor list Display all monitored keywords
monitor clear Remove all monitored keywords

🐚 Shell Modes

PowerShell Mode (Default)

Features:

  • Full access to PowerShell cmdlets and scripts
  • Object-based pipeline processing
  • .NET Framework integration

Examples:

Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending
Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Filter "*.txt"

Path Completion: Uses backslashes (\)

CMD Mode

Features:

  • Classic Windows command prompt
  • Batch file support
  • Legacy DOS commands

Examples:

dir /s /b *.txt
ipconfig /all

Path Completion: Uses backslashes (\)

Bash Mode

Features:

  • 46+ bundled Unix commands (no WSL required)
  • Unix-style pipes and redirection
  • Shell scripting support

Examples:

ls -la | grep "\.txt"
find . -name "*.log"
cat file.txt | sed 's/old/new/g'

Path Completion: Uses forward slashes (/)

Note: Windows executables (like code, npm, node) are automatically detected and routed through CMD.

♿ Accessibility Features in Detail

Screen Reader Support

Supported Screen Readers:

  • NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) - Recommended
  • JAWS (Job Access With Speech)
  • Windows Narrator

Announcement System:

  • Uses UIA (UI Automation) Notification events
  • Immediate announcements for all command output
  • Context-aware messages
  • Full output text announced (not truncated)

What Gets Announced:

  • Complete command output
  • Error messages
  • Shell mode changes
  • Bookmark navigation with name and context
  • Fold/unfold actions with line count
  • All keyboard shortcut activations

Reading Mode

How it works:

  1. Press Ctrl+R to enable Reading Mode
  2. Use arrow keys to navigate through output
  3. Screen reader reads each line as you move
  4. Press Ctrl+R again to return to command input

Benefits:

  • Read output at your own pace
  • Navigate back to previous information
  • Skip through content quickly

🔧 Advanced Features

Output Block Detection

The terminal automatically detects and categorizes output:

Block Types:

  • Normal: Regular command output
  • Error: Error messages and exceptions
  • Stack Trace: Multi-line stack traces (auto-folded)
  • JSON: JSON formatted data
  • Large Text: Outputs exceeding 50 lines (auto-folded)

Smart Folding

Automatic Folding Triggers:

  • Output exceeds 50 lines
  • Stack trace detected
  • Large JSON responses

Manual Control:

  • Ctrl+F: Toggle fold/expand current block
  • Ctrl+D: Unfold all blocks at once

Output Categorization

Access categorized output with Ctrl+O:

Error Panel: All error messages and exceptions with timestamps Warning Panel: Warning messages and deprecation notices Status Panel: Success messages and completion notifications

🏗️ Building from Source

Prerequisites

Clone and Build

git clone https://github.com/ibrasonic/AccessibleTerminal.git
cd AccessibleTerminal

# Build Release version
dotnet build -c Release

# Publish self-contained executable
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained -o MyApp

The published application will be in the MyApp folder.

🛠️ Technical Details

Architecture

Framework: .NET 8.0 with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Language: C# 12

Key Components:

  • MainWindow.xaml.cs (2,876 lines) - UI logic, screen reader integration, features
  • CommandExecutor.cs (393 lines) - Multi-shell command execution
  • MainWindow.xaml - WPF UI layout with AutomationProperties

UI Automation Implementation

Announcement Mechanism:

// Uses UIA Notification event for reliable screen reader announcements
peer.RaiseNotificationEvent(
    AutomationNotificationKind.ActionCompleted,
    AutomationNotificationProcessing.MostRecent,
    message,
    activityId
);

Bundled Unix Commands

Location: bin/unix/ (365 files, 0.20 MB)

46 Core Commands:

  • File operations: ls, cp, mv, rm, mkdir, touch, cat, find
  • Text processing: grep, sed, awk, cut, sort, uniq, wc, head, tail
  • System utilities: ps, kill, chmod, chown, du, df
  • Networking: curl, wget, ssh, scp
  • Compression: tar, gzip, gunzip, zip, unzip
  • Editors: vim, nano
  • And more...

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! We especially appreciate improvements to accessibility features.

How to Contribute

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
  3. Make your changes and test thoroughly
  4. Test with screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, Narrator)
  5. Commit: git commit -m "Add: Description"
  6. Push: git push origin feature/your-feature
  7. Open a Pull Request

Testing Checklist

  • Tested with NVDA screen reader
  • All keyboard shortcuts work
  • Reading mode functions correctly
  • High contrast mode displays properly
  • Commands execute in all three shell modes

📄 License

MIT License - Copyright (c) 2025 Ibrahim Badawy (@IBRASONIC)

Permission is granted to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose with or without fee.

See full license text in the source files.

👤 Author

Ibrahim Badawy (@IBRASONIC)

🙏 Acknowledgments

  • Microsoft .NET Team - For the excellent .NET 8.0 framework and WPF
  • Git for Windows - For providing Unix binaries
  • NVDA Community - For accessibility testing and feedback

📊 Project Statistics

Metric Value
Total Code Lines 3,269 lines (C#)
Framework .NET 8.0 WPF
Published Size ~150 MB (self-contained)
Unix Commands 46 commands (365 files)
Supported Shells 3 (PowerShell, CMD, Bash)
Keyboard Shortcuts 25+ combinations
Screen Readers 3 (NVDA, JAWS, Narrator)

📞 Support & Links

Made with ❤️ and ⌨️ for accessibility and productivity

If you find this project helpful, please consider giving it a ⭐ on GitHub!

About

Accessible Windows Terminal with Multi-Shell Support. An accessibility-first command-line interface for Windows that supports PowerShell, CMD, and Bash with intelligent read mode, structured output navigation, and enhanced speech-friendly interaction designed for Screen Reader users.

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Releases 1

AccessibleTerminal_v1.0.0 Latest
Nov 23, 2025

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