Gracefully Handling Child Process Termination in Terminal Applications
When a terminal application with child processes doesn't exit cleanly after Ctrl+C, terminal corruption ensues. This post, using the Moose CLI as an example, details solutions. Key strategies include: 1. Process Output Proxying: Redirect child process stdout/stderr to a logging system, isolating it from the terminal; 2. Terminal State Management: Explicitly clean up the terminal state (raw mode, alternate screen buffer, cursor visibility) using crossterm for cross-platform consistency on exit; 3. Graceful Process Termination: Attempt graceful shutdown with SIGTERM, then SIGKILL with timeouts; 4. Thread-Safe Spinner Management: Coordinate spinners and child process output to prevent display corruption. These strategies build robust terminal applications, preventing frustrating terminal damage from child processes.
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