Spectre.Console

Panel Widget

Create bordered boxes around content with customizable headers, padding, and styles

The Panel widget wraps content in a decorative border with optional header and styling.

Screenshot

When to Use

Use Panel when you need to visually group or highlight content. Common scenarios:

  • Status displays: Show system status, alerts, or important messages
  • Section headers: Group related information with a titled border
  • Emphasized content: Draw attention to specific output

For tabular data with rows and columns, use Table instead. For side-by-side content, use Columns.

Basic Usage

Create a panel by passing text or any renderable content.

var panel = new Panel("Hello, World!");
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);

Headers

Add a title to identify the panel's content.

var panel = new Panel("This panel has a header")
    .Header("Information");
  
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);

Header Alignment

Position headers on the left, center, or right of the panel border.

var left = new Panel("Left-aligned header")
    .Header("Left", Justify.Left);
  
var center = new Panel("Center-aligned header")
    .Header("Center", Justify.Center);
  
var right = new Panel("Right-aligned header")
    .Header("Right", Justify.Right);
  
AnsiConsole.Write(left);
AnsiConsole.Write(center);
AnsiConsole.Write(right);

Borders

Border Styles

Choose a border style to match your application's visual tone.

var square = new Panel("Square border (default)")
    .SquareBorder();
  
var rounded = new Panel("Rounded border")
    .RoundedBorder();
  
var heavy = new Panel("Heavy border")
    .HeavyBorder();
  
var doubleBorder = new Panel("Double border")
    .DoubleBorder();
  
AnsiConsole.Write(square);
AnsiConsole.Write(rounded);
AnsiConsole.Write(heavy);
AnsiConsole.Write(doubleBorder);

Note

See the Box Border Reference for all available border styles.

Removing the Border

Use NoBorder() when you want padding and headers without a visible border.

var panel = new Panel("Content without a border")
    .NoBorder()
    .Header("Still has a header");
  
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);

Border Color

Apply color to make panels stand out or convey meaning.

var panel = new Panel("Colored border")
    .Header("Status")
    .BorderColor(Color.Green);
  
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);

Layout

Padding

Control the space between content and the border.

var minimal = new Panel("Minimal padding")
    .Padding(0, 0);
  
var spacious = new Panel("Extra padding")
    .Padding(4, 2);
  
AnsiConsole.Write(minimal);
AnsiConsole.Write(spacious);

Expanding to Fill Width

By default, panels fit their content. Use Expand() to fill the available width.

var collapsed = new Panel("Fits content width");
  
var expanded = new Panel("Fills available width")
    .Expand();
  
AnsiConsole.Write(collapsed);
AnsiConsole.Write(expanded);

Fixed Width

Set an explicit width when you need consistent sizing.

var panel = new Panel("Fixed width panel")
{
    Width = 40
};
  
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);

Nesting Content

Nested Panels

Create visual hierarchy by placing panels inside panels.

var inner = new Panel("Inner content")
    .Header("Inner")
    .RoundedBorder()
    .BorderColor(Color.Yellow);
  
var outer = new Panel(inner)
    .Header("Outer")
    .DoubleBorder()
    .BorderColor(Color.Blue);
  
AnsiConsole.Write(outer);

Tables in Panels

Combine panels with other widgets like tables for structured displays.

var table = new Table()
    .AddColumn("Name")
    .AddColumn("Status")
    .AddRow("Server 1", "[green]Online[/]")
    .AddRow("Server 2", "[red]Offline[/]");
  
var panel = new Panel(table)
    .Header("Server Status")
    .BorderColor(Color.Blue);
  
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);

Combining Options

Panels support combining multiple styling options for rich displays.

var panel = new Panel("[bold]Important Notice[/]\n\nThis message requires your attention.")
    .Header("[yellow]Warning[/]", Justify.Center)
    .RoundedBorder()
    .BorderColor(Color.Yellow)
    .Padding(2, 1)
    .Expand();
  
AnsiConsole.Write(panel);

See Also

API Reference

A renderable panel.

Constructors

Panel(string text)

Initializes a new instance of the class.

Parameters:

text (string)
The panel content.
Panel(IRenderable content)

Initializes a new instance of the class.

Parameters:

content (IRenderable)
The panel content.

Properties

Border : BoxBorder
BorderStyle : Style
Expand : bool

Gets or sets a value indicating whether or not the panel should fit the available space. If false, the panel width will be auto calculated. Defaults to false.

Header : PanelHeader

Gets or sets the header.

Height : Nullable<int>

Gets or sets the height of the panel.

Padding : Nullable<Padding>

Gets or sets the padding.

UseSafeBorder : bool
Width : Nullable<int>

Gets or sets the width of the panel.

Extension Methods

IEnumerable<Segment> GetSegments(IAnsiConsole console)

Gets the segments for a renderable using the specified console.

Parameters:

console (IAnsiConsole)
The console.

Returns:

An enumerable containing segments representing the specified .

Panel Header(string text, Nullable<Justify> alignment)

Sets the panel header.

Parameters:

text (string)
The header text.
alignment (Nullable<Justify>)
The header alignment.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Panel Header(PanelHeader header)

Sets the panel header.

Parameters:

header (PanelHeader)
The header to use.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Panel HeaderAlignment(Justify alignment)

Sets the panel header alignment.

Parameters:

alignment (Justify)
The header alignment.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.