Features›Text

Text

Basic text output, wrapping, wide character handling (emoji, CJK), tabs, and line control. This category covers the fundamentals of terminal text rendering, including how terminals handle characters that occupy two columns (CJK ideographs, many emoji) and whether text reflows correctly when the terminal is resized. Text output seems simple until you encounter wide characters. A CJK character occupies 2 columns; a family emoji might be 7 Unicode codepoints but 2 columns. Every terminal must agree on every character's width — and they don't.

20 features in this category

Analysis2026-04-06

The Text category covers 20 features. Common gaps: TBC clear tab stop (CSI g) (9 terminals fail), Variation selector 16 (emoji presentation) (9 terminals fail), CHT forward tab (CSI I) (6 terminals fail).

Terminal Applications

Feature	iTerm2	Ghostty	VS Code	Warp	Cursor	Terminal.app
Backspace (BS)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Basic text rendering	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
CBT backward tab (CSI Z)	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
CHT forward tab (CSI I)	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Combining characters (0 cols)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Carriage return	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
HTS set tab stop (ESC H)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Index (IND)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Line feed	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Next line (NEL)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Overwrite at cursor	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Reverse Index at Scroll Top	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Tab stops	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
TBC clear tab stop (CSI g)	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
CJK wide chars (2 cols)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Emoji wide chars (2 cols)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Regional indicator flags (2 cols)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Variation selector 16 (emoji presentation)	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
Emoji ZWJ sequences (2 cols)	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
Text wraps at width	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Headless Backends

Parser correctness tested via Termless. A ✓ means the parser accepts the sequence, not that it renders correctly.

Feature	vterm	xterm.js	Kitty	Alacritty	WezTerm	vt100.js
Backspace (BS)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Basic text rendering	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
CBT backward tab (CSI Z)	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
CHT forward tab (CSI I)	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Combining characters (0 cols)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Carriage return	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
HTS set tab stop (ESC H)	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Index (IND)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Line feed	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Next line (NEL)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Overwrite at cursor	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Reverse Index at Scroll Top	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Tab stops	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
TBC clear tab stop (CSI g)	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
CJK wide chars (2 cols)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Emoji wide chars (2 cols)	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗
Regional indicator flags (2 cols)	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓	✗
Variation selector 16 (emoji presentation)	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗
Emoji ZWJ sequences (2 cols)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Text wraps at width	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

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