Spectre.Console

Rule Widget

Create horizontal dividers and section separators with optional titles

The Rule widget renders horizontal lines across the console width to visually separate content.

Screenshot

When to Use

Use Rule when you need to visually separate sections of output. Common scenarios:

  • Section headers: Mark the beginning of logical sections in reports or logs
  • Content dividers: Separate distinct blocks of information for better readability
  • Visual hierarchy: Create clear boundaries between different output types

For emphasized section headers with decorative borders, use Panel instead. For large decorative text banners, use FigletText.

Basic Usage

Create a simple horizontal divider that spans the full console width.

public static void BasicRuleExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Section content above");
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule());
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Section content below");
}

Adding Titles

Use titles to identify what comes after the rule, turning it into a section header.

public static void RuleTitleExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[blue]Configuration[/]"));
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("App settings and environment variables");
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[green]Results[/]"));
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Test execution completed successfully");
}

Title Alignment

Position titles on the left, center, or right to match your layout needs.

public static void RuleTitleAlignmentExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[yellow]Left Aligned[/]")
    {
        Justification = Justify.Left
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[yellow]Center Aligned (default)[/]")
    {
        Justification = Justify.Center
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[yellow]Right Aligned[/]")
    {
        Justification = Justify.Right
    });
}

Border Styles

Choose a line style to match your application's visual tone or to indicate different section types.

public static void RuleBorderStylesExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("Single Line (default)")
    {
        Border = BoxBorder.Square
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("Double Line")
    {
        Border = BoxBorder.Double
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("Heavy Line")
    {
        Border = BoxBorder.Heavy
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("Rounded")
    {
        Border = BoxBorder.Rounded
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("ASCII")
    {
        Border = BoxBorder.Ascii
    });
}

Note

See the Box Border Reference for all available border styles.

Styling

Rule Color

Apply colors to emphasize importance or categorize sections by type.

public static void RuleColorExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[red]Error Section[/]")
    {
        Style = Style.Parse("red")
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Error details go here");
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[green]Success Section[/]")
    {
        Style = Style.Parse("green")
    });
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Success details go here");
}

Subtle Separators

Use dim or muted colors for subtle dividers that don't distract from content.

public static void RuleSubtleSeparatorExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Log entry 1: Application started");
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule { Style = Style.Parse("grey dim") });
  
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Log entry 2: Configuration loaded");
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule { Style = Style.Parse("grey dim") });
  
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Log entry 3: Database connected");
}

Common Patterns

Section Dividers in Reports

Use rules to organize multi-section output like system reports or status dashboards.

public static void RuleSectionDividersExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[bold blue]System Information[/]"));
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("OS: Windows 11");
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Memory: 16 GB");
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[bold blue]Performance Metrics[/]"));
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("CPU Usage: 45%");
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Disk I/O: 120 MB/s");
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Rule("[bold blue]Network Status[/]"));
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Connected: Yes");
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Latency: 12ms");
}

Fluent Configuration

Combine extension methods for concise rule creation.

public static void RuleFluentExample()
{
    var rule = new Rule()
        .RuleTitle("[yellow]Deployment Status[/]")
        .RuleStyle(Style.Parse("dim"));
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(rule);
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine("Deployment completed at 14:32:15");
}

API Reference

A renderable horizontal rule.

Constructors

Rule()

Initializes a new instance of the class.

Rule(string title)

Initializes a new instance of the class.

Parameters:

title (string)
The rule title markup text.

Properties

Border : BoxBorder
Justification : Nullable<Justify>

Gets or sets the rule's title justification.

Style : Style

Gets or sets the rule style.

Title : string

Gets or sets the rule title markup text.

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 .

Rule RuleStyle(Style style)

Sets the rule style.

Parameters:

style (Style)
The rule style.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Rule RuleTitle(string title)

Sets the rule title.

Parameters:

title (string)
The title.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.