textdriven

Textdriven is a term used to describe systems, interfaces, or processes whose behavior is determined primarily by textual input or data. It contrasts with graphical or event-driven interfaces by privileging text as the main channel for instruction, feedback, and configuration. Textdriven designs often rely on parsing, natural language understanding, or structured text formats to extract commands, intents, or rules from user or data sources.

Applications of textdriven approaches span command-line interfaces and text-based shells, text-based interactive fiction, and conversational agents or natural language interfaces where user input is supplied as text. It also appears in text-driven configuration, documentation-driven automation, and scripting where workflows are expressed in human-readable text rather than code blocks.

Technically, textdriven systems may employ parsers, intent recognizers, templates, or rule engines to map text to actions. They often emphasize transparency and auditability, as the controlling information is readily readable and editable. Challenges include ambiguity, error handling, and localization, since natural language can be interpreted in multiple ways. Performance depends on the quality of parsing and the clarity of the textual instructions.

In practice, textdriven design can improve accessibility and flexibility, enabling rapid prototyping and easier modification by non-programmers. It is commonly used in contexts where human-readable control or documentation is advantageous, and it can complement graphical or event-driven components when text remains the primary interface.