periodic-table-cli

An interactive Periodic Table of Elements app for the console!

Why the console? Because it's the cool way.

Also available for Python. View Homepage.

Usage

Run via npx:

$ npx periodic-table-cli
$ npx periodic-table-cli [options]

Run via Global Install

$ npm install --global periodic-table-cli
$ periodic-table-cli
$ periodic-table-cli [options]

The config params are optional (see below).

Note: Supports NodeJS 12+. No dependencies!

Interactive Controls

• Navigation: Use UP / DOWN / LEFT / RIGHT arrows.
• Display Mode: Use SLASH (/) to toggle the display mode forwards. Use BACKSLASH (\) to toggle the display mode in reverse.
• Search: Use UP / DOWN arrows to navigate results. Press ENTER to select. Press LEFT to exit search.
• Quit: Press ESC or CTRL+C.

Add the --help flag for more info.

Note:

• Be sure to run in terminals that support 256 colors.
• Minimum required terminal screen dimensions: 156 columns x 46 rows. See scrolling for more info.

Features

Browse

Use arrow keys to navigate and browse across all 118 elements. The selected element appears in gold on the Periodic Table on the left, and 22 data points for that element will display on the right. Each element's family and electron configuration will appear in gold below the Periodic Table.

Move the cursor directly below the Periodic Table to browse all 10 element families. The elements in that family will be focused on the Periodic Table, and a description of that family will appear on the right.

Move the cursor below the element families to browse all 4 electron configurations. The elements with that electron configuration will be focused on the Periodic Table, and a description of that electron shell will appear on the right.

Search

Use letters or numbers to query for an element, family, or electron configuration. Queries are matched on element names, symbols, and atomic numbers, along with family names and electron configuration names. Just start typing to enter search mode. Press the Enter to select a search item, or the Left arrow to exit search mode.

Display Mode

Use the SLASH (/) key to toggle different display modes. Use BACKSLASH (\) to toggle in reverse. The following 20 display modes are supported:

Element Families

Display 10 color-coded element families:

Electron Configurations

Display 4 color-coded electron shells:

Standard State

Display whether an element is a solid (white), liquid (red), or gas (blue). Expected states appear as a darker color (gray is expected solid, dark blue is expected gas):

Atomic Mass

Display a heat-map of atomic mass (increasing from blue to red):

Protons

Display a heat-map of the number of protons (increasing from blue to red):

Neutrons

Display a heat-map of the number of neutrons (increasing from blue to red):

Electrons

Display a heat-map of the number of electrons (increasing from blue to red):

Valence Electrons

Display a color-coded representation of the number of valence electrons:

Valency

Display a color-coded representation of valency:

Atomic Radius

Display a heat-map of atomic radius (increasing from blue to red):

Density

Display a heat-map of density (increasing from blue to red):

Electronegativity

Display a heat-map of electronegativity (increasing from blue to red):

Ionization Energy

Display a heat-map of ionization energy (increasing from blue to red):

Electron Affinity

Display a heat-map of electron affinity (increasing from blue to red):

Melting Point

Display a heat-map of melting point (increasing from blue to red):

Boiling Point

Display a heat-map of boiling point (increasing from blue to red):

Specific Heat

Display a heat-map of specific heat (increasing from blue to red):

Radioactivity

Display which elements are radioactive (red) and stable (green):

Occurrence

Display which elements have a natural occurrence (blue), rare occurrence (orange), or artificial occurrence (yellow):

Year

Display a heat-map of the year each element was discovered (increasing from blue to red). Ancient elements appear in white:

Options

Data Mode

The --mode=data param displays a brief list of all the elements, including atomic number, element symbol, and element name:

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=data

Verbose

Add the optional --verbose flag (or shorthand -v) to display a detailed list of all elements with up to 27 data columns (limited by screen size):

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=data --verbose

Specific Elements

Specify an element to view data for that element. Elements can be specified using the --atomic-number=<number>, --symbol=<symbol>, or --name=<name> params:

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=data --atomic-number=<number>
$ periodic-table-cli --mode=data --symbol=<symbol>
$ periodic-table-cli --mode=data --name=<name>

Chart Mode

The --mode=chart param prints a non-interactive Periodic Table of Elements:

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=chart

Minimum terminal width: 113 characters

Small

Add the optional --small flag (or shorthand -s) to print a smaller non-interactive version of the Periodic Table of Elements:

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=chart --small

Minimum terminal width: 76 characters

Specific Elements

Specify an element to view that element on the Periodic Table of Element. Elements can be specified using the --atomic-number=<number>, --symbol=<symbol>, or --name=<name> params:

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=chart --atomic-number=<number>
$ periodic-table-cli --mode=chart --symbol=<symbol>
$ periodic-table-cli --mode=chart --name=<name>

App Mode (default)

The --mode=app param runs the app in interactive mode (default).

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=app

Specific Elements

Specify an element to launch the app on that element. Elements can be specified using the --atomic-number=<number>, --symbol=<symbol>, or --name=<name> params:

$ periodic-table-cli --mode=app --atomic-number=<number>
$ periodic-table-cli --mode=app --symbol=<symbol>
$ periodic-table-cli --mode=app --name=<name>

Scrolling

The minimum required terminal screen dimensions are 156 columns x 46 rows. When using a smaller screen, some components may be cut off. To fix this, either make the screen bigger or use scrolling to pan across the screen:

• Use COMMA (,) to scroll up.
• Use PERIOD (.) to scroll down.
• Use LEFT CARROT (<) to scroll left.
• Use RIGHT CARROT (>) to scroll right.

Data Sources

Data used in the app is stored in an easy to edit data file. The data is mostly imported from PubChem.

Last Updated February 2024

License

• MIT © Spiro Metaxas