Figures is a Node.js command-line utility and npm package that provides Unicode symbols with terminal-specific fallbacks for older or limited character sets. It exports a set of symbols for “main” Unicode-capable terminals, “fallback” symbols for terminals without Unicode support, and a `replaceSymbols` function to automatically swap fallback characters in strings.
Project status
- Maintenance status: The repo appears quiet/dormant as of today, with the most recent documented updates in early/mid 2024 (latest shown tag v6.1.0 on 2024-03-04), and the upstream push dated 2024-10-28, which is about 22 months ago relative to 2026-09-10.
- Update cadence: Historically the project ships infrequent updates, with major changes in 2021-2022 (v4.0.0, v5.0.0) and 2023-2024 (v6.0.0, v6.0.1, v6.1.0), followed by a long gap since 2024.
AI summary generated
Recent updates
v6.1.0
v6.1.0 adds a new `useFallback` option to `replaceSymbols()`, allowing callers to force fallback symbol replacement regardless of terminal Unicode support. The release notes only mention this option, but the code diff indicates additional public behavior changes related to the literal figure characters and how invalid second arguments are handled.
Featuresv6.0.1
v6.0.1 is a small patch release that adjusts how the library defines the circle question mark and question mark prefix symbols. The release notes only mention a Linux-specific fix, but the code change also removes the platform-dependent symbol logic and changes the fallback characters.
v6.0.0
v6.0.0 updates figures to require Node.js 18 and changes how question mark symbols are rendered across platforms. The release notes also claim a Unicode support detection fix for Windows CI. The code diff shows additional, not fully documented internal refactoring around symbol replacement and dependency upgrades.
Breakingv5.0.0
v5.0.0 bumps the library’s minimum supported Node.js version to 14 and updates the Unicode character used for the `cross` symbol. The diff also shows several maintainer-facing/tooling updates in CI and devDependencies, while runtime behavior changes appear limited to the `cross` glyph.
Breakingv4.0.1
v4.0.1 primarily updates dependencies. The release notes only mention a dependency update, but the code diff also includes a small code change in index.js and a minor readme wording fix.
v4.0.0
figures v4.0.0 is a major release that converts the package to pure ESM, raises the minimum Node.js version to 12, and reorganizes the exported symbol sets. It also expands the symbol library substantially (including box-drawing variants and new math, triangles, and music notes) and changes how fallback replacement is chosen based on terminal Unicode support.
BreakingFeaturesv3.2.0
Release v3.2.0 adds explicit exports for platform-specific symbol sets, so consumers can access both the non-Windows (main) and Windows (windows) figure mappings. It also updates the TypeScript definitions, README examples, and adds a test to validate the new exports.
Featuresv3.1.0
v3.1.0 adds a new exported `nodejs` Unicode symbol, including a Windows CMD fallback. The code changes are primarily additive to the public API, with additional repo and documentation metadata updates.
Featuresv3.0.0
v3.0.0 introduces new TypeScript definition files to improve developer experience. It also raises the minimum supported Node.js version, which may require updating your runtime.
BreakingFeatures