Clear terminal window in Node.js readline shell

Question

I have a simple readline shell written in Coffeescript:

rl = require \'readline\'
cli = rl.createInterface process.std         


        

Answer 1

This is the only answer that will clear the screen AND scroll history.

function clear() {
  // 1. Print empty lines until the screen is blank.
  process.stdout.write('\033[2J');

  // 2. Clear the scrollback.
  process.stdout.write('\u001b[H\u001b[2J\u001b[3J');
}

// Try this example to see it in action!
(function loop() {
  let i = -40; // Print 40 lines extra.
  (function printLine() {
    console.log('line ' + (i + 41));
    if (++i < process.stdout.columns) {
      setTimeout(printLine, 40);
    }
    else {
      clear();
      setTimeout(loop, 3000);
    }
  })()
})()

• The first line ensures the visible lines are always cleared.

• The second line ensures the scroll history is cleared.