colors.php

<?php 

// https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Color_Bash_Prompt
$colors = array(

    // regular colors
    'black' => '0;30', // black
    'red' => '0;31', // red
    'green' => '0;32', // green
    'yellow' => '0;33', // yellow
    'blue' => '0;34', // blue
    'purple' => '0;35', // purple
    'cyan' => '0;36', // cyan
    'white' => '0;37', // white

    // bold
    'bold_black' => '1;30', // black
    'bold_red' => '1;31', // red
    'bold_green' => '1;32', // green
    'bold_yellow' => '1;33', // yellow
    'bold_blue' => '1;34', // blue
    'bold_purple' => '1;35', // purple
    'bold_cyan' => '1;36', // cyan
    'bold_white' => '1;37', // white

    // underline
    'underline_black' => '4;30', // black
    'underline_red' => '4;31', // red
    'underline_green' => '4;32', // green
    'underline_yellow' => '4;33', // yellow
    'underline_blue' => '4;34', // blue
    'underline_purple' => '4;35', // purple
    'underline_cyan' => '4;36', // cyan
    'underline_white' => '4;37', // white

    // background
    'background_black' => '40', // black
    'background_red' => '41', // red
    'background_green' => '42', // green
    'background_yellow' => '43', // yellow
    'background_blue' => '44', // blue
    'background_purple' => '45', // purple
    'background_cyan' => '46', // cyan
    'background_white' => '47', // white

    // high intensity
    'intense_black' => '0;90', // black
    'intense_red' => '0;91', // red
    'intense_green' => '0;92', // green
    'intense_yellow' => '0;93', // yellow
    'intense_blue' => '0;94', // blue
    'intense_purple' => '0;95', // purple
    'intense_cyan' => '0;96', // cyan
    'intense_white' => '0;97', // white

    // bold high intensity
    'intense_bold_black' => '1;90', // black
    'intense_bold_red' => '1;91', // red
    'intense_bold_green' => '1;92', // green
    'intense_bold_yellow' => '1;93', // yellow
    'intense_bold_blue' => '1;94', // blue
    'intense_bold_purple' => '1;95', // purple
    'intense_bold_cyan' => '1;96', // cyan
    'intense_bold_white' => '1;97', // white

    // high intensity backgrounds
    'intense_background_black' => '0;100', // black
    'intense_background_red' => '0;101', // red
    'intense_background_green' => '0;102', // green
    'intense_background_yellow' => '0;103', // yellow
    'intense_background_blue' => '0;104', // blue
    'intense_background_purple' => '0;105', // purple
    'intense_background_cyan' => '0;106', // cyan
    'intense_background_white' => '0;107', // white
);

function writeln($message, $stream = STDOUT)
{
    $message .= PHP_EOL;
    fwrite($stream, $message);
}

/**
 * <message 
 *       color="black" 
 *       colorize="foreground|background" 
 *       style="normal|bold|underline" 
 *       intensity="normal|intense">
 * <info>
 * <error>
 * <success>
 * <warning>
 */
foreach ($colors as $name => $color) {
    writeln("\033[{$color}m{$name}\033[0m");
}

I've got something similar I was working on that we might be able to sync

My idea is

<?php

$cli->clear()->goto(30,30)->color('green')->style('bold')->print('ANSI colours are awesome!')->down(1)->back(25)->color('purple')->println('=========================');

I employed a similar method as you are with writeln but it is a custom() function and all the methods go through there changing the \033
I can't remember what state it is in I was last mapping 256 golour support and working through the escape codes to ensure completion.

Where were you going with this?

Just for fun!
I was working in a CLI script at Dafiti, much simple to use something more complex like Symfony Console and not too simple to use only shell script. Just one PHP file.
In the end I prefered to create a phar file. =]

Btw I think PHP should have a function like writeln, other languages, like Java, Ruby, Python, etc have one.

Don't you think println is more appropriate for php?

Yes, you're right.

You never had any doubts about that =)

So what are we going to do the complete ANSI cli solution as a Respect Project @augustohp @alganet your thoughts?