Package: whaaaaat
A collection of common interactive command line user interfaces.Table of ContentsDocumentationInstallationExamplesQuickstartQuestion TypesQuestion PropertiesUser Interfaces and StylesWindows PlatformSupportContributingAcknowledgmentsLicenseGoal and Philosophy``whaaaaat``strives to be an easily embeddable and beautiful
command line interface forPython.``whaaaaat``wants to make it easy for existing Inquirer.js users to
write immersive command line applications in Python. We are convinced
that its feature-set is the most complete for building immersive CLI
applications. We also hope that``whaaaaat``proves itself useful to
Python users.``whaaaaat``should ease the process of - providingerror feedback-asking questions-parsinginput -validatinganswers - managinghierarchical promptsNote:``whaaaaat``provides the user interface and the inquiry
session flow. > If you’re searching for a scaffolding utility, then
check outbanana, the
whaaaaat’s sister utility.DocumentationInstallationLike most Python packages whaaaaat is available onPyPi.
Simply use pip to install the whaaaaat packagepipinstallwhaaaaatQuickstartLike Inquirer.js, using inquirer is structured into two simple steps:you define alist of questionsand hand them topromptpromt returns alist of answersfrom__future__importprint_function,unicode_literalsfromwhaaaaatimportprompt,print_jsonquestions=[{'type':'input','name':'first_name','message':'What\'s your first name',}]answers=prompt(questions)print_json(answers)# use the answers as input for your appA good starting point from here is probably the examples section.ExamplesMost of the examples intend to demonstrate a single question type or
feature:bottom-bar.pyexpand.pylist.pypassword.pywhen.pycheckbox.pyhierarchical.pypizza.py - demonstrate using different question typeseditor.pyinput.pyrawlist.pyQuestion Typesquestionsis a list of questions. Each question has a type.List -{type: 'list'}Taketype,name,message,choices[,default,filter] properties. (Note that default must be the choiceindexin the array or a choicevalue)List promptRaw List -{type: 'rawlist'}Taketype,name,message,choices[,default,filter] properties. (Note that default must the choiceindexin
the array)Raw list promptExpand -{type: 'expand'}Taketype,name,message,choices[,default]
properties. (Note that default must be the choiceindexin the
array. Ifdefaultkey not provided, thenhelpwill be used as
default choice)Note that thechoicesobject will take an extra parameter calledkeyfor theexpandprompt. This parameter must be a single
(lowercased) character. Thehoption is added by the prompt and
shouldn’t be defined by the user.Seeexamples/expand.pyfor a running example.Checkbox -{type: 'checkbox'}Taketype,name,message,choices[,filter,validate,default] properties.defaultis expected to be an
Array of the checked choices value.Choices marked as{checked: true}will be checked by default.Choices whose propertydisabledis truthy will be unselectable. Ifdisabledis a string, then the string will be outputted next to the
disabled choice, otherwise it’ll default to"Disabled". Thedisabledproperty can also be a synchronous function receiving the
current answers as argument and returning a boolean or a string.Checkbox promptConfirm -{type: 'confirm'}Taketype,name,message[,default] properties.defaultis expected to be a boolean if used.Confirm promptInput -{type: 'input'}Taketype,name,message[,default,filter,validate] properties.Input promptPassword -{type: 'password'}Taketype,name,message[,default,filter,validate] properties.Password promptEditor -{type: 'editor'}Taketype,name,message[,default,filter,validate] propertiesLaunches an instance of the users preferred editor on a temporary file.
Once the user exits their editor, the contents of the temporary file are
read in as the result. The editor to use is determined by reading the
$VISUAL or $EDITOR environment variables. If neither of those are
present, notepad (on Windows) or vim (Linux or Mac) is used.Question PropertiesA question is a dictionary containing question related values:type: (String) Type of the prompt. Defaults: input - Possible values:
input, confirm, list, rawlist, expand, checkbox, password, editorname: (String) The name to use when storing the answer in the answers
hash. If the name contains periods, it will define a path in the
answers hash.message: (String|Function) The question to print. If defined as a
function, the first parameter will be the current inquirer session
answers.default: (String|Number|Array|Function) Default value(s) to use if
nothing is entered, or a function that returns the default value(s).
If defined as a function, the first parameter will be the current
inquirer session answers.choices: (Array|Function) Choices array or a function returning a
choices array. If defined as a function, the first parameter will be
the current inquirer session answers. Array values can be simple
strings, or objects containing a name (to display in list), a value
(to save in the answers hash) and a short (to display after
selection) properties. The choices array can also contain a
Separator.validate: (Function) Receive the user input and should return true if
the value is valid, and an error message (String) otherwise. If false
is returned, a default error message is provided.filter: (Function) Receive the user input and return the filtered
value to be used inside the program. The value returned will be added
to the Answers hash.when: (Function, Boolean) Receive the current user answers hash and
should return true or false depending on whether or not this question
should be asked. The value can also be a simple boolean.pageSize: (Number) Change the number of lines that will be rendered
when using list, rawList, expand or checkbox.User Interfaces and StylesTODOWindows Platform``whaaaaat``is build on prompt_toolkit which is cross platform,
and everything that you build on top should run fine on both Unix and
Windows systems. On Windows, it uses a different event loop
(WaitForMultipleObjects instead of select), and another input and output
system. (Win32 APIs instead of pseudo-terminals and VT100.)It’s worth noting that the implementation is a “best effort of what is
possible”. Both Unix and Windows terminals have their limitations. But
in general, the Unix experience will still be a little better.For Windows, it’s recommended to use either cmder or conemu.SupportMost of the questions are probably related to using a question type or
feature. Please lookup and study the appropriate examples.Issue on Github TODO linkFor many issues like for example common Python programming issues
stackoverflow might be a good place to search for an answer. TODO linkVisit the finklabs slack channel for announcements and news. TODO linkContributingUnit test Unit test are written using pytest. Please add a unit test for
every new feature or bug fix.Documentation Add documentation for every API change. Feel free to send
typo fixes and better docs!We’re looking to offer good support for multiple prompts and
environments. If you want to help, we’d like to keep a list of testers
for each terminal/OS so we can contact you and get feedback before
release. Let us know if you want to be added to the list.AcknowledgmentsMany thanks to our friends at Inquirer.js. We think they did a great job
developing the tooling to support the nodejs technology.LicenseCopyright (c) 2016-2017 Mark Fink (twitter: @markfink) Licensed under
the MIT license.