1IO::Prompter(3) User Contributed Perl Documentation IO::Prompter(3)
2
6 IO::Prompter - Prompt for input, read it, clean it, return it.
7
9 This document describes IO::Prompter version 0.005001
10
12 use IO::Prompter;
13 while (prompt -num, 'Enter a number') {
15 say "You entered: $_";
16 }
17 my $passwd
19 = prompt 'Enter your password', -echo=>'*';
20 my $selection
22 = prompt 'Choose wisely...', -menu => {
23 wealth => [ 'moderate', 'vast', 'incalculable' ],
24 health => [ 'hale', 'hearty', 'rude' ],
25 wisdom => [ 'cosmic', 'folk' ],
26 }, '>';
27
29 1. Several features of this module are known to have problems under
30 Windows. If using that platform, you may have more success (and
31 less distress) by trying IO::Prompt::Tiny, IO::Prompt::Simple, or
32 IO::Prompt::Hooked first.
33 2. By default the prompt() subroutine does not return a string; it
35 returns an object with overloaded string and boolean conversions.
36 This object always evaluates true in boolean contexts, unless the
37 read operation actually failed. This means that the object
38 evaluates true even when the input value is zero or an empty
39 string. See "Returning raw data" to turn off this (occasionally
40 counter-intuitive) behaviour.
41
43 IO::Prompter exports a single subroutine, "prompt", that prints a
44 prompt (but only if the program's selected input and output streams are
45 connected to a terminal), then reads some input, then chomps it, and
46 finally returns an object representing that text.
47 The prompt() subroutine expects zero-or-more arguments.
49 Any argument that starts with a hyphen ("-") is treated as a named
51 option (many of which require an associated value, that may be passed
52 as the next argument). See "Summary of options" and "Options reference"
53 for details of the available options.
54 Any other argument that is a string is treated as (part of) the prompt
56 to be displayed. All such arguments are concatenated together before
57 the prompt is issued. If no prompt string is provided, the string '> '
58 is used instead.
59 Normally, when prompt() is called in either list or scalar context, it
61 returns an opaque object that autoconverts to a string. In scalar
62 boolean contexts this return object evaluates true if the input
63 operation succeeded. In list contexts, if the input operation fails
64 prompt() returns an empty list instead of a return object. This allows
65 failures in list context to behave correctly (i.e. be false).
66 If you particularly need a list-context call to prompt() to always
68 return a value (i.e. even on failure), prefix the call with "scalar":
69 # Only produces as many elements
71 # as there were successful inputs...
72 my @data = (
73 prompt(' Name:'),
74 prompt(' Age:'),
75 prompt('Score:'),
76 );
77 # Always produces exactly three elements
79 # (some of which may be failure objects)...
80 my @data = (
81 scalar prompt(' Name:'),
82 scalar prompt(' Age:'),
83 scalar prompt('Score:'),
84 );
85 In void contexts, prompt() still requests input, but also issues a
87 warning about the general uselessness of performing an I/O operation
88 whose results are then immediately thrown away. See "Useful useless
89 uses of prompt()" for an exception to this.
90 The prompt() function also sets $_ if it is called in a boolean context
92 but its return value is not assigned to a variable. Hence, it is
93 designed to be a drop-in replacement for "readline" or "<>".
94
96 All the options for prompt() start with a hyphen ("-"). Most have both
97 a short and long form. The short form is always the first letter of the
98 long form.
99 Most options have some associated value. For short-form options, this
101 value is specified as a string appended to the option itself. The
102 associated value for long-form options is always specified as a
103 separated argument, immediately following the option (typically
104 separated from it by a "=>").
105 Note that this implies that short-form options may not be able to
107 specify every possible associated value (for example, the short-form
108 "-d" option cannot specify defaults with values 'efault' or '$%^!').
109 In such cases, just use the long form of the option (for example:
110 "-def => 'efault'" or "-default=>'$%^!'").
111 Summary of options
113 Note: For options preceded by an asterisk, the short form is actually a
114 Perl file operator, and hence cannot be used by itself. Either use the
115 long form of these options, or bundle them with another option, or add
116 a "no-op" to them.
117 Short Long
119 form form Effect
120 ===== ============= ======================================
121 -a -argv Prompt for @ARGV data if !@ARGV
123 -cancel=>SPEC Immediately fail if input char smartmatches value
125 -comp[lete]=>SPEC Complete input on <TAB>, as specified
127 -dSTR -def[ault]=>STR What to return if only <ENTER> typed
129 -DEF[AULT]=>STR (as above, but skip any -must checking)
130 * -e[STR] -echo=>STR Echo string for each character typed
132 -echostyle=>SPEC What colour/style to echo input in
134 * -f -filenames Input should be name of a readable file
136 -fail=>VALUE Return failure if completed input smartmatches value
138 -guar[antee]=>SPEC Only allow the specified words to be entered
140 -h[STR] -hist[ory][=>SPEC] Specify the history set this call belongs to
142 -in=>HANDLE Read from specified handle
144 -i -integer[=>SPEC] Accept only valid integers (that smartmatch SPEC)
146 -k -keyletters Accept only keyletters (as specified in prompt)
148 * -l -line Don't autochomp
150 -menu=>SPEC Specify a menu of responses to be displayed
152 -must=>HASHREF Specify requirements/constraints on input
154 -monitor=>SUBREF Specify a sub to be called on every character input
156 -n -num[ber][=>SPEC] Accept only valid numbers (that smartmatch SPEC)
158 -out=>HANDLE Prompt to specified handle
160 -prefill=>STR Start with the specified string pre-entered
162 -prompt=>STR Specify prompt explicitly
164 * -rSTR -ret[urn]=>STR After input, echo this string instead of <CR>
166 * -s -1 -sing[le] Return immediately after first key pressed
168 -stdio Use STDIN and STDOUT for prompting
170 -style=>SPEC What colour/style to display the prompt text in
172 -tNUM -time[out]=>NUM Specify a timeout on the input operation
174 -v -verb[atim] Return the input string (no context sensitivity)
176 -void Don't complain in void context
178 * -w -wipe Clear screen
180 -wipefirst Clear screen on first prompt() call only
181 * -y -yes [=> NUM] Return true if [yY] entered, false otherwise
183 -yn -yesno [=> NUM] Return true if [yY] entered, false if [nN]
184 -Y -Yes [=> NUM] Return true if Y entered, false otherwise
185 -YN -YesNo [=> NUM] Return true if Y entered, false if N
186 * -_ No-op (handy for bundling ambiguous short forms)
188 Automatic options
190 Any of the options listed above (and described in detail below) can be
191 automatically applied to every call to prompt() in the current lexical
192 scope, by passing them (via an array reference) as the arguments to a
193 "use IO::Prompter" statement.
194 For example:
196 use IO::Prompter;
198 # This call has no automatically added options...
200 my $assent = prompt "Do you wish to take the test?", -yn;
201 {
203 use IO::Prompter [-yesno, -single, -style=>'bold'];
204 # These three calls all have: -yesno, -single, -style=>'bold' options
206 my $ready = prompt 'Are you ready to begin?';
207 my $prev = prompt 'Have you taken this test before?';
208 my $hints = prompt 'Do you want hints as we go?';
209 }
210 # This call has no automatically added options...
212 scalar prompt 'Type any key to start...', -single;
213 The current scope's lexical options are always prepended to the
215 argument list of any call to prompt() in that scope.
216 To turn off any existing automatic options for the rest of the current
218 scope, use:
219 use IO::Prompter [];
221 Prebound options
223 You can also ask IO::Prompter to export modified versions of prompt()
224 with zero or more options prebound. For example, you can request an
225 ask() subroutine that acts exactly like prompt() but has the "- yn"
226 option pre-specified, or a pause() subroutine that is prompt() with a
227 "canned" prompt and the "-echo", "-single", and "-void" options.
228 To specify such subroutines, pass a single hash reference when loading
230 the module:
231 use IO::Prompter {
233 ask => [-yn],
234 pause => [-prompt=>'(Press any key to continue)', -echo, -single, -void],
235 }
236 Each key will be used as the name of a separate subroutine to be
238 exported, and each value must be an array reference, containing the
239 arguments that are to be automatically supplied.
240 The resulting subroutines are simply lexically scoped wrappers around
242 prompt(), with the specified arguments prepended to the normal argument
243 list, equivalent to something like:
244 my sub ask {
246 return prompt(-yn, @_);
247 }
248 my sub pause {
250 return prompt(-prompt=>'(Press any key to continue)', -echo, -single, -void, @_);
251 }
252 Note that these subroutines are lexically scoped, so if you want to use
254 them throughtout a source file, they should be declared in the
255 outermost scope of your program.
256 Options reference
258 Specifying what to prompt
259 "-prompt => STRING"
261 "-pSTRING"
263 By default, any argument passed to prompt() that does not begin with a
265 hyphen is taken to be part of the prompt string to be displayed before
266 the input operation. Moreover, if no such string is specified in the
267 argument list, the function supplies a default prompt ('> ')
268 automatically.
269 The "-prompt" option allows you to specify a prompt explicitly, thereby
271 enabling you to use a prompt that starts with a hyphen:
272 my $input
274 = prompt -prompt=>'-echo';
275 or to disable prompting entirely:
277 my $input
279 = prompt -prompt => "";
280 Note that the use of the "-prompt" option doesn't override other string
282 arguments, it merely adds its argument to the collective prompt.
283 Prompt prettification
285 If the specified prompt ends in a non-whitespace character, prompt()
287 adds a single space after it, to better format the output. On the other
288 hand, if the prompt ends in a newline, prompt() removes that character,
289 to keep the input position on the same line as the prompt.
290 You can use that second feature to override the first, if necessary.
292 For example, if you wanted your prompt to look like:
293 Load /usr/share/dict/_
295 (where the _ represents the input cursor), then a call like:
297 $filename = prompt 'Load /usr/share/dict/';
299 would not work because it would automatically add a space, producing:
301 Load /usr/share/dict/ _
303 But since a terminal newline is removed, you could achieve the desired
305 effect with:
306 $filename = prompt "Load /usr/share/dict/\n";
308 If for some reason you do want a newline at the end of the prompt (i.e.
310 with the input starting on the next line) just put two newlines at the
311 end of the prompt. Only the very last one will be removed.
312 Specifying how the prompt looks
314 "-style => SPECIFICATION"
316 If the "Term::ANSIColor" module is available, this option can be used
318 to specify the colour and styling (e.g. bold, inverse, underlined,
319 etc.) in which the prompt is displayed.
320 You can can specify that styling as a single string:
322 prompt 'next:' -style=>'bold red on yellow';
324 or an array of styles:
326 prompt 'next:' -style=>['bold', 'red', 'on_yellow'];
328 The range of styles and colour names that the option understands is
330 quite extensive. All of the following work as expected:
331 prompt 'next:' -style=>'bold red on yellow';
333 prompt 'next:' -style=>'strong crimson on gold';
335 prompt 'next:' -style=>'highlighted vermilion, background of cadmium';
337 prompt 'next:' -style=>'vivid russet over amber';
339 prompt 'next:' -style=>'gules fort on a field or';
341 However, because "Term::ANSIColor" sometmes maps everything back to the
343 standard eight ANSI text colours and seven ANSI text styles, all of the
344 above may also be rendered identically. See that module's documentation
345 for details.
346 If "Term::ANSIColor" is not available, this option is silently ignored.
348 Please bear in mind that up to 10% of people using your interface will
350 have some form of colour vision impairment, so its always a good idea
351 to differentiate information by style and colour, rather than by colour
352 alone. For example:
353 if ($dangerous_action) {
355 prompt 'Really proceed?', -style=>'bold red underlined';
356 }
357 else {
358 prompt 'Proceed?', -style=>'green';
359 }
360 Also bear in mind that (even though "-style" does support the 'blink'
362 style) up to 99% of people using your interface will have Flashing Text
363 Tolerance Deficiency. Just say "no".
364 Specifying where to prompt
366 "-out => FILEHANDLE"
368 "-in => FILEHANDLE"
370 "-stdio"
372 The "-out" option (which has no short form) is used to specify where
374 the prompt should be written to. If this option is not specified,
375 prompts are written to the currently "select"-ed filehandle. The most
376 common usage is:
377 prompt(out => *STDERR)
379 The "-in" option (which also has no short form) specifies where the
381 input should be read from. If this option is not specified, input is
382 read from the *ARGV filehandle. The most common usage is:
383 prompt(in => *STDIN)
385 in those cases where *ARGV has been opened to a file, but you still
387 wish to interact with the terminal (assuming *STDIN is opened to that
388 terminal).
389 The "-stdio" option (which again has no short form) is simply a
391 shorthand for: "-in => *STDIN, -out => *STDOUT". This is particularly
392 useful when there are arguments on the commandline, but you don't want
393 prompt to treat those arguments as filenames for magic *ARGV reads.
394 Specifying how long to wait for input
396 "-timeout => N"
398 "-tN"
400 Normally, the prompt() function simply waits for input. However, you
402 can use this option to specify a timeout on the read operation. If no
403 input is received within the specified N seconds, the call to prompt()
404 either returns the value specified by the "-default" option (if any),
405 or else an object indicating the read failed.
406 Note that, if the short form is used, N must be an integer. If the long
408 form is used, N may be an integer or floating point value.
409 You can determine whether an input operation timed out, even if a
411 default value was returned, by calling the timedout() method on the
412 object returned by prompt():
413 if (prompt('Continue?', -y1, -timeout=>60) && !$_->timedout) {
415 ...
416 }
417 If a time-out occurred, the return value of timedout() is a string
419 describing the timeout, such as:
420 "timed out after 60 seconds"
422 Prefilling the input
424 "-prefill => STRING"
426 Normally, the cursor is placed immediately after the prompt in
428 preparation for input. Initially, of course, there is no input.
429 However, using the "-prefill" option it is possible to initialize the
431 input buffer with an arbitrary string of text (rather than the usual
432 empty string)...as if that text had already been entered.
433 This is useful when a prompt is re-issued so as to allow the user to
435 extend, truncate, or otherwise edit a previous input.
436 Providing a menu of responses
438 "-menu => SPECIFICATION"
440 You can limit the allowable responses to a prompt, by providing a menu.
442 A menu is specified using the "-menu" option, and the menu choices are
444 specified as an argument to the option, either as a reference to an
445 array, hash, or string, or else as a literal string.
446 If the menu is specified in a hash, prompt() displays the keys of the
448 hash, sorted alphabetically, and with each alternative marked with a
449 single alphabetic character (its "selector key").
450 For example, given:
452 prompt 'Choose...',
454 -menu=>{ 'live free'=>1, 'die'=>0, 'transcend'=>-1 },
455 '>';
456 prompt() will display:
458 Choose...
460 a. die
461 b. live free
462 c. transcend
463 > _
464 It will then only permit the user to enter a valid selector key (in the
466 previous example: 'a', 'b', or 'c'). Once one of the alternatives is
467 selected, prompt() will return the corresponding value from the hash
468 (0, 1, or -1, respectively, in this case).
469 Note that the use of alphabetics as selector keys inherently limits the
471 number of usable menu items to 52. See "Numeric menus" for a way to
472 overcome this limitation.
473 A menu is treated like a special kind of prompt, so that any other
475 prompt strings in the prompt() call will appear either before or after
476 the menu of choices, depending on whether they appear before or after
477 the menu specification in the call to prompt().
478 If an array is used to specify the choices:
480 prompt 'Choose...',
482 -menu=>[ 'live free', 'die', 'transcend' ],
483 '>';
484 then each array element is displayed (in the original array order) with
486 a selector key:
487 Choose...
489 a. live free
490 b. die
491 c. transcend
492 > _
493 and prompt() returns the element corresponding to the selection (i.e.
495 it returns 'live free' if 'a' is entered, 'die' if 'b' is entered, or
496 'transcend' if 'c' is entered).
497 Hence, the difference between using an array and a hash is that the
499 array allows you to control the order of items in the menu, whereas a
500 hash allows you to show one thing (i.e. keys) but have something
501 related (i.e. values) returned instead.
502 If the argument after "-menu" is a string or a reference to a string,
504 the option splits the string on newlines, and treats the resulting list
505 as if it were an array of choices. This is useful, for example, to
506 request the user select a filename:
507 my $files = `ls`;
509 prompt 'Select a file...', -menu=>$files, '>';
510 Numbered menus
512 As the previous examples indicate, each menu item is given a unique
514 alphabetic selector key. However, if the "-number" or "-integer" option
515 is specified as well:
516 prompt 'Choose...',
518 -number,
519 -menu=>{ 'live free'=>1, 'die'=>0, 'transcend'=>-1 },
520 '>';
521 prompt() will number each menu item instead, using consecutive integers
523 as the selector keys:
524 Choose...
526 1. die
527 2. live free
528 3. transcend
529 > _
530 This allows for an unlimited number of alternatives in a single menu,
532 but prevents the use of "-single" for one-key selection from menus if
533 the menu has more than nine items.
534 Hierarchical menus
536 If you use a hash to specify a menu, the values of the hash do not have
538 to be strings. Instead, they can be references to nested hashes or
539 arrays.
540 This allows you to create hierarchical menus, where a selection at the
542 top level may lead to a secondary menu, etc. until an actual choice is
543 possible. For example, the following call to prompt:
544 my $choices = {
546 animates => {
547 animals => {
548 felines => [qw<cat lion lynx>],
549 canines => [qw<dog fox wolf>],
550 bovines => [qw<cow ox buffalo>],
551 },
552 fish => [qw<shark carp trout bream>],
553 },
554 inanimates => {
555 rocks => [qw<igneous metamorphic sedimentary>],
556 languages => [qw<Perl Python Ruby Tcl>],
557 },
558 };
559 my $result = prompt -1, 'Select a species...', -menu=>$choices, '> ';
561 might result in an interaction like this:
563 Select a species...
565 a. animates
566 b. inanimates
567 > a
568 Select from animates:
570 a. animals
571 b. fish
572 > b
573 Select from fish:
575 a. shark
576 b. carp
577 c. trout
578 d. bream
579 > c
580 At which point, prompt() would return the string 'trout'.
582 Note that you can nest an arbitrary number of hashes, but that each
584 "bottom" level choice has to be either a single string, or an array of
585 strings.
586 Navigating hierarchical menus
588 Within a hierarchical menu, the user must either select a valid option
590 (by entering the corresponding letter), or else may request that they
591 be taken back up a level in the hierarchy, by entering "<ESC>".
592 Pressing "<ESC>" at the top level of a menu causes the call to prompt()
593 to immediately return with failure.
594 Simulating a command-line
596 "-argv"
598 "-a"
600 The prompt() subroutine can be used to request that the user provide
602 command-line arguments interactively. When requested, the input
603 operation is only carried out if @ARGV is empty.
604 Whatever the user enters is broken into a list and assigned to @ARGV.
606 The input is first "glob"bed for file expansions, and has any
608 environment variables (of the form $VARNAME interpolated). The
609 resulting string is then broken into individual words, except where
610 parts of it contain single or double quotes, the contents of which are
611 always treated as a single string.
612 This feature is most useful during development, to allow a program to
614 be run from within an editor, and yet pass it a variety of command-
615 lines. The typical usage is (at the start of a program):
616 use IO::Prompter;
618 BEGIN { prompt -argv }
619 However, because this pattern is so typical, there is a shortcut:
621 use IO::Prompter -argv;
623 You can also specify the name with which the program args, are to be
625 prompted, in the usual way (i.e. by providing a prompt):
626 use IO::Prompter -argv, 'demo.pl';
628 Note, however, the critical difference between that shortcut (which
630 calls "prompt -argv" when the module is loaded) and:
631 use IO::Prompter [-argv];
633 (which sets "-argv" as an automatic option for every subsequent call to
635 prompt() in the current lexical scope).
636 Note too that the "-argv" option also implies "-complete="'filenames'>.
638 Input autocompletion
640 "-comp[lete] => SPECIFICATION"
642 When this option is specified, the prompt() subroutine will complete
644 input using the specified collection of strings. By default, when
645 completion is active, word completion is requested using the "<TAB>"
646 key, but this can be changed by setting the $IO_PROMPTER_COMPLETE_KEY
647 environment variable. Once completion has been initiated, you can use
648 the completion key or else "<CTRL-N>" to advance to the next completion
649 candidate. You can also use "<CTRL-P>" to back up to the previous
650 candidate.
651 The specific completion mechanism can be defined either using a
653 subroutine, an array reference, a hash reference, or a special string:
654 Specification Possible completions supplied by...
656 sub {...} ...whatever non-subroutine specification
658 (as listed below) is returned when the
659 subroutine is called. The subroutine is passed
660 the words of the current input text, split on
661 whitespace, as its argument list.
662 [...] ...the elements of the array
664 {...} ...the keys of the hash
666 'filenames' ...the list of files supplied by globbing the
668 last whitespace-separated word of the input text
669 'dirnames' ...the list of directories supplied by globbing the
671 last whitespace-separated word of the input text
672 If an array or hash is used, only those elements or keys that begin
674 with the last whitespace-separated word of the current input are
675 offered as completions.
676 For example:
678 # Complete with the possible commands...
680 my $next_cmd
681 = prompt -complete => \%cmds;
682 # Complete with valid usernames...
684 my $user
685 = prompt -complete => \@usernames;
686 # Complete with valid directory names...
688 my $file
689 = prompt -complete => 'dirnames';
690 # Complete with cmds on the first word, and filenames on the rest...
692 my $cmdline
693 = prompt -complete => sub { @_ <= 1 ? \%cmds : 'filenames' };
694 Completing from your own input history
696 The prompt() subroutine also tracks previous input and allows you to
698 complete with that instead. No special option is required, as the
699 feature is enabled by default.
700 At the start of a prompted input, the user can cycle backwards through
702 previous inputs by pressing "<CTRL-R>" (this can be changed externally
703 by setting the $IO_PROMPTER_HISTORY_KEY environment variable, or
704 internally by assigning a new keyname to
705 $ENV{IO_PROMPTER_HISTORY_KEY}). After the first "<CTRL-R>", subsequent
706 "<CTRL-R>"'s will recall earlier inputs. You can also use "<CTRL-N>"
707 and "<CTRL-P>" (as in user-specified completions) to move back and
708 forth through your input history.
709 If the user has already typed some input, the completion mechanism will
711 only show previous inputs that begin with that partial input.
712 History sets
714 "-h[NAME]"
716 "-hist[ory] [=> NAME]"
717 By default, IO::Prompter tracks every call to prompt() within a
719 program, and accumulates a single set of history completions for all of
720 them. That means that, at any prompt, "<CTRL-R>" will take the user
721 back through every previous input, regardless of which call to prompt()
722 originally retrieved it.
723 Sometimes that's useful, but sometimes you might prefer that different
725 calls to prompt() retained distinct memories. For example, consider the
726 following input loop:
727 while (my $name = prompt 'Name:') {
729 my $grade = prompt 'Grade:', -integer;
730 my $comment = prompt 'Comment:';
731 ...
732 }
733 If you're entering a name, there's no point in prompt() offering to
735 complete it with previous grades or comments. In fact, that's just
736 annoying.
737 IO::Prompter allows you to specify that a particular call to prompt()
739 belongs to a particular "history set". Then it completes input history
740 using only the history of those calls belonging to the same history
741 set.
742 So the previous example could be improved like so:
744 while (my $name = prompt 'Name:', -hNAME) {
746 my $grade = prompt 'Grade:', -hGRADE, -integer;
747 my $comment = prompt 'Comment:', -hOTHER;
748 ...
749 }
750 Now, when prompting for a name, only those inputs in the 'NAME' history
752 set will be offered as history completions. Likewise only previous
753 grades will be recalled when prompting for grades and earlier only
754 comments when requesting comments.
755 If you specify the "-h" or "-history" option without providing the name
757 of the required history set, prompt() uses the prompt text itself as
758 the name of the call's history set. So the previous example would work
759 equally well if written:
760 while (my $name = prompt 'Name:', -h) {
762 my $grade = prompt 'Grade:', -h, -integer;
763 my $comment = prompt 'Comment:', -h;
764 ...
765 }
766 though now the names of the respective history sets would now be 'Name:
768 ', 'Grade: ', and 'Comment: '. This is by far the more common method of
769 specifying history sets, with explicitly named sets generally only
770 being used when two or more separate calls to prompt() have to share a
771 common history despite using distinct prompts. For example:
772 for my $n (1..3) {
774 $address .= prompt "Address (line $n):", -hADDR;
775 }
776 If you specify 'NONE' as the history set, the input is not recorded in
778 the history. This is useful when inputting passwords.
779 Configuring the autocompletion interaction
781 By default, when user-defined autocompletion is requested, the prompt()
783 subroutine determines the list of possible completions, displays it
784 above the prompt, and completes to the longest common prefix. If the
785 completion key is pressed again immediately, the subroutine then
786 proceeds to complete with each possible completion in a cyclic
787 sequence. This is known as "list+longest full" mode.
788 On the other hand, when historical completion is requested, prompt()
790 just immediately cycles through previous full inputs. This is known as
791 "full" mode.
792 You can change these behaviours by setting the
794 $IO_PROMPTER_COMPLETE_MODES and $IO_PROMPTER_HISTORY_MODES environment
795 variables before the module is loaded (either in your shell, or in a
796 "BEGIN" block before the module is imported).
797 Specifically, you can set the individual string values of either of
799 these variables to a whitespace-separated sequence containing any of
800 the following:
801 list List all options above the input line
803 longest Complete to the longest common prefix
805 full Complete with each full match in turn
807 For example:
809 # Just list options without actually completing...
811 BEGIN{ $ENV{IO_PROMPTER_COMPLETE_MODES} = 'list'; }
812 # Just cycle full alternatives on each <TAB>...
814 BEGIN{ $ENV{IO_PROMPTER_COMPLETE_MODES} = 'full'; }
815 # For history completion, always start with the
817 # longest common prefix on the first <CTRL-R>,
818 # then just list the alternatives on a subsequent press...
819 BEGIN{ $ENV{IO_PROMPTER_HISTORY_MODES} = 'longest list'; }
820 Specifying what to return by default
822 "-DEF[AULT] => STRING"
824 "-def[ault] => STRING"
826 "-dSTRING"
828 If a default value is specified, that value will be returned if the
830 user enters an empty string at the prompt (i.e. if they just hit
831 "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" immediately) or if the input operation times out
832 under the "timeout" option.
833 Note that the default value is not added to the prompt, unless you do
835 so yourself. A typical usage might therefore be:
836 my $frequency
838 = prompt "Enter polling frequency [default: $DEF_FREQ]",
839 -num, -def=>$DEF_FREQ;
840 You can determine if the default value was autoselected (as opposed to
842 the same value being typed in explicitly) by calling the defaulted()
843 method on the object returned by prompt(), like so:
844 if ($frequency->defaulted) {
846 say "Using default frequency";
847 }
848 If you use the "-must" option any default value must also satisfy all
850 the constraints you specify, unless you use the "-DEFAULT" form, which
851 skips constraint checking when the default value is selected.
852 If you use the "-menu" option, the specified default value will be
854 returned immediately "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" is pressed, regardless of the
855 depth you are within the menu. Note that the default value specifies
856 the value to be returned, not the selector key to be entered. The
857 default value does not even have to be one of the menu choices.
858 Specifying what to echo on input
860 "-echo => STR"
862 "-eSTR"
864 When this option is specified, the prompt() subroutine will echo the
866 specified string once for each character that is entered. Typically
867 this would be used to shroud a password entry, like so:
868 # Enter password silently:
870 my $passwd
871 = prompt 'Password:', -echo=>"";
872 # Echo password showing only asterisks:
874 my $passwd
875 = prompt 'Password:', -echo=>"*";
876 As a special case, if the "-echo" value contains a slash ("/") and the
878 any of the <-yesno> options is also specified, the substring before the
879 slash is taken as the string to echo for a 'yes' input, and the
880 substring after the slash is echoed for a 'no' input.
881 Note that this option is only available when the Term::ReadKey module
883 is installed. If it is used when that module is not available, a
884 warning will be issued.
885 Specifying how to echo on input
887 "-echostyle => SPECIFICATION"
889 The "-echostyle" option works for the text the user types in the same
891 way that the "-style" option works for the prompt. That is, you can
892 specify the style and colour in which the user's input will be rendered
893 like so:
894 # Echo password showing only black asterisks on a red background:
896 my $passwd
897 = prompt 'Password:', -echo=>"*", -echostyle=>'black on red';
898 Note that "-echostyle" is completely independent of "-echo":
900 # Echo user's name input in bold white:
902 my $passwd
903 = prompt 'Name:', -echostyle=>'bold white';
904 The "-echostyle" option requires "Term::ANSIColor", and will be
906 silently ignored if that module is not available.
907 Input editing
909 When the Term::ReadKey module is available, prompt() also honours a
911 subset of the usual input cursor motion commands:
912 "CTRL-B"
914 Move the cursor back one character
915 "CTRL-F"
917 Move the cursor forward one character
918 "CTRL-A"
920 Move the cursor to the start of the input
921 "CTRL-E"
923 Move the cursor to the end of the input
924 Specifying when input should fail
926 "-fail => VALUE"
928 "-fSTRING"
930 If this option is specified, the final input value is compared with the
932 associated string or value, by smartmatching just before the call to
933 prompt() returns. If the two match, prompt() returns a failure value.
934 This means that instead of writing:
935 while (my $cmd = prompt '>') {
937 last if $cmd eq 'quit';
938 ...
939 }
940 you can just write:
942 while (my $cmd = prompt '>', -fail=>'quit') {
944 ...
945 }
946 Specifying when input should fail immediately
948 "-cancel => VALUE"
950 "-fSTRING"
952 If this option is specified, then each individual input character is
954 compared with the associated string or value, by smartmatching during
955 the input process. If any individual input character matches the
956 string/value, prompt() immediately returns a failure value.
957 Note that this is not the same as the behaviour "-fail" option. A
959 "-fail" waits for the entire input to be completed (typically for a
960 RETURN to be entered) and then tests for failure. A "-cancel" tests
961 each input character as it is entered and fails immediately if any
962 input matches the cancellation condition.
963 Do, for example, to cancel a prompt whenever an ESCAPE character is
965 entered:
966 my $input = prompt '>', -cancel => "\e";
968 Note that (as long as Term::ReadKey is available) the cancellation test
970 is performed before any other internal processing, so you can set the
971 cancellation criterion to be any character, including characters like
972 CNTL-A or TAB, which otherwise have special meanings to prompt().
973 Note too that the cancellation criterion is tested against each
975 individual character as it is entered, not against the cumulative input
976 so far. If you need to cancel a call to prompt() based on accumulated
977 input, you need to track that yourself. For example, if your
978 cancellation test is the presence of three consecutive exclamation
979 marks:
980 my $input = prompt '>', -cancel => sub ($nextchar) {
982 state $input;
983 $input .= $nextchar;
984 return $input =~ /!!!/;
985 };
986 Constraining what can be typed
988 "-guar[antee] => SPEC"
990 This option allows you to control what input users can provide. The
992 specification can be a regex or a reference to an array or a hash.
993 If the specification is a regex, that regex is matched against the
995 input so far, every time an extra character is input. If the regex ever
996 fails to match, the guarantee fails.
997 If the specification is an array, the input so far is matched against
999 the same number of characters from the start of each of the (string)
1000 elements of the array. If none of these substrings match the input, the
1001 guarantee fails.
1002 If the specification is a hash, the input so far is matched against the
1004 same number of characters from the start of each key of the hash. If
1005 none of these substrings match the input, the guarantee fails.
1006 If the guarantee fails, the input is rejected (just as the "-must"
1008 option does). However, unlike "-must", "-guarantee" rejects the input
1009 character-by-character as it typed, and before it is even echoed. For
1010 example, if your call to prompt() is:
1011 my $animal = prompt -guarantee=>['cat','dog','cow'];
1013 then at the prompt:
1015 > _
1017 you will only be able to type in 'c' or 'd'. If you typed 'c', then you
1019 would only be able to type 'a' or 'o'. If you then typed 'o', you would
1020 only be able to type 'w'.
1021 In other words, "-guarantee" ensures that you can only type in a valid
1023 input, and simply ignores any typing that would not lead to such an
1024 input.
1025 To help users get the input right, specifying "-guarantee" as an array
1027 or hash reference also automatically specifies a "-complete" option
1028 with the array or hash as its completion list as well. So, whenever a
1029 "-guarantee" is in effect, the user can usually autocomplete the
1030 acceptable inputs.
1031 Note, however, that "-guarantee" can only reject (or autocomplete)
1033 input as it is typed if the Term::ReadKey module is available. If that
1034 module cannot be loaded, "-guarantee" only applies its test after the
1035 "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" key is pressed, and there will be no autocompletion
1036 available.
1037 Constraining input to numbers
1039 "-i"
1041 "-integer [=> SPEC]"
1042 "-n"
1043 "-num[ber] [=> SPEC]"
1044 If any of these options are specified, prompt() will only accept a
1046 valid integer or number as input, and will reprompt until one is
1047 entered.
1048 If you need to restrict the kind of number further (say, to positive
1050 integers), you can supply an extra constraint as an argument to the
1051 long-form option. Any number entered must satisfy this constraint by
1052 successfully smart-matching it. For example:
1053 $rep_count = prompt 'How many reps?', -integer => sub{ $_ > 0 };
1055 $die_roll = prompt 'What did you roll?', -integer => [1..6];
1057 $factor = prompt 'Prime factor:', -integer => \&is_prime;
1059 $score = prompt 'Enter score:', -number => sub{ 0 <= $_ && $_ <= 100 };
1061 If the constraint is specified as a subroutine, the entered number will
1063 be passed to it both as its single argument and in $_.
1064 You cannot pass a scalar value directly as a constraint, except those
1066 strings listed below. If you want a scalar value as a constraint, use a
1067 regex or array reference instead:
1068 # Wrong...
1070 $answer = prompt "What's the ultimate answer?",
1071 -integer => 42;
1072 # Use this instead...
1074 $answer = prompt "What's the ultimate answer?",
1075 -integer => qr/^42$/;
1076 # Or this...
1078 $answer = prompt "What's the ultimate answer?",
1079 -integer => [42];
1080 Only the following strings may be passed directly as scalar value
1082 constraints. They do mot match exactly, but instead act as specifiers
1083 for one or more built-in constraints. You can also pass a string that
1084 contains two or more of them, separated by whitespace, in which case
1085 they must all be satisfied. The specifiers are:
1086 'pos' or 'positive'
1088 The number must be greater than zero
1089 'neg' or 'negative'
1091 The number must be less than zero
1092 'zero'
1094 The number must be equal to zero
1095 'even' or 'odd'
1097 The number must have the correct parity
1098 You can also prepend "non" to any of the above to reverse their
1100 meaning.
1101 For example:
1103 $rep_count = prompt 'How much do you bid?', -number => 'positive';
1105 $step_value = prompt 'Next step:', -integer => 'even nonzero';
1107 Constraining input to filenames
1109 "-f"
1111 "-filenames"
1112 You can tell prompt() to accept only valid filenames, using the
1114 "-filenames" option (or its shortcut: "-f").
1115 This option is equivalent to the options:
1117 -must => {
1119 'File must exist' => sub { -e },
1120 'File must be readable' => sub { -r },
1121 },
1122 -complete => 'filenames',
1123 In other words "-filenames" requires prompt() to accept only the name
1125 of an existing, readable file, and it also activates filename
1126 completion.
1127 Constraining input to "keyletters"
1129 "-k"
1131 "-key[let[ter]][s]"
1132 A common interaction is to offer the user a range of actions, each of
1134 which is specified by keying a unique letter, like so:
1135 INPUT:
1137 given (prompt '[S]ave, (R)evert, or (D)iscard:', -default=>'S') {
1138 when (/R/i) { revert_file() }
1139 when (/D/i) { discard_file() }
1140 when (/S/i) { save_file() }
1141 default { goto INPUT; }
1142 }
1143 This can be cleaned up (very slightly) by using a guarantee:
1145 given (prompt '[S]ave, (R)evert, or (D)iscard:', -default=>'S',
1147 -guarantee=>qr/[SRD]/i
1148 ) {
1149 when (/R/i) { revert_file() }
1150 when (/D/i) { discard_file() }
1151 default { save_file() }
1152 }
1153 However, it's still annoying to have to specify the three key letters
1155 twice (and the default choice three times) within the call to prompt().
1156 So IO::Prompter provides an option that extracts this information
1157 directly from the prompt itself:
1158 given (prompt '[S]ave, (R)evert, or (D)iscard:', -keyletters) {
1160 when (/R/i) { revert_file() }
1161 when (/D/i) { discard_file() }
1162 default { save_file() }
1163 }
1164 This option scans the prompt string and extracts any purely
1166 alphanumeric character sequences that are enclosed in balanced brackets
1167 of any kind (square, angle, round, or curly). It then makes each of
1168 these character sequences a valid input (by implicitly setting the
1169 "-guarantee" option), and adds the first option in square brackets (if
1170 any) as the "-default" value of the prompt.
1171 Note that the key letters don't have to be at the start of a word,
1173 don't have to be a single character, and can be either upper or lower
1174 case. For example:
1175 my $action = prompt -k, '(S)ave, Save(a)ll, (Ex)it without saving';
1177 Multi-character key letters are often a good choice for options with
1179 serious or irreversible consequences.
1180 A common idiom with key letters is to use the "-single" option as well,
1182 so that pressing any key letter immediately completes the input,
1183 without the user having to also press "<ENTER>/<RETURN>":
1184 given (prompt -k1, '[S]ave, (R)evert, or (D)iscard:') {
1186 when (/R/i) { revert_file() }
1187 when (/D/i) { discard_file() }
1188 default { save_file() }
1189 }
1190 Monitoring input
1192 "-monitor => SUBREF"
1194 This option allows you to specify a subroutine that will be called
1196 after each character is input. This subroutine will be passed two
1197 arguments: a string containing the input so far, and a hash reference
1198 containing various options passed into the call to prompt()
1199 (specifically: "-prompt", "-style", and "-echostyle").
1200 The hashref contains an extra key ("-cursor_pos") whose value is the
1202 current location of the input cursor within the string. This is
1203 typically one character past the end of the string, but see "Input
1204 editing".
1205 The subroutine can perform any actions you choose: set variables,
1207 validate input, print out a response to each input character.
1208 If the subroutine prints anything out that will, of course, mess up the
1210 prompt and input echoing, so in that case the prompt will automatically
1211 be redrawn. The prompt is also redrawn if the monitor subroutine
1212 throws an exception.
1213 Monitor subroutines are useful for prvoding extra information during an
1215 input process. For example, when prompting for a filepath, as the path
1216 is being typed in you could echo all (partially) matching files with
1217 something like:
1218 my $path = prompt 'File path:',
1220 -monitor => sub ($path, $opts) {
1221 clear_screen();
1222 say for glob("$path*");
1223 };
1224 Preserving terminal newlines
1226 "-l"
1228 "-line"
1229 The (encapsulated) string returned by prompt() is automatically chomped
1231 by default. To prevent that chomping, specify this option.
1232 Constraining what can be returned
1234 "-must => HASHREF"
1236 This option allows you to specify requirements and constraints on the
1238 input string that is returned by prompt(). These limitations are
1239 specified as the values of a hash.
1240 If the "-must" option is specified, once input is complete every value
1242 in the specified hash is smartmatched against the input text. If any of
1243 them fail to match, the input is discarded, the corresponding hash key
1244 is printed as an error message, and the prompt is repeated.
1245 Note that the values of the constraint hash cannot be single strings or
1247 numbers, except for certain strings (such as 'pos', 'nonzero', or
1248 'even', as described in "Constraining input to numbers").
1249 If you want to constrain the input to a single string or number (a very
1251 unusual requirement), just place the value in an array, or match it
1252 with a regex:
1253 # This doesn't work...
1255 my $magic_word = prompt "What's the magic word?",
1256 -must => { 'be polite' => 'please' };
1257 # Use this instead...
1259 my $magic_word = prompt "What's the magic word?",
1260 -must => { 'be polite' => ['please'] };
1261 # Or, better still...
1263 my $magic_word = prompt "What's the magic word?",
1264 -must => { 'be polite' => qr/please/i };
1265 The "-must" option allows you to test inputs against multiple
1267 conditions and have the appropriate error messages for each displayed.
1268 It also ensures that, when prompt() eventually returns, you are
1269 guaranteed that the input meets all the specified conditions.
1270 For example, suppose the user is required to enter a positive odd prime
1272 number less than 100. You could enforce that with:
1273 my $opnlt100 = prompt 'Enter your guess:',
1275 -integer,
1276 -must => { 'be odd' => 'odd',
1277 'be in range' => [1..100],
1278 'It must also be prime:' => \&isprime,
1279 };
1280 Note that, if the error message begins with anything except an
1282 uppercase character, the prompt is reissued followed by the error
1283 message in parentheses with the word "must" prepended (where
1284 appropriate). Otherwise, if the error message does start with an
1285 uppercase character, the prompt is not reissued and the error message
1286 is printed verbatim. So a typical input sequence for the previous
1287 example might look like:
1288 Enter your guess: 101
1290 Enter your guess: (must be in range) 42
1291 It must also be prime: 2
1292 Enter your guess: (must be odd) 7
1293 at which point, the call to prompt() would accept the input and return.
1295 See also the "-guarantee" option, which allows you to constrain inputs
1297 as they are typed, rather than after they are entered.
1298 Changing how returns are echoed
1300 "-r[STR]"
1302 "-ret[urn] [=> STR]"
1303 When "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" is pressed, prompt() usually echoes a carriage
1305 return. However, if this option is given, prompt() echoes the
1306 specified string instead. If the string is omitted, it defaults to
1307 "\n".
1308 For example:
1310 while (1) {
1312 my $expr = prompt 'Calculate:', -ret=>' = ';
1313 say evaluate($expr);
1314 }
1315 would prompt for something like this:
1317 Calculate: 2*3+4^5_
1319 and when the "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" key is pressed, respond with:
1321 Calculate: 2*3+4^5 = 1030
1323 Calculate: _
1324 The string specified with "-return" is also automatically echoed if the
1326 "-single" option is used, or if an input is cancelled via the "-cancel"
1327 option. So if you don't want the automatic carriage return that
1328 "-single" mode or "-cancel" supplies, specify "-return=>""".
1329 Single-character input
1331 "-s"
1333 -1
1334 "-sing[le]"
1335 This option causes prompt() to return immediately once any single
1337 character is input. The user does not have to push the
1338 "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" key to complete the input operation. "-single" mode
1339 input is only available if the Term::ReadKey module can be loaded.
1340 By default, prompt() echoes the single character that is entered. Use
1342 the "-echo" option to change or prevent that.
1343 # Let user navigate through maze by single, silent keypresses...
1345 while ($nextdir = prompt "\n", -single, -echo, -guarantee=>qr/[nsew]/) {
1346 move_player($nextdir);
1347 }
1348 Unless echoing has been disabled, by default prompt() also supplies a
1350 carriage return after the input character. Use the "-return" option to
1351 change that behaviour. For example, this:
1352 my $question = <<END_QUESTION;
1354 Bast is the goddess of: (a) dogs (b) cats (c) cooking (d) war?
1355 Your answer:
1356 END_QUESTION
1357 my $response = prompt $question, -1, -return=>' is ', -g=>['a'..'d'];
1359 say $response eq $answer ? 'CORRECT' : 'incorrect';
1360 prompts like this:
1362 Bast is the goddess of: (a) dogs (b) cats (c) cooking (d) war?
1364 Your answer: _
1365 accepts a single character, like so:
1367 Bast is the goddess of: (a) dogs (b) cats (c) cooking (d) war?
1369 Your answer: b_
1370 and completes the line thus:
1372 Bast is the goddess of: (a) dogs (b) cats (c) cooking (d) war?
1374 Your answer: b is CORRECT
1375 _
1376 Returning raw data
1378 "-v"
1380 "-verb[atim]"
1381 Normally, prompt() returns a special object that contains the text
1383 input, the success value, and other information such as whether the
1384 default was selected and whether the input operation timed out.
1385 However, if you prefer to have prompt() just return the input text
1387 string directly, you can specify this option.
1388 Note however that, under "-verbatim", the input is still autochomped
1390 (unless you also specify the "-line" option.
1391 Prompting on a clear screen
1393 "-w"
1395 "-wipe[first]"
1396 If this option is present, prompt() prints 1000 newlines before
1398 printing its prompt, effectively wiping the screen clear of other text.
1399 If the "-wipefirst" variant is used, the wipe will only occur if the
1401 particular call to prompt() is the first such call anywhere in your
1402 program. This is useful if you'd like the screen cleared at the start
1403 of input only, but you're not sure which call to prompt() will happen
1404 first: just use "-wipefirst" on all possible initial calls and only the
1405 actual first call will wipe the screen.
1406 Requesting confirmations
1408 "-y[n]" or "-Y[N]"
1410 "-yes[no]" or "-Yes[No]"
1411 "-yes[no] => COUNT" or "-Yes[No] => COUNT"
1412 This option invokes a special mode that can be used to confirm (or
1414 deny) something. If one of these options is specified, "prompt" still
1415 returns the user's input, but the success or failure of the object
1416 returned now depends on what the user types in.
1417 A true result is returned if 'y' is the first character entered. If the
1419 flag includes an "n" or "N", a false result is returned if 'n' is the
1420 first character entered (and any other input causes the prompt to be
1421 reissued). If the option doesn't contain an "n" or "N", any input
1422 except 'y' is treated as a "no" and a false value is returned.
1423 If the option is capitalized ("-Y" or "-YN"), the first letter of the
1425 input must be likewise a capital (this is a handy means of slowing down
1426 automatic unthinking "y"..."Oh no!" responses to potentially serious
1427 decisions).
1428 This option is most often used in conjunction with the "-single"
1430 option, like so:
1431 $continue = prompt("Continue? ", -yn1);
1433 so that the user can just hit "y" or "n" to continue, without having to
1435 hit "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" as well.
1436 If the optional COUNT argument is supplied, the prompting is repeated
1438 that many times, with increasingly insistent requests for confirmation.
1439 The answer must be "yes" in each case for the final result to be true.
1440 For example:
1441 $rm_star = prompt("Do you want to delete all files? ", -Yes=>3 );
1443 might prompt:
1445 Do you want to delete all files? Y
1447 Really? Y
1448 Are you sure? Y
1449 Bundling short-form options
1451 You can bundle together any number of short-form options, including
1453 those that take string arguments. For example, instead of writing:
1454 if (prompt "Continue? ", -yes, -1, -t10, -dn) {
1456 you could just write:
1458 if (prompt "Continue? ", -y1t10dn) {...}
1460 This often does not improve readability (as the preceding example
1462 demonstrates), but is handy for common usages such as "-y1" ("ask for
1463 confirmation, don't require an "<ENTER>/<RETURN>") or "-vl" ("Return a
1464 verbatim and unchomped string").
1465 Escaping otherwise-magic options
1467 "-_"
1469 The "-_" option exists only to be an explicit no-op. It allows you to
1471 specify short-form options that would otherwise be interpreted as Perl
1472 file operators or other special constructs, simply by prepending or
1473 appending a "_" to them. For example:
1474 my $input
1476 = prompt -l_; # option -l, not the -l file operator.
1477 The following single-letter options require an underscore to chaperone
1479 them when they're on their own: "-e", "-l", "-r", "-s", "-w", and "-y".
1480 However, an underscore is not required if two or more are bundled
1481 together.
1482 Useful useless uses of prompt()
1484 Normally, in a void context, a call to prompt() issues a warning that
1485 you are doing an input operation whose input is immediately thrown
1486 away.
1487 There is, however, one situation where this useless use of prompt() in
1489 a void context is actually useful:
1490 say $data;
1492 prompt('END OF DATA. Press any key to exit', -echo, -single);
1493 exit;
1494 Here, we're using prompt simply to pause the application after the data
1496 is printed. It doesn't matter what the user types in; the typing itself
1497 is the message (and the message is "move along").
1498 In such cases, the "useless use..." warning can be suppressed using the
1500 "-void" option:
1501 say $data;
1503 prompt('END OF DATA. Press any key to exit', -echo, -single, -void);
1504 exit;
1505 Simulating input
1507 IO::Prompter provides a mechanism with which you can "script" a
1508 sequence of inputs to an application. This is particularly useful when
1509 demonstrating software during a presentation, as you do not have to
1510 remember what to type, or concentrate on typing at all.
1511 If you pass a string as an argument to "use IO::Prompter", the
1513 individual lines of that string are used as successive input lines to
1514 any call to prompt(). So for example, you could specify several sets of
1515 input data, like so:
1516 use IO::Prompter <<END_DATA
1518 Leslie
1519 45
1520 165
1521 Jessie
1522 28
1523 178
1524 Dana
1525 12
1526 120
1527 END_DATA
1528 and then read this data in an input loop:
1530 while (my $name = prompt 'Name:') {
1532 my $age = prompt 'Age:';
1533 my $height = prompt 'Height:';
1534 process($name, $age, $height);
1536 }
1537 Because the "use IO::Prompter" supplies input data, the three calls to
1539 prompt() will no longer read data from *ARGV. Instead they will read it
1540 from the supplied input data.
1541 Moreover, each call to prompt() will simulate the typing-in process
1543 automatically. That is, prompt() uses a special input mode where, each
1544 time you press a keyboard letter, it echoes not that character, but
1545 rather the next character from the specified input. The effect is that
1546 you can just type on the keyboard at random, but have the correct input
1547 appear. This greatly increases the convincingness of the simulation.
1548 If at any point, you hit "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" on the keyboard, prompt()
1550 finishes typing in the input for you (using a realistic typing speed),
1551 and returns the input string. So you can also just hit
1552 "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" when the prompt first appears, to have the entire
1553 line of input typed for you.
1554 Alternatively, if you hit "<ESC>" at any point, prompt() escapes from
1556 the simulated input mode for that particular call to prompt(), and
1557 allows you to (temporarily) type text in directly. If you enter only a
1558 single "<ESC>", then prompt() throws away the current line of simulated
1559 input; if you enter two "<ESC>"'s, the simulated input is merely
1560 deferred to the next call to prompt().
1561 All these keyboard behaviours require the Term::ReadKey module to be
1563 available. If it isn't, prompt() falls back on a simpler simulation,
1564 where it just autotypes each entire line for you and pauses at the end
1565 of the line, waiting for you to hit "<ENTER>/<RETURN>" manually.
1566 Note that any line of the simulated input that begins with a <CTRL-D>
1568 or <CTRL-Z> is treated as an input failure (just as if you'd typed that
1569 character as input).
1570
1572 All non-fatal diagnostics can be disabled using a "no warnings" with
1573 the appropriate category.
1574 "prompt(): Can't open *ARGV: %s"
1576 (F) By default, prompt() attempts to read input from
1577 the *ARGV filehandle. However, it failed to open
1578 that filehandle. The reason is specified at the end of
1579 the message.
1580 "prompt(): Missing value for %s (expected %s)"
1582 (F) A named option that requires an argument was specified,
1583 but no argument was provided after the option. See
1584 "Summary of options".
1585 "prompt(): Invalid value for %s (expected %s)"
1587 (F) The named option specified expects an particular type
1588 of argument, but found one of an incompatible type
1589 instead. See "Summary of options".
1590 "prompt(): Unknown option %s ignored"
1592 (W misc) prompt() was passed a string starting with
1593 a hyphen, but could not parse that string as a
1594 valid option. The option may have been misspelt.
1595 Alternatively, if the string was supposed to be
1596 (part of) the prompt, it will be necessary to use
1597 the "-prompt" option to specify it.
1598 "prompt(): Unexpected argument (% ref) ignored"
1600 (W reserved) prompt() was passed a reference to
1601 an array or hash or subroutine in a position
1602 where an option flag or a prompt string was
1603 expected. This may indicate that a string
1604 variable in the argument list didn't contain
1605 what was expected, or a reference variable was
1606 not properly dereferenced. Alternatively, the
1607 argument may have been intended as the
1608 argument to an option, but has become
1609 separated from it somehow, or perhaps the
1610 option was deleted without removing the
1611 argument as well.
1612 "Useless use of prompt() in void context"
1614 (W void) prompt() was called but its return value was
1615 not stored or used in any way. Since the
1616 subroutine has no side effects in void context,
1617 calling it this way achieves nothing. Either make
1618 use of the return value directly or, if the usage
1619 is deliberate, put a "scalar" in front of the
1620 call to remove the void context.
1621 "prompt(): -default value does not satisfy -must constraints"
1623 (W misc) The "-must" flag was used to specify one or more
1624 input constraints. The "-default" flag was also
1625 specified. Unfortunately, the default value
1626 provided did not satisfy the requirements
1627 specified by the "-must" flag. The call to
1628 prompt() will still go ahead (after issuing the
1629 warning), but the default value will never be
1630 returned, since the constraint check will reject
1631 it. It is probably better simply to include the
1632 default value in the list of constraints.
1633 "prompt(): -keyletters found too many defaults"
1635 (W ambiguous) The "-keyletters" option was specified,
1636 but analysis of the prompt revealed two or
1637 more character sequences enclosed in square
1638 brackets. Since such sequences are taken to
1639 indicate a default value, having two or more
1640 makes the default ambiguous. The prompt
1641 should be rewritten with no more than one set
1642 of square brackets.
1643 "Warning: next input will be in plaintext"
1645 (W bareword) The prompt() subroutine was called with
1646 the "-echo" flag, but the Term::ReadKey
1647 module was not available to implement this
1648 feature. The input will proceed as normal, but
1649 this warning is issued to ensure that the user
1650 doesn't type in something secret, expecting it
1651 to remain hidden, which it won't.
1652 "prompt(): Too many menu items. Ignoring the final %d"
1654 (W misc) A "-menu" was specified with more than 52 choices.
1655 Because, by default, menus use upper and lower-
1656 case alphabetic characters as their selectors,
1657 there were no available selectors for the extra
1658 items after the first 52. Either reduce the number
1659 of choices to 52 or less, or else add the
1660 "-number" option to use numeric selectors instead.
1661
1663 IO::Prompter can be configured by setting any of the following
1664 environment variables:
1665 $IO_PROMPTER_COMPLETE_KEY
1667 Specifies the key used to initiate user-specified completions.
1668 Defaults to <TAB>
1669 $IO_PROMPTER_HISTORY_KEY
1671 Specifies the key used to initiate history completions. Defaults
1672 to <CTRL-R>
1673 $IO_PROMPTER_COMPLETE_MODES
1675 Specifies the response sequence for user-defined completions.
1676 Defaults to 'list+longest full'
1677 $IO_PROMPTER_HISTORY_MODES
1679 Specifies the response sequence for history completions. Defaults
1680 to 'full'.
1681
1683 Requires the Contextual::Return module.
1684 The module also works much better if Term::ReadKey is available (though
1686 this is not essential).
1687
1689 This module does not play well with Moose (or more specifically, with
1690 Moose::Exporter) because both of them try to play sneaky games with
1691 Scalar::Util::blessed.
1692 The current solution is to make sure that you load Moose before loading
1694 IO::Prompter. Even just doing this:
1695 use Moose ();
1697 use IO::Prompter;
1698 is sufficient.
1700
1702 No unresolved bugs have been reported.
1703 Please report any bugs or feature requests to
1705 "bug-io-prompter@rt.cpan.org", or through the web interface at
1706 <http://rt.cpan.org>.
1707
1709 Damian Conway "<DCONWAY@CPAN.org>"
1710
1712 Copyright (c) 2009, Damian Conway "<DCONWAY@CPAN.org>". All rights
1713 reserved.
1714 This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
1716 under the same terms as Perl itself. See perlartistic.
1717
1719 BECAUSE THIS SOFTWARE IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY
1720 FOR THE SOFTWARE, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT
1721 WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER
1722 PARTIES PROVIDE THE SOFTWARE "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
1723 EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
1724 WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE
1725 ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS WITH
1726 YOU. SHOULD THE SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL
1727 NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION.
1728 IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING
1730 WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR
1731 REDISTRIBUTE THE SOFTWARE AS PERMITTED BY THE ABOVE LICENCE, BE LIABLE
1732 TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR
1733 CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
1734 SOFTWARE (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING
1735 RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A
1736 FAILURE OF THE SOFTWARE TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE), EVEN IF
1737 SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
1738 DAMAGES.
1739perl v5.38.0 2023-07-22 IO::Prompter(3)