Introduction to Inquire
Inquire is a versatile library that enables developers to create interactive prompts within terminal-based applications. This library is designed to make CLI tools more user-friendly by providing various ways to gather input from users interactively. Let's delve into what makes Inquire a valuable tool for developers.
Features of Inquire
Inquire stands out due to its support for multiple types of prompts, each designed to cater to specific types of input from users. Here is a quick run-through:
- Text Input: With autocompletion to facilitate quicker typing for users.
- Editor Access: For longer text inputs, opening a text editor directly from the terminal.
- Date Selection: Through an interactive calendar for choosing dates.
- Single and Multiple Option Selection: Letting users pick one or multiple options from a list.
- Confirmation Prompts: Simple yes/no dialogs.
- Custom Type Parsing: Supporting inputs that require conversion to specific types, like numbers or UUIDs.
- Password Input: Collecting sensitive information securely.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
Inquire is designed to be cross-platform, working seamlessly across different UNIX systems and Windows. This flexibility is achieved through the use of terminal manipulation libraries such as crossterm, ensuring optimal functionality no matter the operating system.
Extensive Customization
One of the key strengths of Inquire is its customization capability. Developers have the freedom to tailor prompts extensively to match the application's aesthetic and functional requirements:
- Visual Configuration: Change the look and feel of prompts with custom color themes and attributes.
- Input Management: Set default values, placeholders, validators, and even custom formatting.
- Help and Guidance: Add help messages and configure how completion or confirmation messages should appear.
- Filtering and Parsers: Customize filters for list options and define parsers for user inputs for better control over data handling.
Error Handling and Validation
Inquire simplifies error handling by standardizing validation processes across different prompt types. Validators ensure the input meets specified criteria before acceptance, enhancing data integrity and providing immediate feedback to users when inputs are invalid.
Developers can handle errors such as I/O issues, configuration problems, or user-canceled operations gracefully, using the provided error types such as InquireError.
Versatility and Back-End Options
The library supports selecting different terminal back-ends (like crossterm, console, and termion) according to existing project requirements, avoiding unnecessary dependencies and ensuring compatibility with existing codebases.
Practical Usage
To integrate Inquire into a project, developers can add it as a dependency in their Rust projects. The library can be customized with feature flags to include different functionalities such as date selection.
Conclusion
Inquire stands out as a robust tool for creating interactive terminal applications, offering a wide range of configurable prompts while ensuring cross-platform compatibility and ease of use. It's an excellent choice for developers seeking to enhance their CLI tools with rich, interactive user interfaces.