tessl/pypi-inquirer
Collection of common interactive command line user interfaces, based on Inquirer.js
—
Pending
question-types.mddocs/
Question Types
Core question classes for different input scenarios. Each question type provides specific validation and interaction patterns optimized for its use case, supporting features like autocompletion, validation, default values, and conditional display.
Capabilities
Text Input
Text question for single-line string input with optional autocompletion and validation. Supports dynamic defaults, message formatting, and input validation functions.
class Text:
"""Text input question with optional autocompletion."""
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
message: str = "",
default: str | callable | None = None,
autocomplete: list | None = None,
validate: callable | bool = True,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
show_default: bool = False,
hints: str | None = None,
other: bool = False
):
"""
Create a text input question.
Args:
name: Question identifier for answers dict
message: Prompt message to display (can include format strings)
default: Default value (string, callable function, or None)
autocomplete: List of completion options for tab completion
validate: Validation function or boolean (True means always valid)
ignore: Skip question if True or callable returns True
show_default: Display default value in prompt
hints: Help text to display
other: Allow "Other" option for custom input
"""
kind = "text"Usage Example:
import inquirer
question = inquirer.Text(
'username',
message="Enter your username",
default="admin",
validate=lambda answers, current: len(current) >= 3
)Password Input
Password question with masked input display. Inherits from Text but hides user input with customizable echo character.
class Password(Text):
"""Password input with masked display."""
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
echo: str = "*",
message: str = "",
default: str | callable | None = None,
validate: callable | bool = True,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
show_default: bool = False,
hints: str | None = None,
other: bool = False
):
"""
Create a password input question.
Args:
name: Question identifier
echo: Character to display instead of actual input
message: Prompt message to display
default: Default value (string, callable function, or None)
validate: Validation function or boolean
ignore: Skip question if True or callable returns True
show_default: Display default value in prompt
hints: Help text to display
other: Allow "Other" option for custom input
"""
kind = "password"Usage Example:
password_q = inquirer.Password(
'password',
message="Enter your password",
echo="•" # Custom echo character
)List Selection
Single-choice selection from a list of options with keyboard navigation, optional carousel mode, and support for tagged values.
class List:
"""Single-choice selection from list of options."""
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
message: str = "",
choices: list | callable | None = None,
hints: str | None = None,
default: any = None,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
validate: callable | bool = True,
show_default: bool = False,
carousel: bool = False,
other: bool = False,
autocomplete: list | None = None
):
"""
Create a list selection question.
Args:
name: Question identifier
message: Prompt message (can include format strings)
choices: List of options (strings, (tag, value) tuples, or callable)
hints: Help text to display
default: Default selection (can be callable)
ignore: Skip question if True or callable returns True
validate: Validation function or boolean
show_default: Display default value in prompt
carousel: Enable wraparound navigation at list ends
other: Allow "Other" option for custom input
autocomplete: Autocompletion options for filtering
"""
kind = "list"Usage Example:
list_q = inquirer.List(
'size',
message="Select size",
choices=[
('Small (S)', 'small'),
('Medium (M)', 'medium'),
('Large (L)', 'large')
],
carousel=True,
default='medium'
)Multiple Choice Selection
Multiple-choice selection with checkboxes, supporting locked options, carousel navigation, and tagged values.
class Checkbox:
"""Multiple-choice selection with checkboxes."""
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
message: str = "",
choices: list | callable | None = None,
hints: str | None = None,
locked: list | None = None,
default: list | callable | None = None,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
validate: callable | bool = True,
show_default: bool = False,
carousel: bool = False,
other: bool = False,
autocomplete: list | None = None
):
"""
Create a checkbox question.
Args:
name: Question identifier
message: Prompt message (can include format strings)
choices: List of options (strings, (tag, value) tuples, or callable)
hints: Help text to display
locked: Choices that cannot be deselected (always checked)
default: Initially selected choices (list or callable)
ignore: Skip question if True or callable returns True
validate: Validation function or boolean
show_default: Display default value in prompt
carousel: Enable wraparound navigation at list ends
other: Allow "Other" option for custom input
autocomplete: Autocompletion options for filtering
"""
kind = "checkbox"Usage Example:
checkbox_q = inquirer.Checkbox(
'features',
message="Select features",
choices=['Feature A', 'Feature B', 'Feature C', 'Feature D'],
locked=['Feature A'], # Cannot be deselected
default=['Feature A', 'Feature B']
)Yes/No Confirmation
Boolean confirmation question with customizable default value and yes/no response handling.
class Confirm:
"""Yes/no confirmation question."""
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
message: str = "",
default: bool | callable = False,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
validate: callable | bool = True,
show_default: bool = False,
hints: str | None = None,
other: bool = False
):
"""
Create a confirmation question.
Args:
name: Question identifier
message: Prompt message (can include format strings)
default: Default boolean value (bool or callable)
ignore: Skip question if True or callable returns True
validate: Validation function or boolean
show_default: Display default value in prompt
hints: Help text to display
other: Allow "Other" option for custom input
"""
kind = "confirm"Usage Example:
confirm_q = inquirer.Confirm(
'proceed',
message="Do you want to continue?",
default=True
)External Editor Input
Multi-line text input using external editor (vim, emacs, nano, or $EDITOR/$VISUAL). Inherits from Text with editor-specific behavior.
class Editor(Text):
"""Multi-line text input using external editor."""
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
message: str = "",
default: str | callable | None = None,
validate: callable | bool = True,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
show_default: bool = False,
hints: str | None = None,
other: bool = False
):
"""
Create an editor input question.
Args:
name: Question identifier
message: Prompt message (can include format strings)
default: Default text content (string, callable, or None)
validate: Validation function or boolean
ignore: Skip question if True or callable returns True
show_default: Display default value in prompt
hints: Help text to display
other: Allow "Other" option for custom input
"""
kind = "editor"Usage Example:
editor_q = inquirer.Editor(
'description',
message="Enter detailed description"
)File System Path Input
File or directory path input with validation for path type, existence, and format. Includes built-in path validation and cross-platform support.
class Path(Text):
"""File/directory path input with validation."""
# Path type constants
ANY = "any"
FILE = "file"
DIRECTORY = "directory"
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
message: str = "",
default: str | callable | None = None,
path_type: str = "any",
exists: bool | None = None,
validate: callable | bool = True,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
show_default: bool = False,
hints: str | None = None,
other: bool = False
):
"""
Create a path input question.
Args:
name: Question identifier
message: Prompt message (can include format strings)
default: Default path value (string, callable, or None)
path_type: Path type ("any", "file", "directory")
exists: Require path to exist (True), not exist (False), or ignore (None)
validate: Additional validation function or boolean
ignore: Skip question if True or callable returns True
show_default: Display default value in prompt
hints: Help text to display
other: Allow "Other" option for custom input
"""
def validate(self, current: str):
"""
Validate path according to type and existence requirements.
Args:
current: Current path input value
Raises:
ValidationError: If path fails validation criteria
"""
kind = "path"Usage Example:
path_q = inquirer.Path(
'log_directory',
message="Select log directory",
path_type=inquirer.Path.DIRECTORY,
exists=True
)Base Question Class
All question types inherit from the base Question class, which provides common functionality for validation, choice management, and dynamic property resolution.
class Question:
"""Base class for all question types."""
def __init__(
self,
name: str,
message: str = "",
choices: list | None = None,
default: any = None,
ignore: bool | callable = False,
validate: callable | bool = True,
show_default: bool = False,
hints: str | None = None,
other: bool = False
):
"""Base question initialization."""
def add_choice(self, choice):
"""Add a choice to the question's choice list."""
def validate(self, current):
"""Validate the current answer."""
@property
def ignore(self) -> bool:
"""Whether this question should be skipped."""
@property
def message(self) -> str:
"""Resolved message string."""
@property
def default(self):
"""Resolved default value."""
@property
def choices(self) -> list:
"""List of resolved choices."""
kind = "base question"Question Factory
def question_factory(kind: str, *args, **kwargs):
"""
Create a question instance by type name.
Args:
kind: Question type ("text", "list", "checkbox", etc.)
*args, **kwargs: Question constructor arguments
Returns:
Question instance
Raises:
UnknownQuestionTypeError: If kind is not recognized
"""Tagged Values for Complex Choices
class TaggedValue:
"""Tagged value for complex choice handling with display/value separation."""
def __init__(self, tag: str, value: any):
"""
Create a tagged value with separate display and return values.
Args:
tag: Display text shown to user
value: Actual value returned when selected
"""
def __str__(self) -> str:
"""Return the display tag."""
def __repr__(self) -> str:
"""Return representation of the value."""
def __eq__(self, other) -> bool:
"""Compare with other TaggedValue, tuple, or value."""
def __ne__(self, other) -> bool:
"""Not equal comparison."""
def __hash__(self) -> int:
"""Hash based on (tag, value) tuple."""
@property
def tag(self) -> str:
"""Display tag shown to user."""
@property
def value(self) -> any:
"""Actual value returned when selected."""
@property
def tuple(self) -> tuple:
"""(tag, value) tuple representation."""Usage Example:
import inquirer
# Create tagged values for complex choices
choices = [
inquirer.TaggedValue("Small (1-10 users)", "small"),
inquirer.TaggedValue("Medium (11-100 users)", "medium"),
inquirer.TaggedValue("Large (100+ users)", "large")
]
# Or use tuples (automatically converted to TaggedValue)
choices = [
("Small (1-10 users)", "small"),
("Medium (11-100 users)", "medium"),
("Large (100+ users)", "large")
]
question = inquirer.List(
'plan',
message="Select plan size",
choices=choices
)
# User sees: "Small (1-10 users)" but answer contains: "small"Install with Tessl CLI
npx tessl i tessl/pypi-inquirer