This skill provides templates, examples, and utilities for implementing interactive CLI prompts in both Node.js (using inquirer) and Python (using questionary). It covers all major prompt types with validation, conditional logic, and real-world examples.

Prompt Types Covered

1. Text Input

Simple string input
Email, URL, and path validation
Numeric input with range validation
Multi-line text

2. List Selection

Single choice from options
Categorized options with separators
Options with descriptions and shortcuts
Dynamic choices based on context

3. Checkbox

Multiple selections
Pre-selected defaults
Grouped options
Validation (min/max selections)

4. Password

Hidden input with mask characters
Password confirmation
Strength validation
API key and token input

5. Autocomplete

Type-ahead search
Fuzzy matching
Large option lists
Dynamic filtering

6. Conditional Questions

Skip logic based on answers
Dynamic question flow
Branching paths
Context-dependent validation

Directory Structure

inquirer-patterns/
├── SKILL.md                          # Main skill documentation
├── README.md                         # This file
├── templates/
│   ├── nodejs/
│   │   ├── text-prompt.js           # Text input examples
│   │   ├── list-prompt.js           # List selection examples
│   │   ├── checkbox-prompt.js       # Checkbox examples
│   │   ├── password-prompt.js       # Password/secure input
│   │   ├── autocomplete-prompt.js   # Autocomplete examples
│   │   ├── conditional-prompt.js    # Conditional logic
│   │   └── comprehensive-example.js # Complete wizard
│   └── python/
│       ├── text_prompt.py
│       ├── list_prompt.py
│       ├── checkbox_prompt.py
│       ├── password_prompt.py
│       ├── autocomplete_prompt.py
│       └── conditional_prompt.py
├── scripts/
│   ├── install-nodejs-deps.sh       # Install Node.js packages
│   ├── install-python-deps.sh       # Install Python packages
│   ├── validate-prompts.sh          # Validate skill structure
│   └── generate-prompt.sh           # Generate boilerplate code
└── examples/
    ├── nodejs/
    │   └── project-init-wizard.js   # Full project setup wizard
    └── python/
        └── project_init_wizard.py   # Full project setup wizard

Quick Start

Node.js

Install dependencies:
```
./scripts/install-nodejs-deps.sh
```

Run an example:

node templates/nodejs/text-prompt.js
node templates/nodejs/comprehensive-example.js

Generate boilerplate:

./scripts/generate-prompt.sh --type checkbox --lang js --output my-prompt.js

Python

Install dependencies:
```
./scripts/install-python-deps.sh
```

Run an example:

python3 templates/python/text_prompt.py
python3 templates/python/conditional_prompt.py

Generate boilerplate:

./scripts/generate-prompt.sh --type list --lang py --output my_prompt.py

Key Features

Validation Patterns

All templates include comprehensive validation examples:

Required fields: Ensure input is not empty
Format validation: Email, URL, regex patterns
Range validation: Numeric min/max values
Custom validation: Business logic rules
Cross-field validation: Compare multiple answers

Error Handling

Examples demonstrate proper error handling:

Graceful Ctrl+C handling
TTY detection for non-interactive environments
User-friendly error messages
Validation feedback

Best Practices

Templates follow CLI best practices:

Clear, descriptive prompts
Sensible defaults
Keyboard shortcuts
Progressive disclosure
Accessibility considerations

Usage Examples

Text Input with Validation

Node.js:

import inquirer from 'inquirer';

const answer = await inquirer.prompt([{
  type: 'input',
  name: 'email',
  message: 'Enter your email:',
  validate: (input) => {
    const emailRegex = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/;
    return emailRegex.test(input) || 'Invalid email address';
  }
}]);

Python:

import questionary

email = questionary.text(
    "Enter your email:",
    validate=lambda text: bool(re.match(r'^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$', text))
                         or "Invalid email address"
).ask()

Conditional Questions

Node.js:

const answers = await inquirer.prompt([
  {
    type: 'confirm',
    name: 'useDatabase',
    message: 'Use database?',
    default: true
  },
  {
    type: 'list',
    name: 'dbType',
    message: 'Database type:',
    choices: ['PostgreSQL', 'MySQL', 'MongoDB'],
    when: (answers) => answers.useDatabase
  }
]);

Python:

use_database = questionary.confirm("Use database?", default=True).ask()

if use_database:
    db_type = questionary.select(
        "Database type:",
        choices=['PostgreSQL', 'MySQL', 'MongoDB']
    ).ask()

Multiple Selections

Node.js:

const answers = await inquirer.prompt([{
  type: 'checkbox',
  name: 'features',
  message: 'Select features:',
  choices: ['Auth', 'Database', 'API Docs', 'Testing'],
  validate: (choices) => choices.length > 0 || 'Select at least one'
}]);

Python:

features = questionary.checkbox(
    "Select features:",
    choices=['Auth', 'Database', 'API Docs', 'Testing'],
    validate=lambda c: len(c) > 0 or "Select at least one"
).ask()

Validation

Run the validation script to check skill structure:

./scripts/validate-prompts.sh

This checks:

✅ SKILL.md structure and frontmatter
✅ Required templates exist
✅ Scripts are executable
✅ No hardcoded secrets
✅ Basic syntax validation

Dependencies

Node.js

inquirer@^9.0.0 - Core prompting library
inquirer-autocomplete-prompt@^3.0.0 - Autocomplete support
chalk@^5.0.0 - Terminal colors (optional)

Python

questionary>=2.0.0 - Core prompting library
prompt_toolkit>=3.0.0 - Terminal UI toolkit
colorama - Windows color support (optional)

Real-World Use Cases

Project Initialization

See examples/nodejs/project-init-wizard.js and examples/python/project_init_wizard.py for complete project setup wizards.

Configuration Management

Templates show how to build interactive config generators for:

Database connections
API credentials
Deployment settings
Feature flags
CI/CD pipelines

Interactive Installers

Examples demonstrate building user-friendly installers with:

Dependency selection
Environment setup
Credential collection
Validation and verification

Troubleshooting

Node.js: "Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ESM]"

Solution: Use import instead of require, or add "type": "module" to package.json

Python: "No module named 'questionary'"

Solution: Run ./scripts/install-python-deps.sh or pip install questionary

Autocomplete not working

Solution: Install the autocomplete plugin:

Node.js: npm install inquirer-autocomplete-prompt
Python: Built into questionary

Terminal rendering issues

Solution: Ensure terminal supports ANSI escape codes. On Windows, install colorama.

Contributing

When adding new patterns:

Add template to both templates/nodejs/ and templates/python/
Include comprehensive validation examples
Add real-world usage examples
Update this README
Run validation: ./scripts/validate-prompts.sh

License

Part of the CLI Builder plugin.

Resources

Inquirer.js: https://github.com/SBoudrias/Inquirer.js
Questionary: https://github.com/tmbo/questionary
Prompt Toolkit: https://github.com/prompt-toolkit/python-prompt-toolkit
CLI Best Practices: https://clig.dev/

Created: 2025 Maintained by: CLI Builder Plugin Skill Version: 1.0.0