PromptPlus
# PromptPlus
## **Core Concepts**
[](https://www.nuget.org/packages/PromptPlus)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/)
← Back to Home • Next: Architecture →
A short mental model of how PromptPlus is put together. Read this once and every control page will feel familiar. Each idea links to the page that covers it in depth.
1. One entry point, four surfaces
Everything hangs off the static PromptPlus class (namespace PromptPlusLibrary):
| Surface | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
PromptPlus.Config |
IPromptPlusConfig |
Global defaults for every control |
PromptPlus.Controls |
IControls |
Factory for interactive controls |
PromptPlus.Widgets |
IWidgets |
Factory for output-only widgets |
PromptPlus.Console |
IConsole |
The ConsolePlus driver (styled text, cursor, screen) |
You never new these — always go through the four surfaces. See
Architecture.
2. Controls vs Widgets
| Controls | Widgets | |
|---|---|---|
| Reads user input | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Blocks execution | ✅ Until Enter/Esc | ❌ No |
| Returns a value | ✅ ResultPrompt<T> |
❌ No |
| Runs with | .Run() |
.Show() (or renders immediately for Banner/Dash) |
Controls ask; widgets display. See Widgets.
3. The fluent lifecycle
Every control follows the same four steps:
1. Factory PromptPlus.Controls.Input("Name")
2. Fluent config .Default("Alice").MaxLength(50)
3. Per-control .Options(o => o.HideAfterFinish(true)) // optional
4. Execute .Run() ← blocks until Enter or Esc
→ ResultPrompt<T>
Configuration methods return the same control instance, so they chain in any order. Nothing renders
until you call .Run() (controls) or .Show() (fluent widgets).
4. ResultPrompt<T> — the return value
Every .Run() returns a readonly ResultPrompt<T>:
| Member | Meaning |
|---|---|
.Content |
The confirmed value (default of T when aborted) |
.IsAborted |
true if the user pressed Esc / the abort key |
var (name, aborted) = PromptPlus.Controls.Input("Name").Run(); // deconstruct
if (!aborted) PromptPlus.Console.WriteLine(name);
Always branch on
IsAbortedbefore using.Content. See Architecture → ResultPrompt.
5. Two configuration layers
| Layer | How | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Global | PromptPlus.Config.PageSize = 8; |
Every control |
| Per-control | .Options(o => o.HideAfterFinish(true)) |
One instance (wins over global) |
Global config can be persisted to PromptPlus.config with PromptPlus.Config.ToFile(".") and is
reloaded automatically on the next run. See Global Behaviors.
6. Styling is per-control
There is no global “style everything” API. Each control colors its own regions with
.Styles(<ControlEnum>, style) — e.g. InputStyles.Answer, SelectStyles.Selected. A Style is a
foreground color, a background color, and an Overflow strategy (no bold/italic concept). The only
global style setting is PromptPlus.Config.ContrastRatio, which keeps text readable. See
Global Styles and Visual Symbols.
7. Input aids
Most text and list controls share the same helpers:
| Aid | How | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Validation on confirm | PredicateValid(...) (Input/Secret) · PredicateSelected(...) (Select/TableSelect/TreeSelect) · PredicateChecked(...) (Multi* checkables) |
— |
| Persistent history | EnableHistory("key") |
F3 |
| Autocomplete suggestions | SuggestionHandler(...) |
Tab / Shift+Tab |
| Abort | enabled by default | Esc |
See Keyboard Bindings.
8. It just starts
On first access PromptPlus auto-initializes: it detects terminal capabilities, loads PromptPlus.config
if present, and registers an error-log hook. It re-renders on resize, enforces an 80×10 minimum
gracefully, and restores the thread culture after each .Run(). No init call required. See
Architecture → Auto-Initialization.
Where to next
- Getting Started — build your first app
- Architecture — the design in depth
- Controls index — every control, page by page