PromptPlus

# PromptPlus ## **Input** [![NuGet](https://img.shields.io/badge/NuGet-PromptPlus-blue)](https://www.nuget.org/packages/PromptPlus) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [![.NET](https://img.shields.io/badge/.NET-8%20%7C%209%20%7C%2010-512BD4)](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/)

← Back to Home • Next: Input — Methods →

Single-line, free-text entry. The user types plain text and confirms with Enter.

The Input control is the workhorse for collecting any unstructured string — a name, an e-mail address, a URL, a search term, a note. It supports live character filtering, case coercion, length limits, confirmation-time validation, Tab autocomplete suggestions, and persistent history — all through a single fluent chain.

🔒 Need to hide what the user types (passwords, API keys, PINs)? Use the Secret control instead. It’s related, not identical: Secret adds the mask character but deliberately drops Default/DefaultIfEmpty, EnableHistory, and both suggestion methods — a secret shouldn’t be pre-seeded, persisted, or suggested.

Sub-page	What you will find
Index (this page)	What it is, when to use it, a first working example, the method map
Methods	Every fluent method — signature, parameters, defaults, and a snippet
Operations	Keyboard, validation flow, history, autocomplete, and edge cases
Styles	The `InputStyles` regions and how to recolor them

When to use it

Use `Input` when…	Consider instead…
You need any free-form string	—
The value is a password or secret	Secret
The value must match a fixed pattern (date, phone, currency)	MaskEdit
The user should pick from a known list	Select

Minimal example

using PromptPlusLibrary;

var result = PromptPlus.Controls
    .Input("Your name")
    .Run();

if (!result.IsAborted)
    PromptPlus.Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {result.Content}!");

Input("Your name") creates the control. The first argument is the prompt; an optional second argument is a description line shown under it.
.Run() renders the field and blocks until the user presses Enter (confirm) or Esc (abort).
The call returns a ResultPrompt<string>: read .Content for the text and .IsAborted to detect Esc.

⚠️ Always check IsAborted before using .Content. On abort, .Content is not guaranteed to be empty — it holds whatever is currently in the buffer (a seeded Default the user never typed over, or partially-typed text).

A more complete example

using PromptPlusLibrary;

var pin = PromptPlus.Controls
    .Input("PIN", "Only digits are accepted (max 5)")
    .AcceptInput(char.IsDigit)          // reject any non-digit keystroke
    .MaxLength(5)                        // stop accepting after 5 characters
    .PredicateValid(v => v.Length == 5
        ? (true, null)
        : (false, "PIN must be exactly 5 digits"))   // validate on Enter
    .Run();

if (!pin.IsAborted)
    PromptPlus.Console.WriteLine($"PIN accepted.");

This shows the three most common building blocks together: per-keystroke filtering (AcceptInput), a hard length cap (MaxLength), and confirmation-time validation with a message (PredicateValid). See Operations for how they interact.

Method map

Grouped by purpose. Full signatures and examples are on the Methods page.

Purpose	Methods
Seed a value	`Default`, `DefaultIfEmpty`
Restrict typing	`AcceptInput`, `MaxLength`, `InputToCase`
Validate on confirm	`PredicateValid`, `PredicateValidAsync`
Autocomplete	`SuggestionHandler`, `SuggestionHandlerAsync`, `MinimumSuggestionLength`
History	`EnableHistory`
Dynamic description	`ChangeDescription`, `ChangeDescriptionAsync`
Appearance & behavior	`Styles`, `Options`
Run	`Run`

Return value

Input returns ResultPrompt<string>.

Member	Meaning
`.Content`	The confirmed text — or whatever is in the buffer at the moment of an abort, not necessarily empty
`.IsAborted`	`true` when the user pressed Esc / the abort key

var (text, aborted) = PromptPlus.Controls.Input("Name").Run();
if (!aborted) PromptPlus.Console.WriteLine(text);