PromptPlus

# PromptPlus ## **Task — Methods** [](https://www.nuget.org/packages/PromptPlus) [](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/)

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Every fluent method on ITaskControl. Each returns the same control instance, so calls chain in any order. Call Run last.

The factory is PromptPlus.Controls.Task(string prompt = "", string? description = null), which returns ITaskControl.

Quick jump: Action · ActionAsync · Context · ShowElapsedTime · Spinner · Finish · ChangeDescription · ChangeDescriptionAsync · Culture · Styles · Options · Run

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Attaching the work

Set the work with one Action/ActionAsync overload. Each comes in three shapes: no context, output only, and input + output. Run takes no work delegate — it only runs the one you attached here.

Action

ITaskControl Action(Action<CancellationToken> handler)
ITaskControl Action(Func<CancellationToken, IDictionary<string, object?>?> handler)
ITaskControl Action(Func<IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?>, CancellationToken, IDictionary<string, object?>?> handler)

Attaches a synchronous work delegate.

Overload	Receives	Returns
Action<CancellationToken>	token	nothing
Func<CancellationToken, IDictionary?>	token	output context (or null)
Func<IReadOnlyDictionary, CancellationToken, IDictionary?>	input context + token	output context (or null)

// Simplest form
PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Processing")
    .Action(token => Thread.Sleep(2000))
    .Run();

Throws ArgumentNullException if handler is null.

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ActionAsync

ITaskControl ActionAsync(Func<CancellationToken, Task> handler)
ITaskControl ActionAsync(Func<CancellationToken, Task<IDictionary<string, object?>?>> handler)
ITaskControl ActionAsync(Func<IReadOnlyDictionary<string, object?>, CancellationToken, Task<IDictionary<string, object?>?>> handler)

Attaches an asynchronous work delegate — the async mirror of Action.

// Output-only form
PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Generating token")
    .ShowElapsedTime()
    .Spinner(SpinnersType.Default)
    .ActionAsync(async token =>
    {
        await Task.Delay(1500, token).ConfigureAwait(false);
        return new Dictionary<string, object?>
        {
            ["token"] = Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N"),
            ["expiresInSeconds"] = 3600
        };
    })
    .Run();

Throws ArgumentNullException if handler is null.

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Passing data in

Context

ITaskControl Context(IDictionary<string, object?> context)

Provides the isolated input context handed to the two-argument Action/ActionAsync overloads. The work reads it as a read-only dictionary; it is independent from the output context the work returns.

var inputOnly = new Dictionary<string, object?> { ["user"] = "Alice", ["retries"] = 3 };

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Authenticating")
    .Context(inputOnly)
    .ActionAsync(async (input, token) =>
    {
        int retries = input.TryGetValue("retries", out var r) && r is int n ? n : 1;
        for (int i = 0; i < retries; i++)
            await Task.Delay(600, token).ConfigureAwait(false);
        return null;   // no output context
    })
    .Run();

Throws ArgumentNullException if context is null.

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Feedback while running

ShowElapsedTime

ITaskControl ShowElapsedTime(bool value = true, string? format = null)

Shows the running elapsed time next to the control. Hidden by default.

Parameter	Meaning
value	true to display the elapsed time. Default true.
format	Optional TimeSpan format string. Default hh\:mm\:ss.

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Downloading")
    .ShowElapsedTime()                 // default hh:mm:ss
    .ActionAsync(async t => await Task.Delay(3000, t))
    .Run();

This is ShowElapsedTime, not ElapsedTime. StateTask.ElapsedTime is the result property.

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Spinner

ITaskControl Spinner(SpinnersType spinnersType)

Shows an animated spinner while the task runs. SpinnersType offers many styles across several families (common ones: Default, Dots, Line, Star, Arc); on non-Unicode terminals it automatically falls back to the Ascii spinner. See Spinners and the Spinner catalog for the full list and frames.

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Downloading")
    .Spinner(SpinnersType.Dots)
    .ActionAsync(async t => await Task.Delay(3000, t))
    .Run();

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Finish

ITaskControl Finish(string finishtext, string? errortext = null)

Sets the text shown when the task ends. When not set, the elapsed time is shown instead.

Parameter	Meaning
finishtext	Text shown on successful completion
errortext	Text shown when the task threw. When null, a default localized error message is used.

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Risky operation")
    .Finish("Done!", "Operation failed!")
    .Action(token =>
    {
        Thread.Sleep(1500);
        throw new InvalidOperationException("Something went wrong");
    })
    .Run();

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ChangeDescription

ITaskControl ChangeDescription(Func<TimeSpan, string> value)

Recomputes the description line from the elapsed time while the task runs — handy for a live status.

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Working")
    .ShowElapsedTime()
    .ChangeDescription(elapsed => $"Running for {elapsed.TotalSeconds:0} second(s)...")
    .ActionAsync(async t => await Task.Delay(3000, t))
    .Run();

Throws ArgumentNullException if value is null.

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ChangeDescriptionAsync

ITaskControl ChangeDescriptionAsync(Func<TimeSpan, Task<string>> value)

Asynchronous version of ChangeDescription.

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Working")
    .ShowElapsedTime()
    .ChangeDescriptionAsync(async elapsed =>
    {
        await Task.Delay(1).ConfigureAwait(false);
        return $"Async status at {elapsed:ss} s";
    })
    .ActionAsync(async t => await Task.Delay(3000, t))
    .Run();

Throws ArgumentNullException if value is null.

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Formatting

Culture

ITaskControl Culture(CultureInfo culture)

Sets the culture used to format the elapsed-time value.

using System.Globalization;

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Processing")
    .ShowElapsedTime()
    .Culture(new CultureInfo("pt-BR"))
    .Action(token => Thread.Sleep(2000))
    .Run();

Throws ArgumentNullException if culture is null.

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Styling & behavior

Styles

ITaskControl Styles(TaskStyles styleType, Style style)

Overrides the color of one visual region of this control instance. See the full region list and examples on the Styles page.

using ConsolePlusLibrary;
using PromptPlusLibrary;

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Please wait")
    .ShowElapsedTime()
    .Spinner(SpinnersType.Default)
    .Styles(TaskStyles.Prompt, new Style(Color.Yellow, Color.Black))
    .Styles(TaskStyles.ElapsedTime, new Style(Color.Cyan, Color.Black))
    .Styles(TaskStyles.Spinner, new Style(Color.Green, Color.Black))
    .ActionAsync(async t => await Task.Delay(2000, t))
    .Run();

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Options

ITaskControl Options(Action<IControlOptions> options)

Overrides global behaviors (PromptPlus.Config) for this one control — prompt/description text, tooltip, abort key, and hide-after-finish.

PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Please wait")
    .Options(o => o
        .ShowTooltip(false)
        .HideAfterFinish(true))
    .Action(token => Thread.Sleep(1000))
    .Run();

See Global Behaviors → Per-Control Override for the complete IControlOptions list.

Throws ArgumentNullException if options is null.

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Running the control

Run

ResultPrompt<StateTask> Run(CancellationToken token = default)

Displays the control, runs the attached action, and blocks until it completes, throws, or is cancelled. Returns a ResultPrompt<StateTask> — see Index → Return value.

Parameter	Meaning
token	A CancellationToken that cancels the task while it runs. Also forwarded to the action’s own token.

using (var sw = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(2)))
{
    var result = PromptPlus.Controls.Task("Long task")
        .ActionAsync(async token => await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10), token))
        .Run(sw.Token);
    // result.IsAborted == true when the token fires first
}

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See also

• Operations — how these methods behave at runtime
• Styles — the TaskStyles regions
• Index — overview and method map

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