grunt-prompt

grunt-prompt

Ask questions during your Grunt workflow. Use user input for later tasks

Choose from a list:

Select more than one:

Text input with validation and filtering:

Getting Started

This plugin requires Grunt ~0.4.1

npm install grunt-prompt --save-dev

One the plugin has been installed, it may be enabled inside your Gruntfile with this line of JavaScript:

grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-prompt');

grunt-prompt

Overview

In your project's Gruntfile, add a section named prompt to the data object passed into grunt.initConfig().

grunt-prompt is a multi-task. This means you can create multiple prompts.

grunt.initConfig({
  prompt: {
    target: {
      options: {
        questions: [
            config: 'config.name', // arbitray name or config for any other grunt task
            type: '<question type>', // list, checkbox, confirm, input, password
            message: 'Question to ask the user',
            default: 'value', // default value if nothing is entered
            choices: 'Array|Function(answers)',
            validate: Function(value), // return true if valid, error message if invalid
            filter:  Function(value), // modify the answer
            when: Function(answers) // only ask this question when this function returns true
        ]
      }
    },
  },
})

Options

config

Type: String required

This is used for three things:

• It will set or overwrite the config of other Grunt tasks: config: 'jshint.allFiles.reporter'
• The key in the resulting answers object: if (answers['jshint.allFiles.reporter'] === 'custom') {...
• It can be an abitrary value read using grunt.config: grunt.config('jshint.allFiles.reporter')

type

Type: String required

Type of question to ask:

• list: use arrow keys to pick one choice. Returns a string.
• checkbox: use arrow keys and space bar to pick multiple items. Returns an array.
• confirm: Yes/no. Returns a boolean.
• input: Free text input. Returns a string.
• password: Masked input. Returns a string.

The documentation for Inquiry has more details about type as well as additional typess.

message

Type: String required

Question to ask the user.

Hint: keep it short, users hate to read.

default

Type: String/Array/Boolean depending on question type optional

Default value used when the user just bangs Enter.

choices

For question type 'list': Type: array of strings

choices: ['jshint', 'jslint', 'eslint', 'I like to live dangerously.']

For question type 'checkbox': Type: array of hashes

Include checked: true to select it by default.

choices: [
    {name: 'jshint', checked: true},
    {name: 'jslint'},
    {name: 'eslint'}
    ]

validate

Type: function(value) optional

Return true if it is valid (true true, not a truthy value). Return string message if it is not valid.

filter

Type: function(value) optional

Use a modified version of the input for the answer. Useful for stripping extra characters, converting strings to integers, etc.

when

Type: function(answers) optional

Choose when this question is asked. Perfect for asking questions based on the results of previous questions.

Usage Examples

This is an example of how grunt-prompt for something like grunt-bump which makes it easy to update your project's version in the package.json, bower.json, and git tag.

prompt: {
  prompt: {
    bump: {
      options: {
        questions: [
          {
            config:  'bump.increment',
            type:    'list',
            // normally these versions wouldn't be hardcoded
            message: 'Bump version from ' + '1.2.3'.cyan + ' to:',
            choices: [
              '1.2.4-? ❘❙❚ Build: unstable, betas, and release candidates.',
              '1.2.4   ❘❙❚ Patch: backwards-compatible bug fixes.',
              '1.3.0   ❘❙❚ Minor: add functionality in a backwards-compatible manner.',
              '2.0.0   ❘❙❚ Major: incompatible API changes.',
              '?.?.?   ❘❙❚ Custom: Specify version...'
            ],
            filter:  function (value) {
              var matches = value.match(/([^(\s)]*):/);
              return matches && matches[1].toLowerCase();
            }
          },
          {
            config:   'bump.version',
            type:     'input',
            message:  'What specific version would you like',
            when:     function (answers) {
              return answers['bump.increment'] === 'custom';
            },
            validate: function (value) {
              var valid = require('semver').valid(value) && true;
              return valid || 'Must be a valid semver, such as 1.2.3. See http://semver.org/';
            }
          },
          {
            config:  'bump.files',
            type:    'checkbox',
            message: 'What should get the new version:',
            choices: [
              {
                name:    'package.json',
                checked: grunt.file.isFile('package.json')
              },
              {
                name:    'bower.json',
                checked: grunt.file.isFile('bower.json')
              },
              {
                name:    'git tag',
                checked: grunt.file.isDir('.git')
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}```

Release History

• 0.1.0 - 18 July 2013 - First version, after an exhausting but fun day with the family at Hershey Park.