read

read

For reading user input from stdin.

Similar to the readline builtin's question() method, but with a few more features.

Usage

const { read } = require('read')
// or with ESM: import { read } from 'read'
try {
  const result = await read(options)
} catch (er) {
  console.error(er)
}

Options

Every option is optional.

• prompt What to write to stdout before reading input.
• silent Don't echo the output as the user types it.
• replace Replace silenced characters with the supplied character value.
• timeout Number of ms to wait for user input before giving up.
• default The default value if the user enters nothing.
• edit Allow the user to edit the default value.
• terminal Treat the output as a TTY, whether it is or not.
• input Readable stream to get input data from. (default process.stdin)
• output Writable stream to write prompts to. (default: process.stdout)
• completer Autocomplete callback (see official api for details
• history History array, which will be appended to.

If silent is true, and the input is a TTY, then read will set raw mode, and read character by character.

Contributing

Patches welcome.

Similar packages

Other packages similar to read

prompt

The 'prompt' package is a more feature-rich alternative to 'read'. It supports validation, default values, and complex prompts with multiple fields. It is more suitable for applications that require more sophisticated user input handling.

inquirer

The 'inquirer' package is another alternative that provides a more interactive experience. It supports various types of prompts like lists, checkboxes, and password fields. It is ideal for building interactive command-line interfaces.

readline-sync

The 'readline-sync' package allows for synchronous reading of user input from the command line. It is similar to 'read' but provides more control over the input process, including the ability to handle multiple lines of input.