Single Value Prompts

Single value prompts return a scalar value directly assigned to a variable. These are ideal when you need a single transformed value or when you plan to perform additional operations on the result before adding it to your context.

Function Signatures

Basic Single Value Prompt

prompt(message: String) -> Dynamic

Single Value Prompt with Settings

prompt(message: String, settings: Map) -> Dynamic

Return Types by Prompt Type

Prompt Type	Return Type	Description
Text (default)	String	Plain text input
Bool	bool	Boolean confirmation
Int	i64	Integer input with validation
Select	String	Single selection from options
MultiSelect	Array<String>	Multiple selections from options
List	Array<String>	Dynamic list input
Editor	String	Multi-line text from editor

Basic Usage

Simple Text Input

// Basic string input
context.service_name = prompt("Service Name:");
context.description = prompt("Description:");

With Settings

// Text input with validation and help
context.service_name = prompt("Service Name:", #{
    min: 2,
    max: 50,
    placeholder: "my-service",
    help: "Enter a unique service identifier",
    answer_key: "service_name",
});

Prompt Types

Single value prompts support all prompt types. For comprehensive documentation of each type including examples, settings, and validation options, see Prompt Type Variants.

Quick Type Reference

// Text (default)
context.name = prompt("Name:");

// Boolean
context.enabled = prompt("Enable feature?", #{ type: Bool });

// Integer
context.port = prompt("Port:", #{ type: Int, min: 1024, max: 65535 });

// Select
context.db = prompt("Database:", #{ type: Select(["PostgreSQL", "MySQL"]) });

// MultiSelect
context.features = prompt("Features:", #{ type: MultiSelect(["Auth", "Logging"]) });

// List
context.deps = prompt("Dependencies:", #{ type: List });

// Editor
context.content = prompt("Content:", #{ type: Editor });

Casing with Single Value Prompts

Single value prompts support the cased_as setting to transform the returned value. For comprehensive information about casing strategies, see Casing Strategies.

// Apply case transformation to the returned value
context["service-name"] = prompt("Service Name:", #{
    cased_as: KebabCase,  // Use bracket notation for kebab-case
});

// Transform to snake_case
context.service_name = prompt("Service Name:", #{
    cased_as: SnakeCase,
});

// Transform to PascalCase
context.ClassName = prompt("Class Name:", #{
    cased_as: PascalCase,
});

Bracket Notation for Variable Names

For KebabCase transformations, you must use bracket notation (context["kebab-case"]) since hyphens are not valid in JavaScript property names. Bracket notation can also be used for any case format if you prefer consistent syntax across all your variable assignments.

See Casing Strategies for complete documentation of available case formats, the PROGRAMMING_CASES constant, and advanced casing patterns.

Settings

Single value prompts support all universal prompt settings. For comprehensive documentation of all available settings including validation, display options, and type-specific configurations, see Prompt Settings.

Key Settings for Single Value Prompts

#{  
    type: Text,                    // Prompt type
    optional: false,               // Require input
    placeholder: "example",         // Placeholder text
    help: "Help message",          // User guidance
    defaults_with: "default",      // Default value
    answer_key: "custom_key",      // Answer integration
    cased_as: CamelCase,           // Case transformation
    min: 2,                        // Validation
    max: 50,                       // Validation
}

Answer Keys

Single value prompts require explicit answer_key configuration for automatic answers since the variable name is not part of the function signature:

// With answer key - can be provided via command line or answer files
context.port = prompt("Port:", #{
    type: Int,
    answer_key: "service_port",  // Users can provide --answer service_port=8080
    defaults_with: 8080,
});

// Without answer key - always prompts interactively
context.description = prompt("Description:");  // No automatic answer support

External Answer Sources

let external_config = #{
    database_port: 5432,
    cache_enabled: true,
};

context.db_port = prompt("Database Port:", #{
    type: Int,
    answer_key: "database_port",
    answer_source: external_config,  // Look in external_config first
});

When to Use Single Value Prompts

Choose single value prompts when you need to:

• Perform additional processing on the value before adding to context
• Use the value in conditional logic before templating
• Apply complex transformations or validations
• Store the value in a specific variable name that doesn't follow casing patterns
• Combine multiple prompt results into computed values

Single value prompts give you maximum control over how the data flows through your archetype script, making them ideal for complex generation logic.