Py-qanda

Background

Interactive command-line programs need to query users for information, be it text, choices from a list, or simple yes-or-no answers. qanda is a module of simple functions to prompt users for such information, allowing validation and cleanup of answers, default responses, consistent formatting and presentation of help text, hints and choices. It is not a replacement for textual interfaces like curses and urwid, but intended solely for simple console scripts with user input is required.

Status: qanda is in use by one other non-trivial library, and so is functional. However this is still an early release and the API may change. Comment is invited.

Installation

This package can be installed by the usual Pythonic methods:

1. use your favourite installation tool:

   % easy_install rst2beamer
   

2. or download the source, unpack it, change into the directory and call:

   % python setup.py install
   

Usage

A full API is included in the source distribution.

A few examples:

>>> from qanda import prompt
>>> prompt.string ("What is your name")
What is your name: Foo
>>> fname = prompt.string ("Your friends name is",
    help="I need to know your friends name as well before I talk to you.",
    hints="first name",
    default='Bar',
)
I need to know your friends name as well before I talk to you.
Your friends name is (first name) [Bar]:
>>> print fname
Bar
>>> years = prompt.integer ("And what is your age", min=1, max=100)
And what is your age: 101
A problem: 101 is higher than 100. Try again ...
And what is your age: 28

qanda packages all question-asking methods in a Session class. This allows the appearance and functioning of all these methods to be handled consistently and modified centrally. However, you don't necessarily have to create a Session to use it - there's pre-existing Session in the variable called prompt:

>>> from qanda import Session
>>> s = Session()
>>> from qanda import prompt
>>> type (prompt) <class 'qanda.session.Session'>

The question methods are named after the type of data they elicit:

>>> print type(prompt.integer ("Pick a number"))
Pick a number: 2
<type 'int'>
>>> print type (prompt.string ("Pick a name"))
Pick a name: Bob
<type 'string'>

Many of the question methods with accept a list of "converters", each of which is used to successively transform or validate user input. This follows the idiom of Ian Bicking's FormEncode: raw values are passed into  a converter and the results are passed into the next. If input fails validation, the question is posed again. qanda supplies a number of basic validators:

ToInt, ToFloat

Convert inputs to other types

Regex

Only allow values that match a certain pattern

Range

Check that input falls within given bounds

Length

Check that input length falls within given bounds

Synonyms

Map values to other values

Vocab

Ensure values fall within a fixed set