Chordium - Syntax

How to Prompt a User to Select from a List in CLI

Used to interactively get user input by displaying a selectable list of options in the terminal. This is commonly used in CLI-based tools, scripts, or automation flows to collect user choices easily.

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Prerequisite

• Ensure Node.js is installed.
• Install the Inquirer package:

npm install inquirer

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Basic Syntax

import inquirer from "inquirer";

const ldAnswers = await inquirer.prompt([
  {
    type: "list",
    name: "lSelectedValue",
    message: lMessage,
    choices: laChoices
  }
]);

console.log(ldAnswers.lSelectedValue);

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Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
type	string	Type of prompt. Use "list" for selectable list.
name	string	Key name to access the selected value (e.g., "lSelectedValue").
laChoices	string[]	Array of options to display in the prompt list.
lMessage	string	Message/question displayed to the user before the list.

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Example

const laFruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry", "Mango"];

const ldSelectedFruit = await inquirer.prompt([
  {
    type: "list",
    name: "lSelectedValue",
    message: "Choose your favorite fruit:",
    choices: laFruits
  }
]);

console.log("Selected Fruit is:", ldSelectedFruit.lSelectedValue);

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Sample CLI Output

? Choose your favorite fruit:
❯ Apple
  Banana
  Cherry
  Mango

If the user selects Apple, the console displays:

Selected Fruit is: Apple