Prompts

A get: step asks whoever is running the task for a value, and stores the answer in a variable:

tasks:
  ask-trivia:
    steps:
      - get:
          - CATEGORY:
              info: Which category?
              default: general_knowledge
      - run: curl -s "https://the-trivia-api.com/v2/questions?limit=1&categories={{.CATEGORY}}"

If the variable is already set, hobnob doesn't ask. So the same task asks a person, but takes the value straight from a command-line argument:

hobnob ask-trivia                     # asks for a category
hobnob ask-trivia CATEGORY=history    # doesn't ask

It doesn't matter how the variable was set. An earlier step, an env file or your shell's environment all count.

That includes a vars: default, so a prompt for a name in vars: never appears. To suggest a value and still ask, use the prompt's own default: instead.

Menus

options: turns the prompt into a menu. Add multi: true to let the person pick several, and the variable holds a list:

tasks:
  quiz:
    steps:
      - get:
          - CATEGORIES:
              info: Which categories?
              options: [history, science, music]
              multi: true

Menus from live data

options: can be a variable holding a list, so a menu can come from an earlier step. The trivia API's /metadata counts questions per category, and keys turns those counts into a list of category names:

tasks:
  ask-trivia:
    steps:
      - run: curl -s https://the-trivia-api.com/v2/metadata
        into:
          - CATEGORIES: stdout.byCategory | keys
      - get:
          - CATEGORY:
              info: Which category?
              options: .CATEGORIES

The menu only offers categories the API really has.

Checking an answer

check: is a shell condition the answer must pass. If it fails, the prompt asks again:

tasks:
  quiz:
    steps:
      - get:
          - COUNT:
              info: How many questions?
              default: 3
              check: "[ {{.COUNT}} -le 10 ]"

Prompt options

Each entry under get: is a variable name. On its own, as in get: [CATEGORY], it gives a plain text box. These options shape it:

Option	Does
info:	The question to show.
default:	The answer filled in to start with.
options:	Turns it into a menu. A list, or a variable holding one.
multi:	Lets the person pick several options. The answer is a list.
check:	A shell condition the answer must pass.
secret:	Hides the answer as it's typed and wherever hobnob prints it (see Secrets).
optional:	Allows no answer.

Running without prompts

hobnob never prompts in a script. It turns prompts off when its input isn't a terminal, when the CI environment variable is set, or when you pass --no-input. Each get: then uses its default::

hobnob ask-trivia --no-input                     # uses general_knowledge
hobnob ask-trivia CATEGORY=history --no-input    # uses history

A prompt with no default: and no value already set stops the task, and tells you which variable to pass.

Rules

• A value that's already set still has to pass check:, or the step fails. When prompts are off, it must also be one of the options:.
• With optional: true and no answer, the variable is set but empty ([] with multi:), and check: is skipped.
• Put get: steps early, so nobody waits on a slow command before they're asked anything.