---
name: "VCP::UI::Text"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libvcp-perl"
version: "0.9-20050110-1"
release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/VCP::UI::Text"
---

# VCP::UI::Text(3pm)

A textual user interface for VCP.

## NAME

VCP::UI::Text - A textual user interface for VCP.

## SYNOPSIS

```
    $ vcp        ## VCP::UI::Text is the current default
```

## DESCRIPTION

This is a text-only user interface for VCP.  It prints out descriptions, prompts the user, reads the responses, and validates input.

This class is designed to be refactored and/or inherited from for alternative user interfaces, like GUIs.

## METHODS

- new\_source

  ```
      $ui->new_source( "vss", @_ );
  ```

  Creates a new source if the current source is not of the indicated class.

  Emits a warning when the source is changed from one type to another and clears *in\_edit\_mode()*.

- source\_repo\_id

  Sets/gets the source id.  This is needed because we prompt for the source name before knowing what type of source to create in case we can read the source settings from a file in the future.

- source

  Gets (does not set) the source.

- dest

  Gets (does not set) the dest.

- dest\_repo\_id

  Sets/gets the dest repo\_id.  This is needed because we prompt for the dest name before knowing what type of dest to create in case we can read the dest settings from a file in the future.

- new\_dest

  ```
      $ui->new_dest( "vss", @_ );
  ```

  Creates a new dest if the current dest is not of the indicated class.

  Sets the repo\_id to be dest\_repo\_id if necessary.

  Emits a warning when the source is changed from one type to another and clears *in\_edit\_mode()*.

- in\_edit\_mode

  Returns true if the machine is editing an existing set of settings.

- ask

  ```
      $text_ui->ask(
          $is_error,
          $description,
          $always_verbose,
          $name,
          $prompt,
          $default,
          $answer_key
      );
  ```

  Prompts the user, giving them the possibly lengthy description, a blank line and a prompt.  Reads a single line of input and returns it and a reference to the matching answer key.

  The answer key looks like:

  ```
     [
        [ $suggested_answer_1, $validator_1, ... ],
        [ $suggested_answer_2, $validator_2, ... ],
        [ $suggested_answer_3, $validator_3, ... ],
        ...
     ]
  ```

  The suggested answers are like "yes", "No", etc.  Leave this as undef or "" to run a validator without an answer.

  The validators are one of:

  ```
      undef             Entry is compared to the suggested answer, if defined
      'foo'             Answer must equal 'foo' (case sensitive)
      qr//              Answer must match the indicated regexp
      sub {...}, \&foo  The subroutine will validate.
  ```

  If all validators are strings that are equal to the suggested answer, a multiple choice prompt/response is generated instead of free text entry.

  Validation subroutines must return TRUE for valid input, FALSE for invalid input but without a message, or die "...\\n" with an error message for the user if the input is not valid.  If no validators pass, an error message will be printed and the user will be reprompted.  If multiple code reference validators fail with different error messages, then these will all be printed.

  The answer to be validated is placed in `$_` when calling a code ref.

- input

  ```
      my $line = $text_ui->input;
  ```

  Gets the user's input with or without surrounding whitespace and newline.

- output

  ```
      $text_ui->output(
          $terseness,
          $description,
          $choices,
          $default,
          $is_current_value,
          $prompt,
       );
  ```

  Outputs the parameters to the user; defaults to *print()*ing it with stdout buffering off.

  $description will be undef after the first call until *ask()* decides that the user needs to see it again.

- emit\_hrule

  Prints a separator line.  Used between prompts and at exit.

- emit\_blank\_line

  Prints a blank line.  Used at exit.

- emit\_error

  Prints a message.  Defaults to *warn()*ing.

- emit\_note

  Prints a message.  Defaults to *warn()*ing.

- build\_prompt

  ```
      $text_ui->build_prompt( $prompt, \@suggested_answers );
  ```

  Assembed `$prompt` and possibly the strings in \\@suggested\_answers in to a single string fit for a user.

- validate

  ```
      $text_ui->validate( $answer, $answer_key, $is_multiple_choice );
  ```

  Returns a two element list ( `$answer`, `$matching_answer_key_entry` ) or dies with an error message.  If `$is_multiple_choice`, then the answer will be matched case-insensitively for literal string validators.

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2000, Perforce Software, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

This module and the VCP::UI::Text package are licensed according to the terms given in the file LICENSE accompanying this distribution, a copy of which is included in vcp.

## AUTHOR

Barrie Slaymaker \<barries@slaysys.com\>