Input Dialogs

Convenience functions for collecting a single value from the user. Each opens a modal dialog, waits for input, and returns the value (or None if canceled).

Usage

Ask for text

bs.ask_string() shows a text field. Returns the entered string, or None if canceled.

name = bs.ask_string("Enter your name:", title="Name")
if name:
    greet(name)

Pass value= to pre-fill the field:

new_name = bs.ask_string("Rename:", value=current_name)

Ask for a number

bs.ask_integer() and bs.ask_float() show a numeric field with an optional stepper, range validation, and display format. Both return None if canceled.

age   = bs.ask_integer("Enter age:", min_value=0, max_value=120)
price = bs.ask_float("Enter price:", min_value=0.0, step=0.5)

Ask from a list

bs.ask_item() shows a searchable dropdown. Returns the selected string, or None if canceled.

country = bs.ask_item(
    "Select your country:",
    ["Canada", "UK", "USA", "Other"],
    title="Country",
)

Ask for a date

bs.ask_date() opens a calendar picker. Returns a datetime.date, or None if canceled.

from datetime import date

picked = bs.ask_date(title="Select date", value=date.today())

Restrict the selectable range with min_date= and max_date=:

deadline = bs.ask_date(title="Pick a deadline", min_date=date.today())

Ask for a date range

bs.ask_date_range() opens the calendar in range-selection mode. Returns a (start, end) tuple of date objects, or None if canceled.

result = bs.ask_date_range(title="Report period")
if result:
    start, end = result

See also

Message Dialogs — alert() and confirm() for notifications and yes/no prompts.

Color Dialog — ask_color() for choosing a color.

Font Dialog — ask_font() for selecting a font.

Filter Dialog — ask_filter() for multi-select from a list.

API

The complete reference for the ask_* input verbs lives on the Dialogs API page. At a glance:

ask_string	Show a text-input dialog.
ask_integer	Show an integer-input dialog with optional range validation.
ask_float	Show a float-input dialog with optional range validation.
ask_item	Show a dropdown-selection dialog.
ask_date	Show a calendar date-picker dialog.
ask_date_range	Show a calendar dialog for selecting a start and end date range.

Full Example

with bs.App(title="Input Dialogs", size=(680, 250), padding=20, gap=16) as app:

    # ── Text and Number ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
    bs.Label("Text and Number", font="heading-sm")
    with bs.HStack(gap=8):
        bs.Button("Text",     on_click=lambda: bs.ask_string("Enter your name:", title="Name"))
        bs.Button("Integer",  on_click=lambda: bs.ask_integer("Enter age:", min_value=0, max_value=120))
        bs.Button("Float",    on_click=lambda: bs.ask_float("Enter price:", min_value=0.0, step=0.5))
        bs.Button("From list", on_click=lambda: bs.ask_item(
            "Select country:", ["Canada", "UK", "USA", "Australia", "Other"],
        ))

    bs.Separator(fill="x")

    # ── Date ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
    bs.Label("Date", font="heading-sm")
    with bs.HStack(gap=8):
        bs.Button("Date",       on_click=lambda: bs.ask_date(title="Select Date", value=date.today()))
        bs.Button("Date range", on_click=lambda: bs.ask_date_range(title="Report Period"))

app.run()