Node js - How to pause execution of subsequent lines of code while waiting for user input in node js

Question

I'm new to node.js and learning it on the fly. I have written a code to prompt for userinput from CLI with timeout. The problem is, the subsequent lines of code are executed and not paused while waiting for user input. how do i achieve this in node. Below is my code

var readline = require('readline');

var rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout
});

waitForUserInput = function (timeout) {
var timer = setTimeout(function () {
    console.log("Process Resumed..");
    rl.close();
}, timeout);

rl.question("Press Enter to Continue..!!", function () {
    console.log("Process Resumed..");
    clearTimeout(timer);
    rl.close();
});}

Method Invocation is

waitForUserInput(5000);

As of now if i do a console.log("Hello"); the output is

Process Paused. Press Enter to Continue..!! Hello

I want the console.log message only after user input or timeout.

Answer 1

You should never stop execution of a Node.js process. Node.js is build on top of an EventLoop . In Node.js your code should work in asynchronously - you ask the user for keyboard input and register a piece of code that will be triggered once the the user finished the input.

For any kind of command line input I recommend using the Inquirer.js package . You should create a prompt and handle the user input in the then block ( then is called when a promise fulfilled without errors)