# Getting Started

> Quick start guide to install and use format-prompt in your JavaScript or TypeScript project

## Installation

Install format-prompt using your preferred package manager:

```bash
# npm
npm install format-prompt

# bun
bun add format-prompt

# pnpm
pnpm add format-prompt

# yarn
yarn add format-prompt
```

## Basic Usage

### Importing

```typescript
import { prompt } from 'format-prompt';
```

### Simple Example

```typescript
import { prompt } from 'format-prompt';

const result = prompt`
  Hello world!
  This is a formatted prompt.
`;

console.log(result);
// Output: "Hello world!\nThis is a formatted prompt."
```

### With Variables

```typescript
const name = 'John';
const age = 30;

const result = prompt`
  User Information:
    Name: ${name}
    Age: ${age}
`;

console.log(result);
// Clean output without extra whitespace
```

### Complex Example

```typescript
import { prompt } from 'format-prompt';

function createAnalysisPrompt(email: string) {
  return prompt`
    You are a security guard that analyzes emails for:
      * Spam: unsolicited bulk/promotional content
      * Scam: phishing, fraud, identity theft attempts
      * Toxicity: hate speech, threats, harassment
      * Business relevance: legitimate business inquiries
    
    Email to analyze:
    ${email}
    
    Provide a detailed security assessment.
  `;
}

const analysis = createAnalysisPrompt('test@example.com');
```

## How It Works

The `prompt` function:

1. Takes a template literal string with optional interpolated values
2. Removes leading/trailing whitespace from each line
3. Collapses multiple spaces into single spaces
4. Preserves intentional line breaks
5. Trims the final result
6. Returns a clean, token-efficient string

## TypeScript Support

format-prompt is written in TypeScript and includes type definitions:

```typescript
import { prompt } from 'format-prompt';

// Full type safety
const result: string = prompt`Your prompt here`;
```

## Best Practices

1. **Use template literals**: Leverage JavaScript's template literal syntax for clean code
2. **Indent for readability**: Format your prompts for readability in code - the library will clean it up
3. **Use interpolation**: Insert variables directly into your prompts
4. **Keep structure**: The library preserves intentional line breaks and structure

## Common Patterns

### List Formatting

```typescript
const items = ['item1', 'item2', 'item3'];
const result = prompt`
  Please analyze:
    * ${items[0]}
    * ${items[1]}
    * ${items[2]}
`;
```

### Multi-line Instructions

```typescript
const result = prompt`
  Step 1: Read the input
  Step 2: Process the data
  Step 3: Generate output
  
  Be thorough and accurate.
`;
```

### Dynamic Content

```typescript
function generatePrompt(context: string, question: string) {
  return prompt`
    Context: ${context}
    
    Question: ${question}
    
    Provide a detailed answer based on the context.
  `;
}
```