Function Entry: GETKWORD

getkword

Function

(getkword [msg])

• msg: optional prompt string

Prompts the user for a keyword response.

String or nil.

• prompts the user
• consumes interactive input

• initget keyword configuration

Closely tied to initget.

• AutoCAD 2026: documented (per Autodesk reference page).
• BricsCAD V26: presumed compatible (no contradicting page found).
• Status: AutoCAD documented; BricsCAD presumed-both pending Phase 4 verification.

• [getkword (AutoLISP)](https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2026/ENU/AutoCAD-LT-AutoLISP-Reference/files/GUID-9F940144-0D7B-4DA1-BF50-BBF8FB8DFF21.htm)

• Autodesk documents that getkword returns nil if the user presses Enter without typing a keyword.
• Autodesk documents that getkword also returns nil if it is called without a preceding initget that establishes keywords.
• Autodesk documents that invalid keyword input causes a warning and a re-prompt.
• Autodesk documents that the user cannot respond with another AutoLISP expression.

clautolisp implementation deviation — not part of the normative specification above. AutoCAD and BricsCAD collect this keyword through the graphical drawing editor's command line (implicitly a GUI). clautolisp has no drawing editor — it writes the prompt to the standard output and reads the answer as one line of text from the standard input (a TUI interaction). Interactively this is the REPL's terminal; for scripted, deterministic runs it is the file attached with --mock-input. A live CAD host, when connected, restores the native GUI behavior. On the TUI the typed line is matched against the keywords set by the preceding initget; a non-matching entry returns nil rather than warning and re-prompting, and (as documented) getkword returns nil when no initget established keywords.