# Futures ## DCli and futures if your not a Dart programmer (yet) one of the most difficult things about Dart are Futures. If you are familiar with Javascript then a Future is the equivalent of a Promise. ### Just ignore Futures If your not familiar with Dart or Javascript then for the moment you can just ignore futures. DCli works very hard to ensure that you don't need to worry about Futures. This is very intentional. If you stick to using DCli's built in functions then you can completely ignore Futures. If you start importing Dart's core libraries or third party libraries then you need to pay attention to return types. The first time you try to call a method or function that returns a `Future` then you will know its time to come back here and read about Futures. Until then, you can just skip this section. ### How DCli manages futures DCli does not stop you from using `await`, `Futures`, `Isolates` or any other Dart functionality. It's all yours to use and abuse as you will. DClis global functions however intentionally avoid `Futures`. The aim of DCli is to create a Bash-like simplicity to building CLI apps. `Futures` are great and all but they do make the code more complex and harder to read. Futures also can make your scripts a little dangerous. If you copy a file and then want to append to the copied file, you had better be certain that the copy command has been completed before you start the append. DCli's global functions remove those complications. If you are interested in how we avoid using `Futures` read up on `waitFor` and check out DCli's own `waitForEx` function that does stacktrace repair when an exception is thrown. When you need to use futures you can read up on them in the Dart language Tour: --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://dcli.onepub.dev/dart-basics/futures.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.