C Programming: Getting Input Without Enter Key

[Peter P.]

im looking for functions that do not require the user to press enter. such as, they press "a" and the program continues, instead of something like "a[enter]" when using scanf.

 

[AlephZero]

You can't do this in standard C.

You can do it using system-dependent libraries. One that is fairly widely available (but with minor differences on different operating systems) is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curses_(programming_library ). The function you want is getch(), but you need to read a tutorial to find out how to initialize and terminate using the library properly. (Otherwise, in the worst case, when your program terminates NOTHING will be able to read the keyboard again until you reboot the computer!)

 

[Peter P.]

Thanks for the reply.

Also, i was looking through the non-standard libraries that the compiler i use has, and noticed conio.h, i was wondering whether it would be better to just stick with conio or use curses? and if anyone would suggest curses, can you possibly tell me how to set it up? i use pelles c compiler and my laptop is running windows 7.

 

[rcgldr]

Also, i was looking through the non-standard libraries that the compiler i use has, and noticed conio.h, i was wondering whether it would be better to just stick with conio or use curses?

If you only plan to run those programs in windows dos console mode (or an actual copy of MSDOS, either dual boot or virtual pc), then conio is fine.

 

[LudusRex]

One option for getting input without having to press the enter key is to use the "getch()" function from the "conio.h" library in C. This function reads a single character from the keyboard without requiring the user to press enter. Another option is to use the "getchar()" function from the standard input/output library "stdio.h". This function also reads a single character from the keyboard without requiring the user to press enter. These functions can be useful for creating more streamlined and efficient user interfaces in C programs. However, it's important to note that these functions may not work on all systems and may have limitations in terms of the types of input they can handle. It's always important to thoroughly test and validate your code before implementing it in a production environment.