1. Using Gets()

Experimenting with using gets() to get keyboard input. I used the following code to attempt to get the keycodes for leftkey and rightkey.

sequence key_sequence  
integer key_code 
key_sequence = gets(0) 
position(24,50) 
printf(1,"%1.5s",{key_sequence}) 
key_code = wait_key() 
<\eucode> 
 
I got no screen display at all. Why not?
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2. Re: Using Gets()

messed up with wrong slash.

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3. Re: Using Gets()

Perhaps I should have asked if gets() is the appropriate function for the job. I need to accept keyboard input for a maximum 12 character word, though the input could also be a single choice stroke (left, right, up, etc). Years ago I had used getch2(), which worked very well. There was an include getch.e. Now I don't know where to find it.

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4. Re: Using Gets()

gets() gets characters until an end-of-line character <enter> or ctl-z is received.

So I'm guessing that isn't what you want, since there's no way to count the characters until the line is terminated and returned, and gets() won't recognize arrow key codes, just printable characters. It basically means "get_string"

There are actually two questions here:

First, how to get up to 12 characters, but no more, and second, how to catch the arrow keys.

You could get a character at a time, keeping track of how many you have, until you encounter an <enter> or reach the maximum of 12.

This can be done with get_key() in a loop. get_key() continually returns -1 until a key is pressed, so you ignore those. When a key is pressed, get_key() returns a key code > 0. Valid character codes begin at 48. Below that, the code indicates a control key. The <enter> key code, for example, is 10.

You'll also want to trap the arrow keys. On Linux terminals, those keys actually return 3 integers, beginning with <esc> which is code 27. If get_key() returns a 27, then you want to do 2 more get_key()s, to retrieve the 2nd and 3rd codes, which will let you determine which arrow key was pressed. For example, {27,91,68} would be a left arrow, and {27,91,67} would be right arrow.

Sounds complicated? Yep. That's why people prefer to program with a GUI, where such things are simple.

Someone will probably have a neater way of doing this, but here's a quick and dirty implementation:

(Edited to add variable length parameter per Pete's post.)

function get_input_at(integer x, integer y, integer len) 
object key 
sequence key_sequence = {}  
 
position(x,y)  
 
while 1 do 
key = get_key()  
if key = 27 then -- an arrow or other control key 
   key &= get_key() 
   key &= get_key()  
-- ? key  -- uncomment this to see the other control key values 
   if equal({27,91,68}, key) then 
      return "LEFT ARROW" -- or do whatever  
   end if 
   if equal({27,91,67}, key) then  
      return "RIGHT ARROW"  
   end if 
elsif key = 10 then return key_sequence -- enter key found 
elsif key > 47 then 
   puts(1,key) -- display it, starting at the x,y point 
   key_sequence &= key -- add it to return value 
   if length(key_sequence) >= len then exit end if -- enough already! 
end if 
end while 
 
return key_sequence 
end function 
 
object x = get_input_at(24,50,12) 
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5. Re: Using Gets()

Hi

gets() for the cursor keys and the function keys will not work because these keys return more than one character when pressed, and you need to creat an 'intepreter' for this.

I tried to paste nin it, but got Fatal run-time error: Couldn't insert new pastey: Incorrect string value: '\xC2\xBF','\xC2...' for column 'body' at row 1

look at the code for get_key_nn() (near the top), it gets a character que into a sequence, and resolves it into a key. This was the basis for the menu system for my veterinary database for years, hope you get some use from it. A lot of keycodes are in there to.

Fdialogs.ex

Cheers

Chris

Irv beat me to it again! smile

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6. Re: Using Gets()

irv said...

Someone will probably have a neater way of doing this,

not really, but your post did remind me of something fairly similar I did a while back: http://rosettacode.org/wiki/Terminal_control/Restricted_width_positional_input/No_wrapping#Phix in case that helps (nb phix not OE, so may need tweaks)

Pete

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