Keyboard input without displaying letters.

Hi, (Sorry for another question so soon after my last!)

Is it possible to allow a user to type an input without it displaying on the screen as they type the letters.

This is in a similar way to logging into Linux using a Terminal.

For Example:

The user is prompted for a password, the user enters the password followed by a press of the return key. The password is then assigned to a variable. Nothing that they typed is shown on the screen.

Is it possible to implement such a thing?

Thanks for any help

It sure is possible (how else would anyone do it otherwise), but there is no standard way.
You need to say which OS/Compiler you're using in order for us to answer the question.

ok, well there is a slight problem with os/compiler.

im using win200/MS VC++ 6 at college and Win XP/Dev C++ at home

is there code than can compile for both?

You should be able to write a console mode program which compiles in both.

did you try using /b and getch()?

Originally Posted by major_small

did you try using /b and getch()?

getch() doesnt work in the compilers i use.
What do you mean by /b ?

Originally Posted by explosive

getch() doesnt work in the compilers i use.
?

My dev-c++ has conio.h and getch(). The following illustrates getch() and works on my Windows box when compiled with Borland C, Microsoft VC++, and as a file in a dev-c++ project:

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  int c;
  printf("Press ctrl-c to quit\n");
  while ((c = getch()) != 3) {
    putchar(c);
    if (c == '\r') {
      putchar('\n');
    }
  }
  return 0;
}

(Of course if you don't want to echo the character, you could use, say putchar('*'), to put an asterisk in place of the user input.)

Regards,

Dave

Originally Posted by Dave Evans

My dev-c++ has conio.h and getch(). The following illustrates getch() and works on my Windows box when compiled with Borland C, Microsoft VC++, and as a file in a dev-c++ project:

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  int c;
  printf("Press ctrl-c to quit\n");
  while ((c = getch()) != 3) {
    putchar(c);
    if (c == '\r') {
      putchar('\n');
    }
  }
  return 0;
}

(Of course if you don't want to echo the character, you could use, say putchar('*'), to put an asterisk in place of the user input.)

Regards,

Dave

Thanks for that, it works great

getch() isn't strictly standard, so while it works now, you may want to eventually find another way to do it. also, \b is a backspace character. on any reasonably fast system, outputting a \b (or series thereof) will make it seem like it was never output at all. that doesn't work so well on input though.