FAQ: Is there a getch() (from conio) equivalent on Linux/UNIX?

[kermi3]

Q: Is there a getch() (from conio) equivalent on Linux/UNIX?

A: No. But it's easy to emulate:



code:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#include <stdio.h>
#include <termios.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int mygetch( ) {
  struct termios oldt,
                 newt;
  int            ch;
  tcgetattr( STDIN_FILENO, &oldt );
  newt = oldt;
  newt.c_lflag &= ~( ICANON | ECHO );
  tcsetattr( STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &newt );
  ch = getchar();
  tcsetattr( STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &oldt );
  return ch;
}--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This code sets the terminal into non-canonical mode, thus disabling line buffering, reads a character from stdin and then restores the old terminal status. For more info on what else you can do with termios, see ``man termios''.
There's also a ``getch()'' function in the curses library, but it is /not/ equivalent to the DOS ``getch()'' and may only be used within real curses applications (ie: it only works in curses ``WINDOW''s)..


Thanks to VvV for writing this.