Limited asterisked input

I've been trying to write the same thing for hours, every different way I could think of, but none work. I want to enable the user to type in a password, which on screen will be asterisked, and stop the loop when he hits enter. I tried this :

Code:

---

char pass[30];

int main()
{
cout << "Password ?" << endl;
for(int x = 0; x < 10; x++)
{
pass[x] = getch();
cout << "*";
if(pass[x] == '\n')
{
pass[x] = '\0';
x = 11;
}
}

clrscr();
cout << endl << endl << pass;
cin.get();

return 0;
}

---

But this keeps going until I've entered 10 chars. Why doesn't the line "x = 11" break the loop next time around ?


I also tried something like this :
[code]
char pass[30];

int x = 0;

void getpass()
{
pass[x] = getch();
switch(pass[x])
{
case '\n':
cout << "*";
pass[x] = '\0';
break;
default:
cout << "*";
x += 1;
getpass();
break;
}


This continues on for ever. Any ideas ?

Covered in the FAQ
http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/...&id=1043284392

Can you explain why we need EOF and \r ? How come it doesn't work simply with \n, and what's the meaning of EOF ? I know it's End of File, but we don't have a file here, how is it used ?

In that example, EOF is used to detect end of input, either through "end of file" or a read error.

\r is there as an overkill. When reading a text stream, all MS based systems sending \r\n to the app will have these two bytes converted to \n only. Of course, reading from a binary stream will enable your program to receive \r\n.

>>How come it doesn't work simply with \n,
As above, on text streams it would be just \n.

Heh... I'm gonna have to ask again, I should have flashed my newbie badge :P Can you explain just a little bit clearer, thanks :D

Code:

---


This works but does not handle backspaces which you can work out for yourself.
#include <iostream.h>
#include<conio.h>

char pass[30];

int main()
        {
            int num=1;

                cout << "Enter password " << endl;
                        for(int x = 0; x <num; x++)
                                {
                                        num++;
                                        pass[x] = getch();
                                        cout << "*";

                                                if(pass[x] == '\15')
                                                        {

                                                                pass[x] = '\0';
                                                                num=num-2;
                                                                x = num-1;
                                                        }
                                }

                clrscr();
                cout << endl << endl<<"The password you entered was " << pass;
                cin.get();

                return 0;
}

---

Mod edit:
it's /code, not \code

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Korhedron
Heh... I'm gonna have to ask again, I should have flashed my newbie badge :P Can you explain just a little bit clearer, thanks :D

---

Which bit are you having trouble with?

EOF is returned when:
The end of the input is reached. This is normally signalled by the user hitting CTRL+Z or CTRL+D.
It can also be returned if the function doing the reading encounters an IO error.
http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/...&id=1043284351


As for the \r and \n:
\r = carriage return
\n = newline (or line feed)
Hence they are also known as CR LF
Now, on Unix systems, the end of line marker is simply a LF. This is what is generated when you hit [enter]. However, on a Windows based machine, hitting [enter] will result in CRLF being generated. In order to cater for this difference, C/C++ will convert *all incoming LF's and CRLF's to LFs**. This way, your program can check for \n, and is therefore portable, meaning your code can be compiled on both Windows and Unix, and will work correctly.


* - This is compiler dependant, meaning a Unix compiler won't translate CRs, only LFs.

** - This conversion will only be performed on streams opened in text mode, not those opened in binary mode.


@bigwullie: Your code is a clear case for a buffer overflow exploitation ;)

Hammer :
If EOF is returned at the end of input, using getch(), shouldn't the end of input be after the first character, as it is in a simple char a = getch() ?

Also, the \r \n : If both Unix and Windows use \n, it should detect it under both of these OSs and therefore I shouldn't need to include \r, as the loop breaks when there is a \n...

Thanks for your previous answer though, and hopefully the next one :)

>>If EOF is returned at the end of input, using getch(), shouldn't the end of input be after the first character, as it is in a simple char a = getch() ?<<<
End of the input doesn't mean after the read function (getch in this case) stops reading. EOF is when the OS specifically tells the app that EOF has occured (for whatever reason).

>>Also, the \r \n : If both Unix and Windows use \n, it should detect it under both of these OSs and therefore I shouldn't need to include \r, as the loop breaks when there is a \n...
Correct, in my example code \r is probably unnecessary. But then we are dealing with non standard functions, so I can't guarantee it will be the same on all compilers. :)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by bigwullie

Code:

---


This works but does not handle backspaces which you can work out for yourself.
#include <iostream.h>
#include<conio.h>

char pass[30];

int main()
        {
            int num=1;

                cout << "Enter password " << endl;
                        for(int x = 0; x <num; x++)
                                {
                                        num++;
                                        pass[x] = getch();
                                        cout << "*";

                                                if(pass[x] == '\15')
                                                        {

                                                                pass[x] = '\0';
                                                                num=num-2;
                                                                x = num-1;
                                                        }
                                }

                clrscr();
                cout << endl << endl<<"The password you entered was " << pass;
                cin.get();

                return 0;
}

---

Mod edit:
it's /code, not \code

---

I got this error when I tried that out

Code:

---

c:\compiled\password\cpp1.cpp(26) : error C2065: 'clrscr' : undeclared identifier

---

>>'clrscr' : undeclared identifier
A non-standard clear screen function. Just remove it.

When does the OS specifically return EOF ? Also, the loop is told to break when there is a new line ( when Enter is pressed ), therefore why doesn't it break without having EOF in the loop ?

>>When does the OS specifically return EOF ?
When the user hits CTRL+D or CTRL+Z (system dependant). Or when an IO error occurs. Or when the end of the file being input is reached, for example when a file is directed into a program like so:

c:\>a.exe <input.txt

>>Also, the loop is told to break when there is a new line ( when Enter is pressed ), therefore why doesn't it break without having EOF in the loop ?<<
The "while" statement is controlling the loop. All conditions have to be true to enable the code within the loop to be executed.

Quote:

---

>>When does the OS specifically return EOF ?
When the user hits CTRL+D or CTRL+Z (system dependant). Or when an IO error occurs. Or when the end of the file being input is reached, for example when a file is directed into a program like so:

---

Then why would it return EOF here, in which case ? There is no CTRL+D, CTRL+Z, no IO error and no file, therefore no end of file.

Quote:

---

The "while" statement is controlling the loop. All conditions have to be true to enable the code within the loop to be executed.

---

Yes, all statements must be true for the loop to execute ( seeing as we are using the && operator ). The loop being :

Code:

---

while ((ch = getch()) != EOF
          && ch != '\n'
          && ch != '\r'

---

As soon as "ch == '\n'" the loop should break, why doesn't it ?