Thread: Keystroke Detection

How do I detect keystrokes that aren't characters, such as cursor keys or shift keys?

>How do I detect keystrokes that aren't characters, such as cursor keys or shift keys?
It depends on your operating system. Windows gives you a nice way to detect keystrokes with virtual keys. Or you could just grab the scancodes and detect keystrokes that way:

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include <conio.h>

using namespace std;

int keycode ( bool& extended )
{
  int c;

  c = getch();
  if ( c == 0 || c == 224 ) {
    extended = true;
    c = 256 + getch();
  }

  return c;
}

int main()
{
  int c;
  bool extended;

  while ( ( c = keycode ( extended ) ) != 0x1B ) {
    if ( extended )
      cout<<"Extended: ";
    else
      cout<<"Not Extended: ";
    cout<< c <<endl;
  }
}

Naturally, this solution requires you to be able to get raw input such as with getch.

thanks for the help...i guess

>...i guess
If it wasn't any help you can clarify your question, such as what compiler/platform you use and why my answer was not helpful. That way I have a better idea of exactly what you want and can direct you toward a solution more accurately.

all i need to know (for now) is how to use this code to detect up arrow, down arrow, and enter.

EDIT:
my compiler: djgpp with rhide IDE
my os: windows 98 (the program is a dos program, though)

>all i need to know (for now) is how to use this code to detect up arrow, down arrow, and enter.
Use the program I gave you. When it runs, hit the up arrow, then the down arrow, then enter. Write down the values that are printed, those are the scancodes that you can use to detect the keystrokes. Then hit esc to end the program.

I see... you used int c, instead of char c. I didn't notice that before.

i believe anything on the keyboard has an ascii value
see the post from prelude.
you can use that value and a getch() to write a function that reads and tests the interpreted value entered.