_getch - _getche -- Read Character from Keyboard

Format

#include <conio.h>
int _getch(void);
int _getche(void);

Language Level: Extension
_getch reads a single character from the keyboard, without echoing. _getche reads a single character from the keyboard and displays the character read. Neither function can be used to read Ctrl-Break.

You can use _kbhit to test if a keystroke is waiting in the buffer. If you call _getch or _getche without first calling _kbhit, the program waits for a key to be pressed.

Return Value
_getch and _getche return the character read. To read a function key or cursor-moving key, you must call _getch and _getche twice; the first call returns 0 or 0xE0, and the second call returns the particular extended key code.

Example
This example gets characters from the keyboard until it finds the character 'x'.

#include <conio.h>
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void)
{
   int ch;
   printf("\nType in some letters.\n");
   printf("If you type in an 'x', the program ends.\n");
   for(;;) {
      ch = _getch();
      if ('x' == ch) {
         _ungetch(ch);
         break;
      }
      _putch(ch);
   }
   ch = _getch();
   printf("\n");
   printf("\nThe last character was '%c'.", ch);
   return 0;
   /*****************************************************
      Here is the output from a sample run:
      Type in some letters.
      If you type in an 'x', the program ends.
      One Two Three Four Five Si
      The last character was 'x'.
   *****************************************************/
}



_cgets -- Read String of Characters from Keyboard
fgetc -- Read a Character
getc - getchar -- Read a Character
_kbhit -- Test for Keystroke
_putch -- Write Character to Screen
_ungetch -- Push Character Back to Keyboard
<conio.h>