NetNews Offline 2/NetNews Offline Volume 2.iso/news/comp/lang/c-part1/7997

Internet Message Format | 1996-08-05 | 3.5 KB

Path: anvil.ugrad.cs.ubc.ca!not-for-mail
From: [e-mail] (Kazimir Kylheku)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Checking For Keyboard Input
Date: 28 Feb 1996 12:41:31 -0800
Organization: Computer Science, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: anvil.ugrad.cs.ubc.ca

In article <[e-mail]>,
Brian R. Oldham <[e-mail]> wrote:
>
>In article <[e-mail]>, Kazimir Kylheku ([e-mail]) writes:
>>In article <[e-mail]>,
>>aLEX <[e-mail]> wrote:
>>>Hello fellow C programmers,
>>
>>That's a little presumptious, don't you think?
>>
>
>Also of you to say so, Kazi.
>
>>>        Is there anyway to check if keyboard input has been entered without
>>>actually stalling the excution of the code until the user presses a key.  I
>>>would really like to do this but I can't seem to find any way.  If you know of
>>>a way PLEASE email me or post it.  Thank you in advance.
>>
>>This question comes up not fewer than 10 times a week in this newsgroup, yet it
>>has nothing to do with the C language. It is more than adequatly covered in the
>>FAQ, as you would know if you had read it.
>>--
>
>If you had not been so preoccupied with your annoyance at aLEX's
>greeting you might have answered his query - or ignored it. A simple

I wasn't annoyed with the greeting at all.

>brief mention of kbhit() or equivalent, or a call to whatever interrupt

kbhit() is not a standard function. Are you advocating that we give incorrect
answers on comp.lang.c? I don't know what ``whatever interrupt'' is, nor should
I have to. What makes you sure that kbhit() is available in aLEX's programming
environment? He could easily be using UNIX, which is likely, since the method
for doing such a check is somewhat more occluded from common knowledge than
under DOS.  Anyone who knows how to read can readily discover the answer from
their (legitimately purchased) compiler's manual on this platform. Just look up
"keyboard" in the index of your MS, Borland, Watcom or Symantec documentation
and you will likely find a reference to kbhit() in no time.

>pauses the keyboard would have been helpful, but you may be assured,
>none of us appreciate supercilious resposes such as this. Are you going
>to post this crap *every* time a newbie asks a question?

Nope! I think I have pretty much kicked the habit already.

Nevertheless, the fact is, whether or not there is a way to access keyboard
buffers in C, the question _is_ answered in the FAQ. Even "Internet for
Dummies" kinds of books clearly tell you where you can get Usenet FAQ's when
they don't appear in the actual newsgroup. The response may have been
supercilious, but pointing the FAQ is a lot more proper than what you suggest.
I should have done so in an e-mail message, course, and for not doing so I must
apologize.

If the poster had followed read _any_ of the newsgroup _at all_ for even a day
or two, he could have come across a thread that already discusses this. A
simple subject search for "keyboard" will probably dig up some back articles
(assuming the poster's NNTP server keeps a few). Proper netiquette says that
you follow a newsgroup a little bit before adding articles, and read some
FAQ's.

You are absolutely right that responding to such posts publicly only
multiplies the spam.
--