How to implement getch() function of C in Linux?

Question

In TurboC++, I can use the getch() function from conio.h. But in Linux, gcc doesn't provide conio.h. How can I get the functionality of getch()?

Answer 1

Try this conio.h file:

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

/* reads from keypress, doesn't echo */
int getch(void)
{
    struct termios oldattr, newattr;
    int ch;
    tcgetattr( STDIN_FILENO, &oldattr );
    newattr = oldattr;
    newattr.c_lflag &= ~( ICANON | ECHO );
    tcsetattr( STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &newattr );
    ch = getchar();
    tcsetattr( STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &oldattr );
    return ch;
}

/* reads from keypress, echoes */
int getche(void)
{
    struct termios oldattr, newattr;
    int ch;
    tcgetattr( STDIN_FILENO, &oldattr );
    newattr = oldattr;
    newattr.c_lflag &= ~( ICANON );
    tcsetattr( STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &newattr );
    ch = getchar();
    tcsetattr( STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &oldattr );
    return ch;
}

You can also use the ncurses library in gcc for some functions similar to conio.h.