INFO: Read the ESC Key from the Keyboard with _gets()

• The C Run-time (CRT) included with: - Microsoft C for MS-DOS, versions 5.1, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0ax - Microsoft C/C++ for MS-DOS, version 7.0 - Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.5 - Microsoft Visual C++ 32-bit Edition, versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 4.0, 5.0

       on the following platform:
       -  Windows NT
  

SUMMARY

When the ESC key is pressed when entering a keyboard string to be read with the run-time library function gets(), the keyboard buffer is cleared, and the only characters that are read by the gets() function are those pressed after the ESC key.

The gets() function does not receive the input of the command line until the ENTER key is pressed. Pressing the ESC key clears the keyboard buffer. If you need to accept the ESC keystroke, use the getc() function.

For more information and sample code examples, please refer to the descriptions of the CRT functions gets() and getc() in the Visual C++ Books Online.

Keywords          : CRTIss kbfasttip
Version           : MS- DOS:5.1,6.0,6.00a,6.00ax,7.0;WIN3X:1.0,1.5;WINNT:1.0,2.0,2.1,4.0,5.0;
Platform          : MS-DOS NT WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo