C++ console keyboard events

Solution 1:

Use ReadConsoleInput() API. Watch for events of kind KEY_EVENT. This won't work for all keydown events (Ctrl-key, shift-key, Pause-key cannot be read), but most can be read.

Use GetNumberOfConsoleInputEvents to avoid blocking.

Solution 2:

You can use GetKeyState or GetAsyncKeyState, but that won't give you keydown/keyup events. It will only tell you what keys are currently down.

So if you really need to get the keydown/keyup events, you could install a hook. A Console window has a window handle that is owned by code in Windows and a message pump, also owned by code in Windows.

You can get the window handle of of the console window by using GetConsoleWindowThen install a WH_CALLWNDPROC hook using SetWindowsHookEx to listen in on messages send to the console window.

You might try a WH_MSGFILTER hook instead. I don't know if this works for console windows, but it would generate less messages to be ignored if it does work.

Solution 3:

I was just curious, how comes such a logical question doesn't have any explanation on Google, So one has to ask it here. So I googled for: "keyboard events console application" and guess what ... first 2 links are interesting (but unfortunately, not exactly answers to your question):

• Processing mouse / keyboard input on MSDN.
• Console event handlers (like Ctrl-C and window close button).

Solution 4:

There are a number of ways. GetKeyboardState would be one of the most obvious.