Microsoft KB Archive/46847

= INKEY$ Example to Work Around ON KEY GOSUB Suspended by INPUT =

Article ID: 46847

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft GW-BASIC Interpreter 3.20
 * Microsoft GW-BASIC Interpreter 3.22
 * Microsoft GW-BASIC Interpreter 3.23
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 1.0
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 1.01
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 1.02
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 2.0
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 2.01
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 3.0
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 4.0
 * Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0b
 * Microsoft QuickBasic 4.5 for MS-DOS
 * Microsoft BASIC Compiler 6.0
 * Microsoft BASIC Compiler 6.0b
 * Microsoft BASIC Professional Development System 7.0
 * Microsoft BASIC Professional Development System 7.1

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This article was previously published under Q46847



SUMMARY
This article includes a sample program demonstrating how to emulate a cursor during an INKEY$ loop, and how to trap the ESC, ENTER, and BACKSPACE keys using the INKEY$ function. This program allows you to enter text into a variable while supporting the option to exit the data entry by pressing the ESC key or the ENTER key. The BACKSPACE key lets you delete input data in this INKEY$ example.

You may be motivated to use the INKEY$ function to accept user input because ON KEY GOSUB event trapping is suspended during an INPUT or LINE INPUT statement or an INPUT$ function. Instead of using ON KEY GOSUB event trapping to detect special key presses during input, and instead of using INPUT, LINE INPUT, or INPUT$ for your input, you can use the INKEY$ function in a continuous loop to process all keys.

This information applies to the following:


 * 1) Microsoft GW-Basic Interpreter versions 3.20, 3.22, and 3.23 for MS-DOS
 * 2) Microsoft QuickBasic versions 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, 2.00, 2.01, 3.00, 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50 for MS-DOS
 * 3) Microsoft Basic Compiler versions 6.00, and 6.00b for MS-DOS and MS OS/2
 * 4) Microsoft Basic PDS versions 7.00 and 7.10 for MS-DOS and MS OS/2



MORE INFORMATION
The trapping of keys using the ON KEY GOSUB statement is temporarily suspended while INPUT, INPUT$, or LINE INPUT is pending. If a key being trapped by ON KEY GOSUB is pressed while an INPUT, INPUT$, or LINE INPUT is pending, the first occurrence of that event is remembered but is not executed until you satisfy the INPUT, INPUT$, or LINE INPUT. Only one key press for a given ON KEY GOSUB trap is remembered while an INPUT, INPUT$, or LINE INPUT is pending.

As an alternative to using ON KEY GOSUB, and in order to continue event trapping during input, you can write a routine to input and process one character at a time using the INKEY$ function in a loop. Such a program example is shown at the bottom of this article.

Related Topics
Note: INKEY$ returns a 2-byte STRING for all keys returning an extended keyboard KEY code, such as function keys F1 through F10. For additional information on this topic, query in this Knowledge Base using the following words:

  INKEY$ and EXTENDED and 2-byte codes

If you want to use both INKEY$ and ON KEY GOSUB trapping in the same program, you must take into account an extra required key press, as explained in a separate article, which may be found by querying using the following words:

  INKEY$ and trap and additional and key and press

For more information about the ON KEY GOSUB statement's key trapping being suspended by INPUT$, INPUT, or LINE INPUT, search for a separate article using the following words:

  LINE INPUT and event and suspended

Code Example
When invoking INKEY$ in a loop, no cursor automatically displays (unlike for the INPUT or LINE INPUT statement). The following code example demonstrates how to emulate a cursor during an INKEY$ loop and also trap the ESC, the ENTER, and the BACKSPACE keys.

' INPTCHAR.BAS ' Written under QuickBasic 4.50 ' Note: Line Labels, DECLARE, SELECT CASE, and SUBprograms are not ' supported under GW-Basic. The program would need to be ' rewritten for GW-Basic; however, the same principles using ' INKEY$ apply to GW-Basic. DECLARE SUB Cursor DECLARE SUB GetKey (a$) Col = 1 Row = 7 NewCol = 1 CLS PRINT &quot;-&quot; PRINT &quot;This program will allow you to enter text into a&quot; PRINT &quot;variable while having control to exit the data entry with&quot; PRINT &quot;the ESCape key or the ENTER key. The BACKSPACE key is&quot; PRINT &quot;functional for editing.&quot; PRINT &quot;-&quot; LOCATE Row, NewCol Cursor ' Emulate DOS cursor on screen

DO WHILE NewCol < 81   LOCATE Row, NewCol GetKey a$            ' Get User input SELECT CASE ASC(a$)  ' Evaluate the character input from the

' keyboard CASE 13, 27 ' Codes for CARRIAGE RETURN and ESCAPE GOTO Done CASE 8 ' Code for BACKSPACE GOSUB Backspace CASE ELSE WholeLine$ = WholeLine$ + a$ LOCATE Row, Col PRINT WholeLine$; Cursor NewCol = LEN(WholeLine$) + 1

  END SELECT LOOP

Done: ' The ESCape key or ENTER key was pressed   LOCATE Row, Col PRINT WholeLine$ + &quot; &quot; PRINT PRINT &quot;The String you Entered is: &quot;; WholeLine$ END

Backspace: ' The BACKSPACE key was pressed   LOCATE Row, LEN(WholeLine$): PRINT &quot;  &quot; WholeLine$ = LEFT$(WholeLine$, LEN(WholeLine$) - 1) LOCATE Row, Col PRINT WholeLine$; Cursor RETURN

SUB Cursor COLOR 23 PRINT &quot;[ASCII 220]&quot; COLOR 7 END SUB

SUB GetKey (a$) DO     a$ = INKEY$ LOOP WHILE a$ = &quot;&quot; END SUB

Additional query words: QuickBas BasicCom

Keywords: KB46847

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