Is there any way to detect key press in Python?

Question

I am wanting to make a program with different responses when you press a key. Is there any way that you can detect a key press in Python?

The program is like when you press 0, it will say you pressed 0 and when you pressed ctrl-c it will say that you interrupted the program, so on.

Can you do this in a while True: loop as well?

Also, I don't want it to be like input and I am using Linux (I don't want to have to use root).

Bob · Accepted Answer · 2022-06-17T06:39:51.950

0

Assuming you want a command line application you should be able to do it with

import sys
import termios
import tty
custom_messages = {'a': 'some other message'}
custom_messages['b'] = 'what?';
stdin = sys.stdin.fileno()
tattr = termios.tcgetattr(stdin)
try:
    tty.setcbreak(stdin, termios.TCSANOW)
    while True:
        char = sys.stdin.read(1)
        print(custom_messages.get(char, 'You pressed ' + char))
except KeyboardInterrupt:
  print('You interrupted')
  sys.exit() ## ?
finally:
    termios.tcsetattr(stdin, termios.TCSANOW, tattr)

I based my answer on disabling buffering in stdin

edited Jun 17 '22 at 06:39

answered Jun 17 '22 at 06:23

Bob

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Did you accidentally unnacepted it? – Bob Jun 17 '22 at 06:31
No, But can you do something like `if char == 'a': print('some other message') else: print('You pressed' +char)` ? – linux-coding649 Jun 17 '22 at 06:31
I was wishing for something like that. – linux-coding649 Jun 17 '22 at 06:32
Nevermind it works. Accept again. – linux-coding649 Jun 17 '22 at 06:34
Check the update, I used a dictionary to specify custom messages, better than having multiple if/else branches. – Bob Jun 17 '22 at 06:40

Is there any way to detect key press in Python?

1 Answers1