Function that gets char instantly without pressing enter

Question

I'm new to programming, and I try to program a menu in C++.

I want it to be in a while loop, breaking when ESC is pressed, but I want the character to be read instantly without having to press Enter .

while (breaker != 27)
{
    //menu based on switch(breaker)
}

I found the getch() function and <conio.h> header, but people say not to use it because it works only on Windows.

Is there any other method that I can get a character without pressing Enter , and it's multiplatform/meets coding ethic?

My operating system is Windows 11, but I would like to know the solution that works on other systems.

Answer 1

It is generally not possible to use the functions provided by the ISO C++ standard library to detect whether the ESC key has been pressed. However, most platforms provide a platform-specific API which does provide this functionality.

On Microsoft Windows, you can use the functions _getch , _getche or ReadConsoleInput .

On Linux, you can use the ncurses library .