Console Java Program: Keyboard I/O Question

Question

Ok,
I'm programming a cute Maze game in Java, you see. Now, I am coding the class that will take input from the user and feed it to my "game engine"..heeh
I'm trying to use the InputStreamReader class to take input from console (keyboard).
Problem is, InputStreamReader won't "take" input unless the player hits the enter key to complete the input. However, I don't want the player to have to hit enter, imagine playing Quake where instead of just hitting w to move forward, you've got to hit w, and then enter, and then w, and then enter, etc.
Is there a class, method, or way to do keyboard input so that my program will just read the next key pressed , no matter what it is, and use it as input?
Here's some of my code:
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.lang.*;
class MannyMaze
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception
//code needed for keyboard input
InputStreamReader console = new InputStreamReader(
new DataInputStream(System.in));
int c;
for(int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
System.out.print("input something: ");
c = console.read();
System.out.println("You inputted: " + c);
Now I'd like this to prompt the user to input something, and then "take" it as input on the next key pressed, without pressing enter.
However, as it is now, the user has to press enter after input to get it to do something.
Help!
avataR
http://plaza.ufl.edu/avatar38

Answer 1

Did you try a KeyListener?
They're designed to work in GUI-Apps, but perhaps they
will work with console-progs too.To add a key listener he would have to add a Component to a console prog. I don't think that would work because the program won't know its client area to listen for keystrokes like it does with a jframe for instance. But that brings up the question as to why wouldn't you write this program in a swing environment that would easily provide you with mouse and key listeners to do just what you want.