Input Mask from the console

Question

can you help me with input mask?

String format = "X-XX-XXX"

X is the user input from console / keyboard.

I keep wanting to show the dash (-) while the user input to the string format.

Can you help me to solve my problem?

To the best of my knowledge, this isn't possible using only standard input. You may need a GUI solution. — chrisdotcode, May 14 '12 at 16:06
This can't be achieved in a console project. Where do you want to use it, a Desktop or a Web Application? — Luiggi Mendoza, May 14 '12 at 16:07
I am not sure if this is possible. In theory you should call method asynchronous and then return some value to the same line in console — unarity, May 14 '12 at 16:08
@ChrisBlake, it is possible. You can create a console that act like echo, like telnet used to work. But this is not good solution. Other is to write - after user key input and move the cursor too. — Damian Leszczyński - Vash, May 14 '12 at 16:10
@Vash: Yeah, that solution is a project in itself, and definitely not seeming worth it for what he's trying to do here. — chrisdotcode, May 14 '12 at 16:12

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 11:48

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It's impossible to show the entire mask while typing, but what you can do is read individual chars in at a time and when you get to the relevant places, output a dash.

Edit: It may be possible to move the cursor in the console, that way you can output the mask and then manoeuvre the cursor accordingly (depending on how many keys have been pressed).

I just found this here:

char escCode = 0x1B;
int row = 10; int column = 10;
System.out.print(String.format("%c[%d;%df",escCode,row,column));

Which should move the cursor to position 10,10 on the console.

edited May 23 '17 at 11:48

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answered May 14 '12 at 16:09

Liam George Betsworth

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I'm going to use it on a desktop and I dont use GUI. – ivan angelo May 14 '12 at 16:14
As far as I'm aware, my method is possible in the command line. – Liam George Betsworth May 14 '12 at 16:16
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@Liam, what if we write to console the mask and reset the position of cursor to 0 ? It is not easy task. But it is possible. – Damian Leszczyński - Vash May 14 '12 at 16:17
@ivanangelo [GUI: Graphical User Interface](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface). Everyone who uses a PC has to **use** the GUI :). The thing is is your GUI a console application or a Desktop application(with windows and all that fashion)? – Luiggi Mendoza May 14 '12 at 16:19
@mendoza I use it in a desktop app. – ivan angelo May 14 '12 at 16:25
@LiamGeorgeBetsworth is that answering my question? Let me make this question clear. – ivan angelo May 14 '12 at 16:30

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered May 14 '12 at 16:07

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Unfortunately, there is no unbuffered console I/O for java. You have to bind curses via JNI probably:

http://plindenbaum.blogspot.com/2008/01/java-native-interface-jni-notebook.html

answered May 14 '12 at 16:07

execc

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So , Im going to use console.nextLine(). But when the dashes are already there. After I inserting the first character, it will jump to the third character (beside the dash (-)) and so on. – ivan angelo May 14 '12 at 16:35

Input Mask from the console

2 Answers2