Console ReadKey timeout

Question

I have built a simple console application, and I need to give a specific time for user to input a keychar.

Should I use this?

System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000);

For those who didn't understand, I need the program to skip the Console.ReadKey().KeyChar; after x seconds.

Is this possible?

This answer might be what you need . . . http://stackoverflow.com/a/57655/18797 — Binary Worrier, Dec 17 '13 at 07:36
Flagged as not a duplicate of the highlighted question, though is related and some of the answers there are actually for this question. I searched out this question understanding that Console.ReadKey and Console.ReadLine were too functionally different for a single solution in all scenarios and as such warrant distinction. — Dead.Rabit, Apr 23 '15 at 10:32

Tony · Answer 1 · 2013-12-17T07:45:02.670

22

I would do it like this:

DateTime beginWait = DateTime.Now;
while (!Console.KeyAvailable && DateTime.Now.Subtract(beginWait).TotalSeconds < 5)
    Thread.Sleep(250);

if (!Console.KeyAvailable)
    Console.WriteLine("You didn't press anything!");
else
    Console.WriteLine("You pressed: {0}", Console.ReadKey().KeyChar);

edited Dec 17 '13 at 07:45

answered Dec 17 '13 at 07:39

Tony

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as said @OndrejJanacek `Thread.Sleep(250);` will freeze gui – Grundy Dec 17 '13 at 07:40
1

yep, because 250 ms markedly less than 1 second, but gui all the same freeze – Grundy Dec 17 '13 at 07:48
@Grundy That's why I used it value. So I believe it solves the problem in this case. – Tony Dec 17 '13 at 07:50
This is really helpful. The only change I made was to use System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch instead of DateTime.Now instead, which let me skip the subraction – NextInLine Nov 04 '16 at 14:30
there will be no gui to be frozen. It's console. – Hossein Margani Jul 19 '18 at 12:22

Sudhakar Tillapudi · Answer 2 · 2013-12-17T07:34:36.103

0

Problem : if you use Thread.Sleep() to wait for 1 second it hangs the Main Thread for given period of time.

Solution : you can use System.Timers.Timer to wait for given amount of time.

Try This:

    System.Timers.Timer timer1 = new System.Timers.Timer();
    timer1.Interval=1000;//one second
    timer1.Elapsed += new System.Timers.ElapsedEventHandler(timer1_Tick);
    timer1.Start();
    char ch;
    private void timer1_Tick(object sender, System.Timers.ElapsedEventArgs e)
    {
        ch=Console.ReadKey().KeyChar;
        //stop the timer whenever needed
        //timer1.Stop();
    }

edited Dec 17 '13 at 07:34

answered Dec 17 '13 at 07:28

Sudhakar Tillapudi

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this is not what OP needed, in your solution you call `Console.ReadKey()` periodically, but OP want **skip** _the Console.ReadKey().KeyChar; after x seconds_ – Grundy Dec 17 '13 at 07:50
@Grundy: this is not exact solution, as OP just asked `Should I use this? Thread.Sleep()` it answers the question IMO. i would have provided exact solution if he has shown his code. – Sudhakar Tillapudi Dec 17 '13 at 07:52
1

OP asked about using it for concrete problem, but in your answer something else – Grundy Dec 17 '13 at 07:59

Console ReadKey timeout

2 Answers2