Batch File Arrow Key Navigation

Question

I am trying to make a batch file with a highlight selection. For example, when your computer is shutdown incorrectly, it displays a black screen and you can use the arrow keys to navigate the options. I was wondering if I could duplicate that with batch file scripting.

Answer 1

I followed the links given in previous answer and found no useful information. Three of the links refers to the same CHOICE /n /s /c:qQ "solution" based on the old MS-DOS choice.com command, but this is a joke: previous command just return different errorlevel values for "q" and "Q" keys. You need a third-party program in order to read "extended keys", like cursor control keys, function keys, etc.

Some time ago I wrote a program of this type named GetKey.exe; it returns the key code of all keys in keyboard via errorlevel: Ascii characters are returned as positive values and extended keys as negative. For example, the UpArrow key returns -72 and the DownArrow returns -80. The Batch file below create GetKey.exe auxiliary program and show a brief description of its use:

@if (@CodeSection == @Batch) @then


@echo off 

rem Create GetKey.exe auxiliary program and show its usage
rem http://www.dostips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3428
rem Antonio Perez Ayala

echo Get a key from keyboard and return its value in ERRORLEVEL.
echo/
echo GetKey [/N]
echo/
echo Ascii characters are returned as positive values, extended keys as negative.
echo/
echo If /N switch is given, no wait for a key: immediately return zero if no key
echo was pressed.
echo/

if not exist GetKey.exe call :ExtractBinaryFile GetKey.exe
goto :EOF


rem Extract Binary File from hexadecimal digits placed in a "resource" in this .bat file

:ExtractBinaryFile filename.ext
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "start="
set "end="
for /F "tokens=1,3 delims=:=>" %%a in ('findstr /N /B "</*resource" "%~F0"') do (
   if not defined start (
      if "%%~b" equ "%~1" set start=%%a
   ) else if not defined end set end=%%a
)
(for /F "skip=%start% tokens=1* delims=:" %%a in ('findstr /N "^" "%~F0"') do (
   if "%%a" == "%end%" goto decodeHexFile
   echo %%b
)) > "%~1.hex"
:decodeHexFile
Cscript //nologo //E:JScript "%~F0" "%~1" < "%~1.hex"
del "%~1.hex"
exit /B

<resource id="GetKey.exe">
4D5A900003[3]04[3]FFFF[2]B8[7]40[35]B0[3]0E1FBA0E00B409CD21B8014CCD21546869732070726F6772616D2063616E6E6F74
2062652072756E20696E20444F53206D6F64652E0D0D0A24[7]55B5B8FD11D4D6AE11D4D6AE11D4D6AE9FCBC5AE18D4D6AEED
F4C4AE13D4D6AE5269636811D4D6AE[8]5045[2]4C0102005A66D14F[8]E0000F010B01050C0002[3]02[7]10[3]10[3]20[4]40[2]10
[3]02[2]04[7]04[8]30[3]02[6]03[5]10[2]10[4]10[2]10[6]10[11]1820[2]3C[84]20[2]18[27]2E74657874[3]96[4]10[3]02[3]02[14]20[2]602E
7264617461[2]BA[4]20[3]02[3]04[14]40[2]40[8]E806[3]50E873[3]E840[3]E85F[3]803E00741866813E2F57740766813E2F77740A
FF150C20400085C07419FF151020400085C074073DE0[3]7508FF1510204000F7D8C3CCCCCCCCE82F[3]8BF08A06463C227509
8A06463C2275F9EB0C8A06463C20740484C075F54EC38A06463C2074F94EC3CCFF2504204000FF2500204000FF2510204000FF
250C2040[363]7A20[2]6C20[6]A420[2]9A20[6]5420[10]8C20[3]20[2]6020[10]AE20[2]0C20[22]7A20[2]6C20[6]A420[2]9A20[6]9B004578
697450726F6365737300E600476574436F6D6D616E644C696E6541006B65726E656C33322E646C6C[2]CE005F6765746368[2]11
015F6B62686974[2]6D73766372742E646C6C[328]
</resource>


@end


// Convert Ascii hexadecimal digits from Stdin to a binary string
var count, output = "";
while ( !WScript.Stdin.AtEndOfStream ) {
   var input = WScript.Stdin.ReadLine();
   for ( var index = 0; index < input.length; ) {
      if ( input.charAt(index) == '[' ) {
         for ( count = ++index; input.charAt(index) != ']' ; index++ ) ;
         count = parseInt(input.slice(count,index++));
         for ( var i = 1; i <= count; i++ ) output += String.fromCharCode(0);
      } else {
         output += String.fromCharCode(parseInt(input.substr(index,2),16));
         index += 2;
      }
   }
}

// Write the binary string to the output file
var ado = WScript.CreateObject("ADODB.Stream");
ado.Type = 2;  // adTypeText = 2
ado.CharSet = "iso-8859-1";  // right code page for output (no adjustments)
ado.Open();
ado.WriteText(output);
ado.SaveToFile(WScript.Arguments(0),2); // adSaveCreateOverWrite = 2
ado.Close();

For a further description on GetKey.exe program, with examples and full listing of key codes, see this post; look for program #3- GetKey.exe.hex.

If you want to show a menu with options, you need to move the cursor and show highlighted text. You may do that with CursorPos.exe and ColorShow.exe auxiliary programs, that are described at the same link above.

Answer 2

You could try getinput by aacini. https://github.com/TheBATeam/GetInput-By-Aacini

for arrowkeys use: getinput 293 294 295 296 (←↑→↓)

left will result in %errorlevel%==1, up = 2, etc.