[comp.lang.pascal] Reading invisible integers

209507097@ucis.vill.edu (MCREE, JAMES F) (06/06/91)

"N.O. Monaghan" <monaghan@cs.hw.ac.uk> writes...

> I wonder if anybody can help me. Is it possible to input an integer
> in Turbo Pascal while having the echoing of the digits suppressed
> as they are being typed in. I know that it is possible to read each
> digit in individually and suppress the echoing while this is being
> done, and then convert the data into an integer - but is
> there anyway in which an integer can be directly read in without
> using any conversions or similar tricks?
>
> Nils.

Nils,

	Try setting the color of the characters to be the same as the
background color of the screen.  If you do that they will be printed, but not 
visible.  This method will work for reading any type of input.

						Have a good day,

						Jim.

lanmaint@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Dave Yoest) (06/07/91)

In article <27124@adm.brl.mil>, 209507097@ucis.vill.edu (MCREE, JAMES F) writes...
>"N.O. Monaghan" <monaghan@cs.hw.ac.uk> writes...
> 
>> I wonder if anybody can help me. Is it possible to input an integer
>> in Turbo Pascal while having the echoing of the digits suppressed
>> as they are being typed in. I know that it is possible to read each
>> digit in individually and suppress the echoing while this is being
>> done, and then convert the data into an integer - but is
>> there anyway in which an integer can be directly read in without
>> using any conversions or similar tricks?
>>
>> Nils.
> 
>Nils,
> 
>	Try setting the color of the characters to be the same as the
>background color of the screen.  If you do that they will be printed, but not 
>visible.  This method will work for reading any type of input.

But if you do a printscreen, the "invisible" characters will be 
printed out just as if the text was visible on the screen. Other than 
this little problem, this is a great idea! I spent some time writing
a routine using the method Nils described, when the idea of setting
textcolor := backgroundcolor never occured to me and would have 
worked just fine in my application.






Dave Yoest
LAN M&O Section Supervisor
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Md. USA 20646

DYOEST@128.183.43.16
DYOEST@zaphod.gsfc.nasa.gov