Portable password on console

[vermarajeev]

How can I create a C++ Console application, compiled with GCC, portable to Linux and Windows, with a password prompt without echo (does not show the password as you type it)?

I would like something like those:
- with stars echo:

User: bob
Password: ******

- or without any echo at all

User: bob
Password:

I googled this for hours without finding any solution that were a Console application (usable with bash, dos, etc) compiled with GCC and portable to Windows and Linux.

[rajesh6695]

You can implement your own logic....

using the do while loop read a character by character using getch() and print * once after reading one caharcter till user press enter key ascii value of enter is 0x13..
using string concatenation you can get the whole string.....

Better check our old threads we solved one issue regarding the same....




Regards
Rajesh
<email deleted>

[vermarajeev]

You can implement your own logic....

using the do while loop read a character by character using getch() and print * once after reading one caharcter till user press enter key ascii value of enter is 0x13..
using string concatenation you can get the whole string.....

Better check our old threads we solved one issue regarding the same....




Regards
Rajesh

This is what you are talking about;

string password;
char ch;
while( (ch=getch()) != '\r' )
{
   cout<<"*";
   password.push_back(ch);
} 

I know that solution. but what if the user hits a backspace or delets a character
And another thing is getch() is not recoznized on linux....

Help

[DeMan]

Why would a user hit backspace during a password, don't they know it? They already get three bites at the cherry (usually).

Seriously, I have used some very UNFORGIVING machines (for some reason mainly on UNIX, but this might show I just don't understand it) wher backspaces add characters, so you have to use del, but del only works if you press it exactly enough times (and being a password, you asometimes don't know how many wrong characters you added because it doesn't even show a mask). This is when you focus on managing to hit the right keys at leats once on your three efforts.....

[Banfa]

I do not believe there is any standard way to get input from the console without echoing it because that is how the console works.

I think ryou only option will be to use non-standard for the input.

By best(well only) suggestion is to split all the non-standard code into a separate code file that makes a set interface available to the rest of the program. Then hopefully you will be able to port you program to different platforms by making changes to the (hopefully) small code file containing the non-standard code.

[vermarajeev]

I do not believe there is any standard way to get input from the console without echoing it because that is how the console works.

I think ryou only option will be to use non-standard for the input.

By best(well only) suggestion is to split all the non-standard code into a separate code file that makes a set interface available to the rest of the program. Then hopefully you will be able to port you program to different platforms by making changes to the (hopefully) small code file containing the non-standard code.

Hi Banfa,
I was just waiting for you to reply. I have not seen you posting replies to questions frequently as you did before.

I got getpass(S) method on linux. Here is the link
http://docsrv.sco.com:507/en/man/html.S/getpass.S.html

Can you suggest something like this

[kothuru dinesh]

i think we can do by this or use non canonical format

#include <unistd.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <termios.h>



printf("Enter Your PassWord : ");
getpass(passwd);

[Banfa]

Hi Banfa,
I was just waiting for you to reply. I have not seen you posting replies to questions frequently as you did before.

I got getpass(S) method on linux. Here is the link
http://docsrv.sco.com:507/en/man/html.S/getpass.S.html

Can you suggest something like this

As far as I am aware nothing like this getpass exists on the Windows platform.

However you could implement a similar function with the same name using getch() from conio.h in a separate file. Then the only difference between a WIndows and Unix build would be the inclusion (smallish) of an extra source file.

Well I spend a fair bit on time on Admin duties now and there are many other C/C++ mods so I don't attempt to answer as much now. I tend to cherry pick the interesting or simple problems.

[Banfa]

i think we can do by this or use non canonical format

#include <unistd.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <termios.h>



printf("Enter Your PassWord : ");
getpass(passwd);

unistd.h and termios.h and not standard headers and therefore could not feature in a portable solution.