Curses - Replace getstr input to * (Asterisks)

Question

I want getstr to display * (Asterisk) when a key is pressed, basically its like a password login form. Any clues on how to do that ? (Samiliar to getpass)

So if i inputed abcd it would return **** (abcd)

I don't know if this question already been answered.

Pratap Alok Raj · Answer 1 · 2021-06-20T05:36:09.250

0

You can take the input from the user as series of characters via getch()

then print * instead after each input

[EDIT]:

Forgot to handle the backspace key: -

Please refer to the below more robust code:

import sys
import msvcrt

def encriptAndsavePassword():
    password = ''
    while True:
        x = ord(msvcrt.getch())
        if x == 13:
            # When system receives a carriage return character
            sys.stdout.write('\n')
            return password
        elif x == 8:
            if len(password) > 0:
                # Deletes previous character.
                sys.stdout.write('\b' + ' ' + '\b')                
                sys.stdout.flush()
                password = password[:-1] 
        else:
            sys.stdout.write('*')
            password +=x

you can read about getch() from here

edited Jun 20 '21 at 05:36

answered Jun 20 '21 at 05:25

Pratap Alok Raj

1,098
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`TypeError: can only concatenate str (not "bytes") to str` and i think it wouldn't work because im using curses and not console – RaphielHS Jun 20 '21 at 05:33
Which operating system are you using? – Pratap Alok Raj Jun 20 '21 at 05:38
it works, but i dont use console for input, i use [curses](https://pypi.org/project/windows-curses/) – RaphielHS Jun 20 '21 at 05:38
`Which operating system are you using?` WIndows – RaphielHS Jun 20 '21 at 05:39
The one I wrote in answer should work, as any input is taken from a console only. curses is a terminal control library only used to map the screen with the user input. – Pratap Alok Raj Jun 20 '21 at 05:50
yea, it works, but it prints when the program exits, but im using curses just for the arrow up and down control – RaphielHS Jun 20 '21 at 05:52
well. this is not a issue, this is a question on how to do it, your code did what i asked, but it didnt work with curses – RaphielHS Jun 20 '21 at 06:07
The docs say: *The Windows version of Python doesn’t include the curses module.* So you are using ... what?. https://docs.python.org/3/howto/curses.html – BoarGules Jun 20 '21 at 06:38
@BoarGules im using windows-curses on pypi – RaphielHS Jun 20 '21 at 09:37

Curses - Replace getstr input to * (Asterisks)

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