Win32 - read from stdin with timeout

Question

I\'m trying to do something which I think should be simple: do a blocking read from standard input, but timing out after a specified interval if no data is available.

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Answer 1

Use GetStdHandle() to get the stdin handle. You can then either:

1. use WaitForSingleObject() i the stdin handle itself to detect when there is console input available for reading, then read from it as needed.

2. use GetNumberOfConsoleInputEvents() or PeekConsoleInput() on the stdin handle in a loop to determine when there is data available for reading, then read from it as needed.

3. use ReadFile() with an OVERLAPPED structure containing an event handle, then use the event handle with WaitForSingleObject() to detect if the read times out.

In any case, be careful if stdin has been redirected. If it is redirected to something than is not console I/O, you can't use a GetStdHandle() handle with console functions. If it is redirected to a file, you have to use ReadFile().