Linux Shell Scripting Cookbook - Third Edition

Reading n characters without pressing the return key

The bash command read inputs text from the keyboard or standard input. We can use read to acquire input from the user interactively, but read is capable of more. Most input libraries in any programming language read the input from the keyboard and terminate the string when return is pressed. There are certain situations when return cannot be pressed and string termination is done based on a number of characters received (perhaps a single character). For example, in an interactive game, a ball is moved upward when + is pressed. Pressing + and then pressing return to acknowledge the + press is not efficient.

This recipe uses the read command to accomplish this task without having to press ...