exkeys(3)

💖 exkeys(3) — the Allegro manual's cutest keyboard tour 💖

okay bestie, so this is exkeys(3) from the Allegro manual — and it's literally the manual page for an example program that teaches you every single way to get input from the keyboard. no cap. we're going through all of them. 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

exkeys — how to get input from the keyboard in different ways. it's part of the Allegro game programming library. 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <allegro.h>

Example exkeys

like, that's the whole vibe. one include, one example. iconic. ✨

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so this program is a whole demo of how to access the keyboard, and it's broken up into stages, like a lil glow-up montage for input handling. 🌈

• First part — shows the basic use of readkey(). the starter pack. 🍼
• Second part — shows how to extract the ASCII value. yes, the actual character, bestie. 🔤
• Third part — next come the scan codes. 👀
• Fourth test — detects modifier keys like alt or shift. those sneaky lil guys. 💀
• Fifth test — this one requires some focus to be passed. like, actually pay attention for this one, fr fr. 🙈
• Final step — shows how to use the global key array to read simultaneous key presses. yes, multiple keys at once. main character multitasking energy. 👑

and then — plot twist — the last method to detect key presses is keyboard callbacks. 🎉

this is demonstrated by installing a keyboard callback, which marks all pressed keys by drawing to a grid.

so it literally draws a lil grid and lights up every key you press. obsessed. that's the demo. periodt. 💅

🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

okay so if you wanna go deeper, here's the whole squad, no one left behind:

• END_OF_FUNCTION(3), END_OF_MAIN(3), LOCK_FUNCTION(3), SCREEN_H(3), SCREEN_W(3), acquire_screen(3), allegro_error(3), allegro_init(3), allegro_message(3), blit(3), clear_keybuf(3), clear_to_color(3), desktop_palette(3), font(3), install_keyboard(3), install_timer(3), key(3), key_shifts(3), keyboard_lowlevel_callback(3), keypressed(3), makecol(3), readkey(3), rectfill(3), release_screen(3), rest(3), scancode_to_name(3), screen(3), set_gfx_mode(3), set_palette(3), textout_ex(3), textprintf_centre_ex(3), textprintf_ex(3), ureadkey(3), usprintf(3), ustrzncpy(3)

and that's the whole page bestie!! 💖 this lil masterpiece came from Allegro, version 4.4.3, and it's filed under exkeys(3). go press some keys, you got this. 🎀✨💅