Hi internals I would like to propose extending PHP with support functions to enable interactive console work on Windows system. I mean the ability to control a PHP script running from the console using arrow keys, or function keys like "F1", etc. For example, when a list is displayed to the user and the user can select the desired item using the arrow keys and confirm it with the Enter key.
An analysis of other solutions, a detailed description of the problems and a proof of concept is in the proposal in the issue here: https://github.com/php/php-src/issues/12227 The short version is that on Linux you can use "fread" function to read these keys (arrows, etc.) if you use an external `stty` command to set the console input processing modes (for example the laravel/prompts package use "stty -icanon -isig -echo"). However, there is no equivalent of the `stty` command for Windows (without the need to use the FFI extension, or the need to call an external program to read pressed keys, see issue for more details), so I propose to extend PHP with support functions for setting the console input mode (ENABLE_ECHO_INPUT, ENABLE_LINE_INPUT, ENABLE_PROCESSED_INPUT, ENABLE_VIRTUAL_TERMINAL_INPUT) by "SetConsoleMode" function, see: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/setconsolemode I would like to know your opinion on this proposal. Or if you have any questions. And then as a next step I would like to create an RFC proposing these functions for Windows support. And possibly I could help with implementation (see my proof of concept in the issue). Alternatively, there is the question of whether to generalize this and directly design a multiplatform API that would allow to read these keys without the need to use any external programs even on Linux (where "stty" is used). But I don't know which has a better chance of implementation, a simple extension for Windows or a more complex multiplatform solution. Best regards Patrik Pasterčík -- PHP Internals - PHP Runtime Development Mailing List To unsubscribe, visit: https://www.php.net/unsub.php
