/cc @alexbrainman

Here's a bit more. The old way would be to set the console mode and read from the console via the deprecated syscall package:

const enable_window_input = 0x8

var kernel32 = syscall.NewLazyDLL("kernel32.dll")
var proc_get_console_mode = kernel32.NewProc("GetConsoleMode")
var proc_set_console_mode = kernel32.NewProc("SetConsoleMode")
var proc_read_console_input = kernel32.NewProc("ReadConsoleInputW")

func get_console_mode(h syscall.Handle, mode *dword) (err error) {
	r0, _, e1 := syscall.Syscall(proc_get_console_mode.Addr(),
	2, uintptr(h), uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(mode)), 0)
	if int(r0) == 0 {
		if e1 != 0 {
			err = error(e1)
		} else {
			err = syscall.EINVAL
		}
	}
	return
}

func set_console_mode(h syscall.Handle, mode dword) (err error) {
	r0, _, e1 := syscall.Syscall(proc_set_console_mode.Addr(),
	2, uintptr(h), uintptr(mode), 0)
	if int(r0) == 0 {
		if e1 != 0 {
			err = error(e1)
		} else {
			err = syscall.EINVAL
		}
	}
	return
}

func read_console_input(h syscall.Handle, record *input_record) (err error) {
	r0, _, e1 := syscall.Syscall6(proc_read_console_input.Addr(),
	4, uintptr(h), uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(record)), 1, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&tmp_arg)), 0, 0)
	if int(r0) == 0 {
		if e1 != 0 {
			err = error(e1)
		} else {
			err = syscall.EINVAL
		}
	}
	return
}

This way I can read the arrow keys, and it works on Windows 7.

See the full demo in github.com/scrouthtv/termios/win_arrows

Found the difference: Both ways use the very same code. Except that x/sys/windows uses "ReadConsoleW" which [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/readconsole](reads character input from the console) and my example uses "ReadConsoleInputW" which [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/readconsoleinput](reads data from the console).

Because of backwards compatibility, I'd suggest introducing a new method to the x/sys/windows package called ReadConsoleInput which uses "ReadConsoleInputW" syscall and documenting both methods accordingly:

// ReadConsole reads characters from the console

// ReadConsoleInput reads any input from the console

Okay, both functions don't really work for me:

• ReadConsole only reads characters but no other keypresses (think arrow keys, erase, home/end, ...)
• ReadConsoleInput reads any input but currently returns only garbage - I get random combinations of 0x0 and 0x1 when reading characters. It also sends data on key release.

@scrouthtv and @toothrot I cannot help here. This is a question about Windows programming. And I am unfamiliar with this area of Windows.

Alex

@scrouthtv It sounds like this might be better answered if seen by more Go Windows developers, maybe on one of our forums: https://golang.org/wiki/Questions. I know that relatively few Go programmers follow issues as closely as they do the resources listed there. It sounds like this is something someone must have run into before.

There still may be an issue here, but I personally lack the Windows expertise to know what it is.

For future reference: https://forum.golangbridge.org/t/windows-raw-console-i-o/22487.

Thanks for your time