How can I return a single character from the console in a batch script without pressing enter?

Question

I\'d like to read/return a single character from a batch script without having to hit the enter key, like getChar() in C/C++. How would I do this?

Answer 1

Use the CHOICE command

Example borrowed from this site

   @echo off
   :menu
   cls
   echo.
   echo       A - Text for item A
   echo       B - Text for item B
   echo       C - End
   echo.
   choice /c:ABC > nul
   if errorlevel 3 goto end
   if errorlevel 2 goto B
   if errorlevel 1 goto A
   echo Error... choice not installed
   goto end
   :A
   echo Commands for item A
   pause
   goto menu
   :B
   echo Commands for item B
   pause
   goto menu
   :end