[help] Java text reader

[gundum584]

Well im currently working on a game and I cant figure out how to make it constantly look for text.

Im trying to make it so a user can press a button and it will do stuff instead of having to have a readln to see if the user pressed the button it will allready be looking for user input. Like in maplestory,runescape,wow ect... you can always insert text and when you inseret a certain thing like @help it dose something different. So how would i go about making a method or class that will constantly look for user input while still being able to run the main program?

[Norm]

Is this a GUI program or commandline? Much easier to do if your have text fields for user input.
With text fields, instead of constantly looking for input, your program uses listeners. Then when the text field changes your code is called.

From the details of your post, this may be too advanced.
Perhaps if you explain a bit more about how the app is suposed to work.

[gundum584]

its command line. I have like preset commands with it like if the user enters w it will do this or if they press h it will do this ect.. but i dont know how to make it automatically register it when they press it. Right now i have to ask them to enter the letter then have a readline to see if they pressed it. Is there any way to do what im trying to w/o having a gui text feild?

[Norm]

what im trying to

I'm not sure exactly what it is you are trying to do.
Without a GUI, you have to ask the user for input, read the input, do something, then go back and do it again.
How is what you want to do different than this approach?

With GUI there is code that is part of the JRE that can react when the user has pressed a key and tell the program about it. This can be done with listeners.

[gundum584]

so the only way i can do what i want is with a gui?

[Norm]

Can you explain what do you want again?

if the user enters w it will do this or if they press h it will do this

That could describe reading input from the commandline.

how to make it automatically register it when they press it

What does "register it" mean here?

make it constantly look for text.

What is the program going to be doing while it is waiting for text to be entered? Animation?

[gundum584]

There is no visuals in the game it is only text. its like civilization or dwarf fortress w/o visuals
so while the program is waiting for text input it will be telling whats going on. Like it will be saying "the river is about to flood" in which case you would want to press w to make a worker. but the way i have it set up right now after i say the river is about to flood i would have to have an input to check if the user pressed w to make a worker. What i want is so i dont have to check if the user pressed a button. I want it to automatically check. and by automatically i mean it dosnt just check if the user pressed w so say the user wanted to save insted of build a worker he/she would press "s" but it would be looking for "w" and not "s" i need something that would look for all my commands.

[StormyWaters]

You could try reading the input in another thread, however I don't think input is registered until enter is hit.

[Norm]

I don't think there is a way with a command prompt program to be outputting text while waiting for the user to input text. You'll have to use a GUI to be able to do that.