Keyboard input with timeout?
keyboard-input, python, timeout
Solution
The example you have linked to is wrong and the exception is actually occuring when calling alarm handler instead of when read blocks. Better try this:
import signal
TIMEOUT = 5 # number of seconds your want for timeout
def interrupted(signum, frame):
"called when read times out"
print 'interrupted!'
signal.signal(signal.SIGALRM, interrupted)
def input():
try:
print 'You have 5 seconds to type in your stuff...'
foo = raw_input()
return foo
except:
# timeout
return
# set alarm
signal.alarm(TIMEOUT)
s = input()
# disable the alarm after success
signal.alarm(0)
print 'You typed', s
Problem
How would you prompt the user for some input but timing out after N seconds? Google is pointing to a mail thread about it at http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2006-January/533215.html but it seems not to work. The statement in which the timeout happens, no matter whether it is a `sys.input.readline` or `timer.sleep()`, I always get: ``` <type 'exceptions.TypeError'>: [raw_]input expected at most 1 arguments, got 2 ``` which somehow the except fails to catch.