how to display password as * in the console

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Hi,
I have to read the password input and display it as * in the console

How can I do this??

2

This works for ksh93 and should be easily modifable for bash.

passwd=""
omodes=`stty -g`

echo "Enter Password: \c"
while :
do
   stty raw
   c=$(dd bs=1 count=1 2>/dev/null)
   stty -raw

   # break out of loop if CR found
   [[ -z $(echo $c | tr -d "\015") ]] && break

   stty echo
   echo "*\c"
   passwd=${passwd}${c}
   stty -echo
done

stty $omodes

echo
echo "Password entered: $passwd"
3

For bash, the only change needed is to explicitly tell the build-in echo command to interpret "\c" correctly i.e.

passwd=""
omodes=`stty -g`

echo -e  "Enter Password: \c"
while :
do
   stty raw
   c=$(dd bs=1 count=1 2>/dev/null)
   stty -raw

   # break out of loop if CR found
   [[ -z $(echo $c | tr -d "\015") ]] && break

   stty echo
   echo -e "*\c"
   passwd=${passwd}${c}
   stty -echo
done

stty $omodes

echo
echo "Password entered: $passwd"

I love the idiosyncrasies of the echo command!

4

if your looking for a simple solution to just hide the password, and you're using bash, you could just use "read -s" ...

#!/bin/bash

echo -n "Enter a Password: " 
read -s pass_value
echo ""
echo "Password Entered: $pass_value"
5

Thanks for all the replies.
In bash when i type the password it prints the first character on screen
and then types * correctly....but the input is correct

How can i overcome this??

6

My script is here: Reading password and echo * character but it is ksh.