I would like to write a Console class that can output coloured text to the console.
So I can do something like (basically a wrapper for printf):
Console::Print( "This is a non-coloured message\n" ); Console::Warning( "This is a YELLOW warning message\n" ); Console::Error( "This is a RED error message\n" ); How would I print different coloured text to the Windows Console?
Check out this guide. I would make a custom manipulator so I could do something like:
std::cout << "standard text" << setcolour(red) << "red text" << std::endl; Here's a small guide on how to implement your own manipulator.
A quick code example:
#include <iostream> #include <windows.h> #include <iomanip> using namespace std; enum colour { DARKBLUE = 1, DARKGREEN, DARKTEAL, DARKRED, DARKPINK, DARKYELLOW, GRAY, DARKGRAY, BLUE, GREEN, TEAL, RED, PINK, YELLOW, WHITE }; struct setcolour { colour _c; HANDLE _console_handle; setcolour(colour c, HANDLE console_handle) : _c(c), _console_handle(0) { _console_handle = console_handle; } }; // We could use a template here, making it more generic. Wide streams won't // work with this version. basic_ostream<char> &operator<<(basic_ostream<char> &s, const setcolour &ref) { SetConsoleTextAttribute(ref._console_handle, ref._c); return s; } int main(int argc, char *argv[]) { HANDLE chandle = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); cout << "standard text" << setcolour(RED, chandle) << " red text" << endl; cin.get(); } 
std::flush before calling setcolour() again.I did a search for "c++ console write colored text" and came up with this page at about 4 or 5. As the site has a copy & paste section I thought I'd post it here (another question on link rot also prompted this):
#include <stdlib.h> #include <windows.h> #include <iostream> using namespace std; enum Color { DBLUE=1,GREEN,GREY,DRED,DPURP,BROWN,LGREY,DGREY,BLUE,LIMEG,TEAL, RED,PURPLE,YELLOW,WHITE,B_B }; /* These are the first 16 colors anyways. You test the other hundreds yourself. After 15 they are all combos of different color text/backgrounds. */ bool quit; void col(unsigned short color) { HANDLE hcon = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); SetConsoleTextAttribute(hcon,color); } istream &operator>> ( istream &in, Color &c ) { int tint; cin >> tint; if (tint==-1) quit=true; c=(Color)tint; } int main() { do { col(7); // Defaults color for each round. cout << "Enter a color code, or -1 to quit... "; Color y; cin >> y; // Notice that >> is defined above for Color types. col(y); // Sets output color to y. if (!quit) cout << "Color: " << (int)y << endl; } while (!quit); return 0; } For C# there's this page
#include <windows.h> #include <iostream.h> using namespace std; int main() { HANDLE hOut; hOut = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_RED); cout << "Red " << flush; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY); cout << "Red " << endl; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_GREEN); cout << "Green " << flush; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_GREEN | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY); cout << "Green " << endl; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_BLUE); cout << "Blue " << flush; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_BLUE | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY); cout << "Blue " << endl; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_GREEN); cout << "Yellow " << flush; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_GREEN | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY); cout << "Yellow " << endl; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_GREEN | BACKGROUND_BLUE); cout << "Cyan " << flush; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_GREEN | BACKGROUND_BLUE | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY); cout << "Cyan " << endl; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_BLUE | BACKGROUND_RED); cout << "Magenta " << flush; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_BLUE | BACKGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY); cout << "Magenta " << endl; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_GREEN | BACKGROUND_BLUE); cout << "White " << flush; SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, BACKGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_GREEN | BACKGROUND_BLUE | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY); cout << "White " << endl; return 0; } use these functions
enum c_color{BLACK=30,RED=31,GREEN=32,YELLOW=33,BLUE=34,MAGENTA=35,CYAN=36,WHITE=37}; enum c_decoration{NORMAL=0,BOLD=1,FAINT=2,ITALIC=3,UNDERLINE=4,RIVERCED=26,FRAMED=51}; void pr(const string str,c_color color,c_decoration decoration=c_decoration::NORMAL){ cout<<"\033["<<decoration<<";"<<color<<"m"<<str<<"\033[0m"; } void prl(const string str,c_color color,c_decoration decoration=c_decoration::NORMAL){ cout<<"\033["<<decoration<<";"<<color<<"m"<<str<<"\033[0m"<<endl; }