Add a little Color to your Console Text

2

By vegaseat on Nov 8th, 2004 12:19 am

Things don't have to be black and white all the time. Use a Windows API call to add some color to your text output.

// color your text in Windows console mode
// colors are 0=black 1=blue 2=green and so on to 15=white  
// colorattribute = foreground + background * 16
// to get red text on yellow use 4 + 14*16 = 228
// light red on yellow would be 12 + 14*16 = 236
// a Dev-C++ tested console application by  vegaseat  07nov2004

#include <iostream>
#include <windows.h>   // WinApi header

using namespace std;    // std::cout, std::cin

int main()
{
  HANDLE  hConsole;
	int k;
	
  hConsole = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);

  // you can loop k higher to see more color choices
  for(k = 1; k < 255; k++)
  {
    // pick the colorattribute k you want
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(hConsole, k);
    cout << k << " I want to be nice today!" << endl;
  }
  
  cin.get(); // wait
  return 0;
}

6 Years Ago

0

Nice...
How do you change the background color?
Pretty please?
And is there a way to make the program appear fullscreen when started up?

venomlash

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143 posts since Oct 2006

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5 Years Ago

0

I have tried to use this in my program.

However when I used #include<windows.h> I get errors when I compile.

I am using the MSVisual 6.0 ???

Akilah712

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21 posts since Jun 2007

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5 Years Ago

0

on windows only:
system("color <put your colors here>");

colors the whole window and all text to any of the standard 16 colors

//0 = Black 8 = Gray
//1 = Blue 9 = Light Blue
//2 = Green a = Light Green
//3 = Aqua b = Light Aqua
//4 = Red c = Light Red
//5 = Purple d = Light Purple
//6 = Yellow e = Light Yellow
//7 = White f = Bright White

you put two characters, first one is background color, second is text color:
system("color c0"); //colors background to light red, with black text

mistercow.pnoy

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7 posts since Feb 2008

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3 Years Ago

0

ya, bakround color use . - system("color f0"); and #include <stdlib.h> it will make the bacround wight with black text for more color codes type 'color help' in cmd prompt. the first nuber ids the backround and the seconed is the text. also to start the consol in full screen send the keys alt and enter like this

keybd_event(VK_MENU, 0x38, 0, 0);
keybd_event(VK_RETURN, 0x1c, 0, 0);
keybd_event(VK_RETURN, 0X1c, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);
keybd_event(VK_MENU, 0x38, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);

dombit

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10 posts since Jun 2009

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2 Years Ago

-1

Just what I was looking for. Cheers!

setherith

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16 posts since Aug 2010

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2 Years Ago

0

Nice one :) the "system" function...who'd have thought it :) Thanks!

jamesysco

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1 post since Jan 2011

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2 Years Ago

0

To get all the system() commands (WINDOWS ONLY!), open up the command prompt (start>accessories>Command Prompt), and type "help" (without the quotes). For help on a specific command, type "help <command name>" (again, no quotes).

pwnedu46

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1 post since Feb 2011

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1 Year Ago

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-1

#include<conio.h>
#include<iostream>
#include<dos.h>
int main() {
textbackground(BLUE);
textcolor(YELLOW);
std::cout<<"Yellow text in a blue console application";
std::cin.get();
return 0;
}

shirish7151

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1 post since Jan 2012

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