Change text color using visual c++

[hail2dthief]

I'm using visual c++ compiler and I want to change the text color in my c++ dos program. What choices do I have if i don't wanna use system function (example: system("color 0a"))?

[FireNet]

conio.h

It has a lot funtions for console input/output.Take a look at it.

TextColor(RED);
TextBackground(BLUE);

The color values range from 0-15 with 0 being black and 15 being white

warning,i am not too sure of the funtion names,been a while since i used this, though i used it almost everywhere, man time flies

[hail2dthief]

Thanks, FireNet. But the trick doesn't work for microsoft visual c++ 6.0 compiler, is there any function that i can use to change text color using visual c++?

[Brian The Mad]

I'm using visual c++ compiler and I want to change the text color in my c++ dos program. What choices do I have if i don't wanna use system function (example: system("color 0a"))?

#define BLACK 0
#define BLUE 1
#define GREEN 2
#define CYAN 3
#define RED 4
#define MAGENTA 5
#define BROWN 6
#define LIGHTGREY 7
#define DARKGREY 8
#define LIGHTBLUE 9
#define LIGHTGREEN 10
#define LIGHTCYAN 11
#define LIGHTRED 12
#define LIGHTMAGENTA 13
#define YELLOW 14
#define WHITE 15
#define BLINK 128
HANDLE  screen;
int textcolor = LIGHTGREEN;
int backgroundcolor = BLACK;
screen = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
void TextColor(int fontcolor,int backgroundcolor,HANDLE screen)
{
   int color_attribute;
   color_attribute = backgroundcolor;
   color_attribute = _rotl(color_attribute,4) | fontcolor;
   SetConsoleTextAttribute(screen,color_attribute);
}
 
TextColor(textcolor,backgroundcolor ,screen); 
FillConsoleOutputAttribute(screen, _rotl(backgroundcolor,4) , 80 * 50,coord , &cWritten);

This works in Microsoft c++

[MagikMan74]

Of course, if you're just wanting to change the color as you're typing it, then the above is a bit much. A simpler way would be to use this:

#include <windows.h>
#include <iostream.h>
 
int main()
{
   SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE), 0); //replace the 0 with a number for the color you want
 
   cout << "Your text here" << endl;
 
   return 0;
}

[ShawnCplus]

I used this one to save me some time
This is not Visual C++ dependant, I use this with DEv-C++ as well, you just need the windows header

enum Colors { blue=1, green, cyan, red, purple, yellow, grey, dgrey, hblue, hgreen, hred, hpurple, hyellow, hwhite };

void coutc(int color, char* output)
{
   HANDLE handle= GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
   SetConsoleTextAttribute( handle, color);
   cout<< output;
   SetConsoleTextAttribute( handle, color);
}

Then to output in color you would just do

coutc(red, "This is in red!");
coutc(purple, "This is purple!");

[|\|asrin]

HELLO
Can sombody tell me how can i chang the color of concol background????

Of course, if you're just wanting to change the color as you're typing it, then the above is a bit much. A simpler way would be to use this:

#include <windows.h>
#include <iostream.h>
 
int main()
{
   SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE), 0); //replace the 0 with a number for the color you want
 
   cout << "Your text here" << endl;
 
   return 0;
}

[mostermand]

Try this.

SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE), BACKGROUND_RED BACKGROUND_INTENSITY);

You can change RED to GREEN or BLUE and BACKGROUND to FOREGROUND.

If you want to mix colors you just separate them with a |

[Comatose]

HELLO
Can sombody tell me how can i chang the color of concol background????

HELLO... can someone tell me how I can get people to quit posting on ancient old threads?

[|\|asrin]

Hi

Thank you for your reply mostermand but that code didnt work in
microsoft vitual c++(I dont know why??). after searching in the net for hours I found a
useful site about win32 consul application, I thought that it would be very useful for beginners .
http://www.adrianxw.dk/SoftwareSite/index.html

Bye

[phr34k1sh]

Alright... this is all i do... inside of main... right before i access cout... i simply just put on a line before this...

system("color 0a");

This is processing a batch command... and batch is quite simple... if you would like a definition of how this works, simply go to "cmd.exe" and type "help color" this will explain how to use this... you can change the background color of the console with this method... here is an example...

#include "header.h"

using namespace std;

int main ()
{
	system("title Hello World.");
	system("color 0a");
	cout<<"Hello world.";
	system("pause >nul");
	return 0;
}

header.h contains
#include <iostream>

so if you're using an older c++ compiler... replace
#include "header.h"
with
#include <iostream>

otherwise you know what to do... peace... hope i could help.

[justice igwe]

Thanks, FireNet. But the trick doesn't work for microsoft visual c++ 6.0 compiler, is there any function that i can use to change text color using visual c++?

am justice igwe, well am not so sure how ur programming skills are but anyway just figured this trick out. have u tried the #include<graphics.h> and #include<ctype.h> header files.. i think they will do the work for u ..

[msehgal]

can i get any links for having all the graphics functions refernce in micosoft visual c++ express edition
anyone who can refer me any e-book on visual c++ ,..........
thnks alott in advance yaar

[gadsmuck]

thanx

[maxicube]

#include<iostream>
#include<Windows.h>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
	for(int i=0; i<255; i++)
	{
	SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE), i);
	cout << "supppppppppppp " << i << endl;
	}
	system("pause");

}

[JadG]

How do you make individual pieces of text be differently coloured

[Im_Numma_One]

Here is a cool way to look at how to select colors. I learned this from an assembly language class.

(foreColor + ( backgroundColor * 16))

So basically you can go at it like this:

int fColor;
int bColor;

cout << "Color choices and corresponding numbers:" << endl;
cout << "BLACK 0" << endl;
cout << "BLUE 1" << endl;
cout << "GREEN 2" << endl;
cout << "CYAN 3" << endl;
cout << "RED 4" << endl;
cout << "MAGENTA 5" << endl;
cout << "BROWN 6" << endl;
cout << "LIGHTGREY 7" << endl;
cout << "DARKGREY 8" << endl;
cout << "LIGHTBLUE 9" << endl;
cout << "LIGHTGREEN 10" << endl;
cout << "LIGHTCYAN 11" << endl;
cout << "LIGHTRED 12" << endl;
cout << "LIGHTMAGENTA 13" << endl;
cout << "YELLOW 14" << endl;
cout << "WHITE 15" << endl;

cout << "Please make your selections." << endl;

cout << "Text color: ";
cin >> fColor;

cout << "Background color: ";
cin >> bColor;

SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE), (fColor + (bColor * 16)) );
cout << "Cool Tricks Cool Tricks"<< endl;

[suneel khatri]

Hello Friends this is simple code to change the text color or backgroung color in dev-C++ software....

#include <iostream>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>
using namespace std;

int main()
{

    HANDLE a = GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(a, FOREGROUND_RED | FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
            cout << "Bright red text\n";

    //SetConsoleTextAttribute(a, 4 | FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
            //cout << "\n\nBright red text\n";

    SetConsoleTextAttribute(a, FOREGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_GREEN | FOREGROUND_INTENSITY | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY );
            cout << "\n\nBack to normal white text\n";

    //SetConsoleTextAttribute(a, 4 | 2 | FOREGROUND_INTENSITY | BACKGROUND_INTENSITY );
            //cout << "\n\nBack to normal white text\n";

            cout << "\n\nPress any key to exit program.....";
            cin.get();

        return 0;
}

[thefasninja1]

I was also checking for the same color but is there any one who can tell me the number and its color, or share list of all number and color.
I am using system funtion to use color.

[Ancient Dragon]

Read the previous post -- some of the colors are already in that post and they are all defined in windows.h. Console programs have very limited colors, the same as old MS-DOS 6.X from 30 years ago.