Cout color

Is there any way to change the color of the cout statements, or cin for that matter?

teken894

Asked: 2004-08-29

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1 Solution

LVL 55

Jaime OlivaresSoftware ArchitectCommented: 2004-08-29

Do you mean you want to display text in colors? If so, read this recent question:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Programming/Programming_Languages/C/Q_21111434.html

__init__Commented: 2004-08-30

A simple and relatively portable way is using ansi escape sequences. On windows you might need to install ansi.sys driver

cout << "\033[31;43mHello world\n"; // red on yellow

http://www.evergreen.edu/biophysics/technotes/program/ansi_esc.htm

LVL 19

mrwad99Commented: 2004-08-30

Good answers have been given above, but for a more VC++ based solution, this is a fair example:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <windows.h>

void ChangeColour(WORD theColour)
{
HANDLE hConsole = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); // Get handle to standard output
SetConsoleTextAttribute(hConsole,theColour); // set the text attribute of the previous handle
}

int main()
{
ChangeColour(FOREGROUND_BLUE); // Set the foreground colour to be blue
printf("This text is blue\n");
ChangeColour(FOREGROUND_RED); // Set the foreground colour to be blue
printf("This text is red\n");
ChangeColour( FOREGROUND_BLUE | BACKGROUND_RED); // Set the foreground colour to be blue, the background to be red
printf("This is blue text on a red background\n");

return 0;
}

teken894Author Commented: 2004-08-30

jaime_olivares : As I am not running any unix based systems, I cannot do the ansi stuff...

__init__: also ansi.sys will make my program non-compatible with those with no ansi.sys, and im not thinking of porting, so why go throguh the trouble..

system("color //hex"); changes the overall color of the prompt.

also (FORE)(BACK)GROUND_INTENSITY make the colors brighter, exactly what I need..

anyone know how to make orange??, I tried to no success.

LVL 19

mrwad99Commented: 2004-08-30

You can actually mix the colors, eg

ChangeColour( FOREGROUND_BLUE | FOREGROUND_RED); // Purple

but unfortunately FOREGROUND_YELLOW does not exist.

I dont think there is a way to make orange hence.

teken894Author Commented: 2004-08-30

I made yello by mixing colors, i think it was red and green..

guess u can't use parenthesis for precedence in making orange

LVL 19

mrwad99Commented: 2004-08-30

Nope, tried but could not figure it. You may be able to if you spend enough time playing about, but even with

WORD COLOR_YELLOW = (FOREGROUND_RED | FOREGROUND_GREEN);

ChangeColour((FOREGROUND_RED) | COLOR_YELLOW); // Set the foreground colour to be blue
printf("This text is Orange (?)\n");

the text still comes out just the same as COLOR_YELLOW...

teken894Author Commented: 2004-08-30

Thanks anyway!

LVL 19

mrwad99Commented: 2004-08-30

No problem.

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