GUI Console

This is an example how you can use Console in you GUI applications. With a helper class that get a work with managing console on itself.

Dowbload: GuiConsoleSrc.zip [C#,5KB] Source codes solution GuiConsoleBin.zip [10KB] Example's binary Note: This application required Microsoft .NET Framewowrk

GuiConsole class

For gettting access to console we should export some procedures from system library kernel32.dll.

[DllImport("kernel32.dll" SetLastError=true)]
protected static extern bool AllocConsole();

[DllImport("kernel32.dll" SetLastError=false)]
protected static extern bool FreeConsole();

[DllImport("kernel32.dll" SetLastError=true)]
protected static extern IntPtr GetStdHandle( int nStdHandle );

[DllImport("kernel32.dll" SetLastError=true)]
protected static extern bool SetStdHandle( int nStdHandle, IntPtr hConsoleOutput );

[DllImport("kernel32.dll" CharSet=CharSet.Auto, SetLastError=true)]
protected static extern IntPtr CreateFile(
    string fileName,
    int desiredAccess,
    int shareMode,
    IntPtr securityAttributes,
    int creationDisposition,
    int flagsAndAttributes,
    IntPtr templateFile );

[DllImport("kernel32.dll" ExactSpelling=true, SetLastError=true)]
protected static extern bool CloseHandle( IntPtr handle );

public static void CreateConsole()
{
    if (hasConsole)
        return;

    if (oldOut == IntPtr.Zero)
        oldOut = GetStdHandle( -11 );

    if (! AllocConsole())
        throw new Exception("AllocConsole() failed";

    conOut = CreateFile( "CONOUT$" 0x40000000, 2, IntPtr.Zero, 3, 0, IntPtr.Zero );

    if (! SetStdHandle(-11, conOut))
        throw new Exception("SetStdHandle() failed";

    StreamToConsole();

    hasConsole = true;
}

private static void StreamToConsole()
{
    Stream cstm = Console.OpenStandardOutput();
    StreamWriter cstw = new StreamWriter( cstm );
    cstw.AutoFlush = true;
    Console.SetOut( cstw );
    Console.SetError( cstw );
}

private static bool hasConsole = false;
private static IntPtr conOut;
private static IntPtr oldOut;

public static void ReleaseConsole()
{
    if (! hasConsole)
        return;

    if (! CloseHandle(conOut))
        throw new Exception("CloseHandle() failed";

    conOut = IntPtr.Zero;

    if (! FreeConsole())
        throw new Exception("FreeConsole() failed";

    if (! SetStdHandle(-11, oldOut))
        throw new Exception("SetStdHandle() failed";

    hasConsole = false;
}