Console app

**=?ISO-8859-1?Q?G=F6ran_Andersson?=** · Aug 6 '07, 06:15 AM

Re: Console app

Michael C wrote:

Is it possible to have an app that is both a console app and a windows app?

Yes. Just open a windows form from a console application.

If there are no command line switches then it will run as a console app, if
there are command line switches then it will be a windows app.

That's not possible. You can't turn a non-console application into one
after it has started, and you have to start the application before you
can check the command line.

If I make it
a windows app then I can't write to the console. If I make it a console app
then it starts a console if the user runs it from the start menu so from
what I see it's not possible.

You could have a console application start a windows version of the
program instead if it doesn't find anything in the command line.

You could fake the console window by opening a windows form that acts
like a console window.

--
Göran Andersson
_____

guffa.com

http://www.guffa.com

Göran Anderssons privata hemsida.

**jpuopolo** · Aug 6 '07, 12:35 PM

Re: Console app

Michael:

When you build the project, you can specifiy whether the project is in
console mode. All this means is that Windows will create a default console
by default. I typically write WinForms applications that I specificy as
Console. This enables me to do things likes Console.WriteLi ne() in my
application to do simply tracing and debugging. When you turn off Console,
it simply means that Windows will not create a default Console.

As the previous reply states, you cannot choose this at run-time -- the
subsystem (Windows/Console) needs to be decided at compile/link time.

Note that from a WinForms-type application, you can always create your own
Console explicitly.

jpuopolo

"Michael C" <nospam@nospam. comwrote in message
news:OFecNO%231 HHA.3940@TK2MSF TNGP05.phx.gbl. ..

Is it possible to have an app that is both a console app and a windows
app? If there are no command line switches then it will run as a console
app, if there are command line switches then it will be a windows app. If
I make it a windows app then I can't write to the console. If I make it a
console app then it starts a console if the user runs it from the start
menu so from what I see it's not possible.
>
Thanks in advance,
Michael
>
>

**Michael A. Covington** · Aug 6 '07, 03:05 PM

Re: Console app

"Michael C" <nospam@nospam. comwrote in message
news:OFecNO%231 HHA.3940@TK2MSF TNGP05.phx.gbl. ..

Is it possible to have an app that is both a console app and a windows
app? If there are no command line switches then it will run as a console
app, if there are command line switches then it will be a windows app. If
I make it a windows app then I can't write to the console. If I make it a
console app then it starts a console if the user runs it from the start
menu so from what I see it's not possible.

Yes. Write it as a windows app but tell the compiler it's a console app.
Then it will have access to the console, and it can refrain from actually
opening any windows if that's what you want.

- The other Michael C.

**Michael C** · Aug 6 '07, 11:55 PM

Re: Console app

"Michael A. Covington" <look@ai.uga.ed u.for.addresswr ote in message
news:O$HEenD2HH A.2064@TK2MSFTN GP03.phx.gbl...

Yes. Write it as a windows app but tell the compiler it's a console app.
Then it will have access to the console, and it can refrain from actually
opening any windows if that's what you want.

Thanks for the reply. The problem with this approach is that when the user
starts the exe from say the start menu then a dos box appears. I'm presuming
it's not possible to do what I want because everything is done by the time
main gets called and I have no control over it before then.

Michael

**=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=F8j?=** · Aug 7 '07, 12:45 AM

Re: Console app

Michael C wrote:

Is it possible to have an app that is both a console app and a windows app?
If there are no command line switches then it will run as a console app, if
there are command line switches then it will be a windows app. If I make it
a windows app then I can't write to the console. If I make it a console app
then it starts a console if the user runs it from the start menu so from
what I see it's not possible.

It is not easy, but if you are wiling to code for it, then it
can be done.

See the code below (it is not production grade, but it is a
starting point).

Arne

=============== =============== ===============

using System;
using System.Text;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows. Forms;
using System.Runtime. InteropServices ;

namespace E
{
public class MainForm : Form
{
private Label lbl;
public MainForm()
{
InitializeCompo nent();
}
public void InitializeCompo nent()
{
lbl = new Label();
SuspendLayout() ;
lbl.Location = new Point(50, 50);
lbl.Size = new Size(200, 25);
lbl.Text = "This is a GUI app";
Text = "Main form";
Size = new Size(300, 300);
Controls.Add(lb l);
ResumeLayout(fa lse);
}
}
public class MyConsole : IDisposable
{
private const uint STD_INPUT_HANDL E = 0xfffffff6;
private const uint STD_OUTPUT_HAND LE = 0xfffffff5;
private const uint STD_ERROR_HANDL E = 0xfffffff4;
[DllImport("kern el32.dll")]
public static extern bool AllocConsole();
[DllImport("kern el32.dll")]
public static extern bool FreeConsole();
[DllImport("kern el32.dll")]
public static extern int GetStdHandle(ui nt nStdHandle);
[DllImport("kern el32.dll")]
public static extern bool WriteConsole(in t hConsoleOutput,
string lpBuffer,
int nNumberOfCharsT oWrite,
ref int
lpNumberOfChars Written,
int lpReserved);
[DllImport("kern el32.dll")]
public static extern bool ReadConsole(int hConsoleInput,
StringBuilder lpBuffer,
int nNumberOfCharsT oRead,
ref int lpNumberOfChars Read,
int lpReserved);
private int stdin;
private int stdout;
public MyConsole()
{
AllocConsole();
stdin = GetStdHandle(ST D_INPUT_HANDLE) ;
stdout = GetStdHandle(ST D_OUTPUT_HANDLE );
}
public void WriteLine(strin g s)
{
int len = 0;
WriteConsole(st dout, s + "\r\n", s.Length + 2, ref len, 0);
}
public string ReadLine()
{
int len = 0;
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder() ;
ReadConsole(std in, sb, 256, ref len, 0);
return sb.ToString(0, sb.Length - 2);
}
public void Dispose()
{
FreeConsole();
}
}
public class MainClass
{
[STAThread]
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
if(args[0] == "GUI")
{
Application.Run (new MainForm());
}
else if(args[0] == "Console")
{
using(MyConsole console = new MyConsole())
{
console.WriteLi ne("This is a console app");
}
}
}
}
}

**Michael C** · Aug 7 '07, 01:05 AM

Re: Console app

"Arne Vajhøj" <arne@vajhoej.d kwrote in message
news:46b7beac$0 $90267$14726298 @news.sunsite.d k...

It is not easy, but if you are wiling to code for it, then it
can be done.
>
See the code below (it is not production grade, but it is a
starting point).

Thanks for the reply. This is a good solution but isn't exactly what I need.
If someone types MyApp.exe Console at the command line then it will create a
new command window instead of using the existing one.

BTW, your code can be simplified by just calling AllocConsole and then using
the standard dotnet console commands.

Michael

**=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=F8j?=** · Aug 7 '07, 01:45 AM

Re: Console app

Michael C wrote:

"Arne Vajhøj" <arne@vajhoej.d kwrote in message
news:46b7beac$0 $90267$14726298 @news.sunsite.d k...

>It is not easy, but if you are wiling to code for it, then it
>can be done.
>>
>See the code below (it is not production grade, but it is a
>starting point).

>
Thanks for the reply. This is a good solution but isn't exactly what I need.
If someone types MyApp.exe Console at the command line then it will create a
new command window instead of using the existing one.

I thougth you said that the users would be starting the EXE from
the start menu ??

But if they have a console already, then use AttachConsole
instead of AllocConsole.

Arne

**=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=F8j?=** · Aug 7 '07, 01:55 AM

Re: Console app

Michael C wrote:

BTW, your code can be simplified by just calling AllocConsole and then using
the standard dotnet console commands.

Actually I did not even try that.

I prefer not to write code that work or not work depending
on the implementation of the Console class.

Arne

**Michael C** · Aug 7 '07, 02:05 AM

Re: Console app

"Arne Vajhøj" <arne@vajhoej.d kwrote in message
news:46b7ce51$0 $90273$14726298 @news.sunsite.d k...

I thougth you said that the users would be starting the EXE from
the start menu ??

They might start from the start menu but they might start from an existing
console.

But if they have a console already, then use AttachConsole
instead of AllocConsole.

Problem is by that time the console has already gone back to the prompt so
the users can type additional commands. I think something is needed to
modify the code that runs before main is called. This is probably possible
somehow but difficult.

Michael

**=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=F8j?=** · Aug 7 '07, 02:55 AM

Re: Console app

Michael C wrote:

"Arne Vajhøj" <arne@vajhoej.d kwrote in message
news:46b7beac$0 $90267$14726298 @news.sunsite.d k...

>It is not easy, but if you are wiling to code for it, then it
>can be done.
>>
>See the code below (it is not production grade, but it is a
>starting point).

>
Thanks for the reply. This is a good solution but isn't exactly what I need.
If someone types MyApp.exe Console at the command line then it will create a
new command window instead of using the existing one.

Hm.

I just tried.

On my system it does not create a new console window in that scenario.

Arne

**=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=F8j?=** · Aug 7 '07, 03:45 AM

Re: Console app

Arne Vajhøj wrote:

Michael C wrote:

>"Arne Vajhøj" <arne@vajhoej.d kwrote in message
>news:46b7beac$ 0$90267$1472629 8@news.sunsite. dk...

>>It is not easy, but if you are wiling to code for it, then it
>>can be done.
>>>
>>See the code below (it is not production grade, but it is a
>>starting point).

>>
>Thanks for the reply. This is a good solution but isn't exactly what I
>need. If someone types MyApp.exe Console at the command line then it
>will create a new command window instead of using the existing one.

>
Hm.
>
I just tried.
>
On my system it does not create a new console window in that scenario.

Nah. That is with /t:exe, but that gives a console with start run.

Arne

**=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=F8j?=** · Aug 7 '07, 04:05 AM

Re: Console app

Michael C wrote:

Problem is by that time the console has already gone back to the prompt so
the users can type additional commands. I think something is needed to
modify the code that runs before main is called. This is probably possible
somehow but difficult.

You need a new /t: type that neither start a new process
or create a console window.

Arne

**Michael A. Covington** · Aug 7 '07, 10:45 PM

Re: Console app

"Michael C" <nospam@nospam. comwrote in message
news:un9V4NI2HH A.5164@TK2MSFTN GP05.phx.gbl...

"Michael A. Covington" <look@ai.uga.ed u.for.addresswr ote in message
news:O$HEenD2HH A.2064@TK2MSFTN GP03.phx.gbl...

>Yes. Write it as a windows app but tell the compiler it's a console app.
>Then it will have access to the console, and it can refrain from actually
>opening any windows if that's what you want.

>
Thanks for the reply. The problem with this approach is that when the user
starts the exe from say the start menu then a dos box appears. I'm
presuming it's not possible to do what I want because everything is done
by the time main gets called and I have no control over it before then.

The other thing it could do is the Win32 AllocConsole call to get a console.

**Michael C** · Aug 7 '07, 11:45 PM

Re: Console app

"Michael A. Covington" <look@ai.uga.ed u.for.addresswr ote in message
news:OfAFUPU2HH A.748@TK2MSFTNG P04.phx.gbl...

>Thanks for the reply. The problem with this approach is that when the
>user starts the exe from say the start menu then a dos box appears. I'm
>presuming it's not possible to do what I want because everything is done
>by the time main gets called and I have no control over it before then.

>
The other thing it could do is the Win32 AllocConsole call to get a
console.

I tried that and it does work but if you run the app from a console then it
creates a new console to send the text to, when the app closes the new
console disappears. If your app just sends a simple response then you just
get a flicker of this new console on the screen.

>
>

Console app

Console app

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