Path: | Console.rdoc |
Last Update: | Sat Jan 17 12:59:28 Hora est. de Sudamérica E. 2004 |
Win32::Console - Win32 Console and Character Mode Functions
This module implements the Win32 console and character mode functions. They give you full control on the console input and output, including: support of off-screen console buffers (eg. multiple screen pages)
- reading and writing of characters, attributes and whole portions of the screen - complete processing of keyboard and mouse events - some very funny additional features :)
Those functions should also make possible a port of the Unix’s curses library; if there is anyone interested (and/or willing to contribute) to this project, e-mail me. Thank you.
Allocates a new console for the process. Returns C<nil> on errors, a nonzero value on success. A process cannot be associated with more than one console, so this method will fail if there is already an allocated console. Use Free to detach the process from the console, and then call Alloc to create a new console. See also: C<Free>
Example:
Win32::Console::Alloc()
Gets or sets the current console attribute. This attribute is used by the Write method.
Example:
attr = console.Attr() console.Attr(FG_YELLOW | BG_BLUE)
Closes a shortcut object. Note that it is not "strictly" required to close the objects you created, since the Win32::Shortcut objects are automatically closed when the program ends (or when you elsehow destroy such an object).
Example:
link.Close()
Clear the console, with the specified I<attr> if given, or using ATTR_NORMAL otherwise.
Example:
console.Cls() console.Cls(FG_WHITE | BG_GREEN)
Gets or sets cursor position and appearance. Returns C<nil> on errors, or a 4-element list containing: I<x>, I<y>, I<size>, I<visible>. I<x> and I<y> are the current cursor position; …
Example:
x, y, size, visible = console.Cursor() # Get position only x, y = console.Cursor() console.Cursor(40, 13, 50, 1) # Set position only console.Cursor(40, 13) # Set size and visibility without affecting position console.Cursor(-1, -1, 50, 1)
Displays the specified console on the screen. Returns C<nil> on errors, a nonzero value on success.
Example:
console.Display()
Fills the specified number of consecutive attributes, beginning at I<col>, I<row>, with the value specified in I<attribute>. Returns the number of attributes filled, or C<nil> on errors. See also: C<FillChar>.
Example:
console.FillAttr(FG_BLACK | BG_BLACK, 80*25, 0, 0)
Fills the specified number of consecutive characters, beginning at I<col>, I<row>, with the character specified in I<char>. Returns the number of characters filled, or C<nil> on errors. See also: C<FillAttr>.
Example:
console.FillChar("X", 80*25, 0, 0)
Flushes the console input buffer. All the events in the buffer are discarded. Returns C<nil> on errors, a nonzero value on success.
Example:
console.Flush()
Detaches the process from the console. Returns C<nil> on errors, a nonzero value on success. See also: C<Alloc>.
Example:
Win32::Console::Free()
Sends a break signal of the specified I<type> to the specified I<processgroup>. I<type> can be one of the following constants:
CTRL_BREAK_EVENT CTRL_C_EVENT
they signal, respectively, the pressing of Control + Break and of Control + C; if not specified, it defaults to CTRL_C_EVENT. I<processgroup> is the pid of a process sharing the same console. If omitted, it defaults to 0 (the current process), which is also the only meaningful value that you can pass to this function. Returns C<nil> on errors, a nonzero value on success.
Example:
# break this script now Win32::Console::GenerateCtrlEvent()
Returns the number of unread input events in the console’s input buffer, or C<nil> on errors. See also: C<Input>, C<InputChar>, C<PeekInput>, C<WriteInput>.
Example:
events = console.GetEvents()
Returns an array of informations about the console (or C<nil> on errors), which contains:
* columns (X size) of the console buffer. * rows (Y size) of the console buffer. * current column (X position) of the cursor. * current row (Y position) of the cursor. * current attribute used for C<Write>. * left column (X of the starting point) of the current console window. * top row (Y of the starting point) of the current console window. * right column (X of the final point) of the current console window. * bottom row (Y of the final point) of the current console window. * maximum number of columns for the console window, given the current buffer size, font and the screen size. * maximum number of rows for the console window, given the current buffer size, font and the screen size.
See also: Attr, Cursor, Size, Window, MaxWindow.
Example:
info = console.Info() puts "Cursor at #{info[3]}, #{info[4]}."
Reads an event from the input buffer. Returns an array of values, which depending on the event’s nature are:
The array will contain: * event type: 1 for keyboard * key down: TRUE if the key is being pressed, FALSE if the key is being released * repeat count: the number of times the key is being held down * virtual keycode: the virtual key code of the key * virtual scancode: the virtual scan code of the key * char: the ASCII code of the character (if the key is a character key, 0 otherwise) * control key state: the state of the control keys (SHIFTs, CTRLs, ALTs, etc.)
The array will contain:
* event type: 2 for mouse * mouse pos. X: X coordinate (column) of the mouse location * mouse pos. Y: Y coordinate (row) of the mouse location * button state: the mouse button(s) which are pressed * control key state: the state of the control keys (SHIFTs, CTRLs, ALTs, etc.) * event flags: the type of the mouse event
This method will return nil on errors. Note that the events returned are depending on the input Mode of the console; for example, mouse events are not intercepted unless ENABLE_MOUSE_INPUT is specified. See also: GetEvents, InputChar, Mode, PeekInput, WriteInput.
Example:
event = console.Input()
Reads and returns I<number> characters from the console input buffer, or nil on errors. See also: Input, Mode.
Example:
key = console.InputChar(1)
Gets or sets the input code page used by the console. Note that this doesn’t apply to a console object, but to the standard input console. This attribute is used by the Write method. See also: OutputCP.
Example:
codepage = Win32::Console::InputCP() Win32::Console::InputCP(437)
Returns the size of the largest possible console window, based on the current font and the size of the display. The result is nil on errors, otherwise a 2-element list containing col, row.
Example:
maxCol, maxRow = console.MaxWindow()
Gets or sets the input or output mode of a console. I<flags> can be a combination of the following constants:
ENABLE_LINE_INPUT ENABLE_ECHO_INPUT ENABLE_PROCESSED_INPUT ENABLE_WINDOW_INPUT ENABLE_MOUSE_INPUT ENABLE_PROCESSED_OUTPUT ENABLE_WRAP_AT_EOL_OUTPUT
For more informations on the meaning of those flags, please refer to the L<"Microsoft’s Documentation">.
Example:
mode = console.Mode() console.Mode(ENABLE_MOUSE_INPUT | ENABLE_PROCESSED_INPUT)
Returns the number of the buttons on your mouse, or nil on errors.
Example:
puts "Your mouse has #{Win32::Console::MouseButtons()} buttons."
Creates a new console object. The first form creates a handle to a standard channel, I<standard_handle> can be one of the following:
STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE STD_ERROR_HANDLE STD_INPUT_HANDLE
The second form, instead, creates a console screen buffer in memory, which you can access for reading and writing as a normal console, and then redirect on the standard output (the screen) with Display. In this case, you can specify one or both of the following values for I<accessmode>:
GENERIC_READ GENERIC_WRITE
which are the permissions you will have on the created buffer, and one or both of the following values for I<sharemode>:
FILE_SHARE_READ FILE_SHARE_WRITE
which affect the way the console can be shared. If you don’t specify any of those parameters, all 4 flags will be used.
Example:
stdout = Win32::Console.new(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE) stderr = Win32::Console.new(STD_ERROR_HANDLE) stdin = Win32::Console.new(STD_INPUT_HANDLE) buffer = Win32::Console.new() buffer = Win32::Console.new(GENERIC_READ | GENERIC_WRITE)
Gets or sets the output code page used by the console. Note that this doesn’t apply to a console object, but to the standard output console. See also: InputCP.
Example:
codepage = Win32::Console::OutputCP() Win32::Console::OutputCP(437)
Does exactly the same as Input, except that the event read is not removed from the input buffer. See also: GetEvents, Input, InputChar, Mode, WriteInput.
Example:
event = console.PeekInput()
Reads the specified I<number> of consecutive attributes, beginning at I<col>, I<row>, from the console. Returns the attributes read (a variable containing one character for each attribute), or nil on errors. You can then pass the returned variable to WriteAttr to restore the saved attributes on screen. See also: ReadChar, ReadRect.
Example:
colors = console.ReadAttr(80*25, 0, 0)
Reads the specified I<number> of consecutive characters, beginning at I<col>, I<row>, from the console. Returns a string containing the characters read, or nil on errors. You can then pass the returned variable to WriteChar to restore the saved characters on screen. See also: ReadAttr, ReadRect.
Example:
chars = console.ReadChar(80*25, 0, 0)
Reads the content (characters and attributes) of the rectangle specified by I<left>, I<top>, I<right>, I<bottom> from the console. Returns a string containing the rectangle read, or nil on errors. You can then pass the returned variable to WriteRect to restore the saved rectangle on screen (or on another console). See also: ReadAttr, ReadChar.
Example:
rect = console.ReadRect(0, 0, 80, 25)
[cleft, ctop, cright, cbottom]
Moves a block of data in a console buffer the block is identified by I<left>, I<top>, I<right>, I<bottom>, while I<row>, I<col> identify the new location of the block. The cells left empty as a result of the move are filled with the character I<char> and attribute I<attr>. Optionally you can specify a clipping region with I<cleft>, I<ctop>, I<cright>, I<cbottom>, so that the content of the console outside this rectangle are unchanged. Returns nil on errors, a nonzero value on success.
Example:
# scrolls the screen 10 lines down, filling with black spaces console.Scroll(0, 0, 80, 25, 0, 10, " ", FG_BLACK | BG_BLACK)
Redirects a standard handle to the specified console. I<standard_handle> can have one of the following values:
STD_INPUT_HANDLE STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE STD_ERROR_HANDLE
Returns nil on errors, a nonzero value on success.
Example:
console.Select(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE)
Gets or sets the console buffer size.
Example:
x, y = console.Size() console.Size(80, 25)
Gets or sets the title bar the string of the current console window.
Example:
title = console.Title() console.Title("This is a title")
Gets or sets the current console window size. If called without arguments, returns a 4-element list containing the current window coordinates in the form of I<left>, I<top>, I<right>, I<bottom>. To set the window size, you have to specify an additional I<flag> parameter: if it is 0 (zero), coordinates are considered relative to the current coordinates; if it is non-zero, coordinates are absolute.
Example:
left, top, right, bottom = console.Window() console.Window(1, 0, 0, 80, 50)
Writes I<string> on the console, using the current attribute, that you can set with Attr, and advancing the cursor as needed. This isn’t so different from Perl’s "print" statement. Returns the number of characters written or nil on errors. See also: WriteAttr, WriteChar, WriteRect.
Example:
console.Write("Hello, world!")
Writes the attributes in the string I<attrs>, beginning at I<col>, I<row>, without affecting the characters that are on screen. The string attrs can be the result of a ReadAttr function, or you can build your own attribute string; in this case, keep in mind that every attribute is treated as a character, not a number (see example). Returns the number of attributes written or nil on errors. See also: Write, WriteChar, WriteRect.
Example:
console.WriteAttr($attrs, 0, 0) # note the use of chr()... attrs = (FG_BLACK | BG_WHITE).chr() * 80 console.WriteAttr(attrs, 0, 0)
Writes the characters in the string attr, beginning at col, row, without affecting the attributes that are on screen. The string chars can be the result of a ReadChar function, or a normal string. Returns the number of characters written or nil on errors. See also: Write, WriteAttr, WriteRect.
Example:
console.WriteChar("Hello, worlds!", 0, 0)
Pushes data in the console input buffer. I<(event)> is a list of values, for more information see Input. The string chars can be the result of a ReadChar function, or a normal string. Returns the number of characters written or nil on errors. See also: Write, WriteAttr, WriteRect.
Example:
console.WriteInput(event)
Writes a rectangle of characters and attributes (contained in rect) on the console at the coordinates specified by left, top, right, bottom. rect can be the result of a ReadRect function. Returns nil on errors, otherwise a 4-element list containing the coordinates of the affected rectangle, in the format left, top, right, bottom. See also: Write, WriteAttr, WriteChar.
Example:
console.WriteRect(rect, 0, 0, 80, 25)
The following constants are defined in the namespace of Win32::Console::Constants and are brought into the current namespace when the module is required:
BACKGROUND_BLUE BACKGROUND_GREEN BACKGROUND_INTENSITY BACKGROUND_RED CAPSLOCK_ON CONSOLE_TEXTMODE_BUFFER ENABLE_ECHO_INPUT ENABLE_LINE_INPUT ENABLE_MOUSE_INPUT ENABLE_PROCESSED_INPUT ENABLE_PROCESSED_OUTPUT ENABLE_WINDOW_INPUT ENABLE_WRAP_AT_EOL_OUTPUT ENHANCED_KEY FILE_SHARE_READ FILE_SHARE_WRITE FOREGROUND_BLUE FOREGROUND_GREEN FOREGROUND_INTENSITY FOREGROUND_RED LEFT_ALT_PRESSED LEFT_CTRL_PRESSED NUMLOCK_ON GENERIC_READ GENERIC_WRITE RIGHT_ALT_PRESSED RIGHT_CTRL_PRESSED SCROLLLOCK_ON SHIFT_PRESSED STD_INPUT_HANDLE STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE STD_ERROR_HANDLE
Additionally, these other constants are also added to your current namespace when requiring the module:
FG_BLACK FG_BLUE FG_LIGHTBLUE FG_RED FG_LIGHTRED FG_GREEN FG_LIGHTGREEN FG_MAGENTA FG_LIGHTMAGENTA FG_CYAN FG_LIGHTCYAN FG_BROWN FG_YELLOW FG_GRAY FG_WHITE BG_BLACK BG_BLUE BG_LIGHTBLUE BG_RED BG_LIGHTRED BG_GREEN BG_LIGHTGREEN BG_MAGENTA BG_LIGHTMAGENTA BG_CYAN BG_LIGHTCYAN BG_BROWN BG_YELLOW BG_GRAY BG_WHITE ATTR_NORMAL ATTR_INVERSE
ATTR_NORMAL is set to gray foreground on black background (DOS’s standard colors).
Documentation for the Win32 Console and Character mode Functions can be found on Microsoft’s site at this URL:
www.microsoft.com/msdn/sdk/platforms/doc/sdk/win32/sys/src/conchar.htm
A reference of the available functions is at:
www.microsoft.com/msdn/sdk/platforms/doc/sdk/win32/sys/src/conchar_34.htm
* 0.031 (24 Sep 1999) * Fixed typo in GenerateCtrlEvent(). * Converted and added pod documentation (from Jan Dubois <jand@activestate.com>). * 0.03 (07 Apr 1997) * Added "GenerateCtrlEvent" method. * The PLL file now comes in 2 versions, one for Perl version 5.001 (build 110) and one for Perl version 5.003 (build 300 and higher, EXCEPT 304). * added an installation program that will automatically copy the right version in the right place.
* First public release.
Aldo Calpini <a.calpini@romagiubileo.it> Perl module
Gonzalo Garramuño <GGarramuno@aol.com> Ruby Port
Thanks to: Jesse Dougherty, Dave Roth, ActiveWare, and the Perl-Win32-Users community.
This program is FREE; you can redistribute, modify, disassemble, or even reverse engineer this software at your will. Keep in mind, however, that NOTHING IS GUARANTEED to work and everything you do is AT YOUR OWN RISK - I will not take responsibility for any damage, loss of money and/or health that may arise from the use of this program!
This is distributed under the terms of Larry Wall’s Artistic License.