A lightweight, beginner-friendly C++ library for Windows console manipulation. Perfect for creating colorful console applications, simple games, and learning Windows Console API.

Author: C.Brown Original Version: 1.2 (2001) Current Version: 2.0 (C++17 Modernized, 2025) License: MIT Platform: Windows only

ConCol provides simple, easy-to-use functions for manipulating the Windows console:

• Colors: Set foreground and background colors (16 colors each)
• Cursor Control: Move cursor to any position
• Screen Manipulation: Clear screen or sections
• Window Sizing: Resize console window
• Query Functions: Get console dimensions

• Simple to understand - Great for beginners learning console programming
• Well-documented - Clear API with usage examples
• Minimal dependencies - Just Windows API and C++ Standard Library
• Modern C++17 - Learn current best practices

• Just 2 files - concol.hpp and concol.cpp
• No external libraries - Pure Windows API
• Small footprint - Under 200 lines of code
• Fast compilation - Include and go

• Easy API - Intuitive function names
• Color constants - Use Red, Blue, LtGreen instead of numbers
• Forgiving - Handles edge cases gracefully
• Great for learning - Perfect first step before ncurses or other libraries

• Windows OS (XP or later)
• C++17 compatible compiler (MinGW g++, MSVC, clang)

1. Copy files to your project:

   concol.hpp
   concol.cpp
   

2. Include header in your code:

   #include "concol.hpp"

3. Compile with C++17:

   g++ -std=c++17 your_program.cpp concol.cpp -o your_program

#include "concol.hpp"
#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    concol con;

    con.setForeground(LtGreen);
    con.setBackground(bBlue);
    con.ClearScreen();

    con.goto_XY(30, 10);
    std::cout << "Hello, Colorful World!";

    con.goto_XY(0, 20);
    return 0;
}

Black, Blue, Red, Green, Cyan, Magenta, Orange, DkGray,
LtGray, LtRed, LtGreen, LtBlue, LtCyan, LtMagenta, Yellow, White

bBlue, bRed, bGreen, bCyan, bMagenta, bOrange, bDkGray,
bLtGray, bLtRed, bLtGreen, bLtBlue, bLtCyan, bLtMagenta, bYellow, bWhite

// Set text color only
void setForeground(int fore);
con.setForeground(LtGreen);

// Set background color only
void setBackground(int back);
con.setBackground(bBlue);

// Set both colors at once (-1 to keep current)
void setColour(int fore, int back);
con.setColour(Yellow, bRed);
con.setColour(White, -1);  // Change foreground only
con.setColour(-1, bBlack); // Change background only

// Move cursor to position (0-based)
void goto_XY(short x, short y);
con.goto_XY(10, 5);  // Column 10, Row 5

// Clear entire screen
void ClearScreen();
con.ClearScreen();

// Clear from position to end of screen
void ClearSect(short x, short y);
con.ClearSect(0, 20);  // Clear from row 20 onwards

// Resize console window
void resizeWindow(short width, short height);
con.resizeWindow(80, 25);  // Classic 80x25

// Get console dimensions
short getPosX();  // Get width
short getPosY();  // Get height
int width = con.getPosX();
int height = con.getPosY();

See the examples/ directory for complete programs:

• color_demo.cpp - Demonstrates all 16 colors
• rainbow_text.cpp - Animated rainbow effect
• simple_menu.cpp - Basic menu system
• bouncing_ball.cpp - Simple animation

#include "concol.hpp"
#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    concol con;
    con.ClearScreen();

    const int colors[] = {Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Cyan,
                          Magenta, LtRed, LtGreen, LtBlue,
                          LtCyan, LtMagenta, White};
    const char* names[] = {"Red", "Green", "Blue", "Yellow", "Cyan",
                           "Magenta", "LtRed", "LtGreen", "LtBlue",
                           "LtCyan", "LtMagenta", "White"};

    con.goto_XY(5, 2);
    std::cout << "ConCol Color Demonstration";

    for (int i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
        con.setForeground(colors[i]);
        con.goto_XY(5, 4 + i);
        std::cout << names[i] << " - The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog";
    }

    con.setForeground(White);
    con.goto_XY(0, 18);
    return 0;
}

#include "concol.hpp"
#include <iostream>
#include <windows.h>

int main()
{
    concol con;
    con.ClearScreen();
    con.setForeground(LtCyan);

    // Bouncing ball across screen
    for (int x = 0; x < 70; x++) {
        con.goto_XY(x, 12);
        std::cout << "O";
        Sleep(50);
        con.goto_XY(x, 12);
        std::cout << " ";
    }

    con.goto_XY(0, 20);
    return 0;
}

g++ -std=c++17 -Wall examples/color_demo.cpp concol.cpp -o color_demo
./color_demo

cl /std:c++17 /EHsc examples/color_demo.cpp concol.cpp
color_demo.exe

1. Always reset cursor - Use goto_XY(0, lastLine) before program exit
2. Clear before drawing - Call ClearScreen() at start for clean slate
3. Test colors - Run the color demo to see all options
4. Coordinate system - (0,0) is top-left, X is column, Y is row
5. Screen buffering - Use std::cout << std::flush for immediate display

Choose ConCol if:

• You're learning C++ console programming
• You need simple Windows console manipulation
• You want minimal dependencies
• You're building a small game or utility

Choose others if:

• You need cross-platform support (ncurses/pdcurses)
• You need advanced TUI features (windows, panels, forms)
• You're building a production terminal application

• Windows-only - Uses Windows Console API directly
• No Unicode - Basic ASCII/ANSI support only
• 16 colors - Standard console palette only
• Basic features - No advanced TUI elements (menus, forms, etc.)
• No input - Only output; use std::cin or _getch() for input

Q: Can I use this on Linux/Mac? A: No, ConCol uses Windows Console API. For cross-platform, consider ncurses or pdcurses.

Q: Does it work with modern Windows Terminal? A: Yes! Works with cmd.exe, PowerShell, and Windows Terminal.

Q: Can I use this commercially? A: Yes, MIT license allows commercial use.

Q: How do I handle keyboard input? A: ConCol handles output only. Use std::cin, _getch(), or Windows input functions.

Q: Can I change font size? A: No, console font is controlled by user's terminal settings.

• [[nodiscard]] attributes
• noexcept specifications
• Defaulted constructors/destructors (= default)
• nullptr instead of NULL
• static_cast for type safety
• Modern include guards

• GetStdHandle() - Get console handle
• SetConsoleTextAttribute() - Set colors
• SetConsoleCursorPosition() - Move cursor
• FillConsoleOutputCharacter() - Clear screen
• GetConsoleScreenBufferInfo() - Query console state
• SetConsoleWindowInfo() - Resize window

• v2.0 (2025) - C++17 modernization

  • Added noexcept, const correctness
  • Fixed all compiler warnings
  • Improved documentation
  • Added examples
  • Defaulted special members

• v1.2 (2001) - Original version

  • Basic color and cursor control
  • Screen clearing
  • Window resizing
  • Created for Scrabble game project

I wrote the first version of ConCol back in 2001 as a first-year uni project. I needed colour and cursor control for a Scrabble assignment, so I poked around the WinAPI and built a ~200-line helper that just worked.

Fast-forward to 2025: I found the old code, cleaned it up, and kept the spirit the same — tiny, readable, and useful.

What changed

• Updated to modern C++ (C++17)
• Tidied warnings and rough edges
• Wrote proper docs and examples
• Kept it small — still under 200 lines

Why share it now Not everything needs a framework. Sometimes you just want to paint text, move a cursor, and crack on. If you’re learning C++ on Windows or you want a no-fuss console helper, this will get you moving without the faff.

If you’re curious where it started, the old Scrabble project lives here: https://github.com/Coralesoft/Scrabble

Contributions welcome! This is an educational project, so:

• Keep code simple and readable
• Document new features clearly
• Maintain beginner-friendliness
• Add examples for new functionality

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Copyright (c) 2001-2025 C Brown

• Created for a C++ Scrabble game assignment (2001)
• Modernized to C++17 standards (2025)
• Inspired by the need for simple console manipulation without the complexity of ncurses

• Windows Console API Documentation
• C++17 Standard
• Original project: Scrabble Game

Happy Console Programming! 🎨

If you find ConCol useful for learning, please star the repository and share with others!