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Writing console application

In this section​

This tutorial describes the basic steps that you must complete to create and run a console application from the command line.

Create console​

The following procedures describe the basic steps that you must complete to create and run a console application from the command line.

To create the console​

  1. Create console1.cpp file in your project folder and type the following include file and using statements:
#include <xtd/xtd>

using namespace xtd;
  1. Declare a class named console1.
class console1
  1. Create a default constructor for console1.

You will add more code to the constructor in a subsequent procedure.

  public:
    console1() {}
  1. Add a main method.

Create an instance of the console1.

auto main() -> int {
  console1 {};
}

To create the CMakeLists.txt​

  1. Create CMakeLists.txt file in your project folder and add the cmake minimum version required.
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)
  1. Set the project name and add xtd.forms package.
Project(console1)
find_package(xtd REQUIRED)
  1. Add build rules for the he project.
add_sources(console1.cpp)
target_type(CONSOLE_APPLICATION)

To compile and run the application​

  1. At the Terminal, navigate to the directory you created the console1.cpp class and CMakeLists.txt file.

  2. Compile the console.

xtdc build
  1. At the command prompt, type:
xtdc run

Adding a write line and read line​

The previous procedure steps demonstrated how to just create a basic console that compiles and runs.

To change background and foreground colors and write and read line with the console​

  1. Change background color
  2. Change foreground color
  3. Write desired text to the console.
  4. Ask user and write result in name.
  5. Write formatted result to the console.

The following code example demonstrates how to write and read with the console.

  console1() {
    console::background_color(console_color::blue);
    console::foreground_color(console_color::white);
    console::write_line("What's your name ?");
    auto name = console::read_line();
    console::write_line("Hello, {}", name);
  }
  1. Compile and run the application.
xtdc run

Example​

Following code example is the complete example from the previous tutorial.

console1.cpp:

#include <xtd/xtd>

using namespace xtd;

class console1 {
public:
  console1() {
    console::background_color(console_color::blue);
    console::foreground_color(console_color::white);
    console::write_line("What's your name ?");
    auto name = console::read_line();
    console::write_line("Hello, {}", name);
  }
};

auto main() -> int {
  console1 {};
}

CMakeLists.txt:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)

project(console1)
find_package(xtd REQUIRED)
add_sources(console1.cpp)
target_type(CONSOLE_APPLICATION)

See also​