How to change console application text color?

How to Change Change Console Application Text Color?

To change console application text color use Windows API SetConsoleTextAttribute. This API sets the attributes of characters written to the console screen buffer by the WriteFile or WriteConsole function, or echoed by the ReadFile or ReadConsole function. This function affects text written after the function call.

BOOL WINAPI SetConsoleTextAttribute(
  _In_  HANDLE hConsoleOutput,
  _In_  WORD wAttributes
);

To determine the current color attributes of a screen buffer, call the GetConsoleScreenBufferInfo function.

Sample Code

Easy! Call SetConsoleTextAttribute function with appropriate color codes as shown below…

#include <windows.h>
#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

// A generic function call to set color for text being output
void SetColor( const int Color )
{
   SetConsoleTextAttribute( GetStdHandle( STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE ), Color );
}

int _tmain(int argc, TCHAR* argv[], TCHAR* envp[])
{
   // Only change foreground color
   SetColor(FOREGROUND_GREEN | FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
   cout << "Visit http://ntcoder.com/bab" << endl;

   // This time change background color too
   SetColor(FOREGROUND_BLUE | BACKGROUND_RED | BACKGROUND_GREEN | BACKGROUND_BLUE | FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
   cout << "Visit http://ntcoder.com/bab" << endl;

   return 0;
}

Output