The console is a crucial tool in many languages, including the popular language C++. Typically, it’s used for input and output operations. However, there are the few scenarios and specific applications where you don’t want the console to appear when executing a program. Let’s dive into this in-depth, looking at how to hide the console in a C++ program.
The solution
In C++, it’s possible to hide the console when running a program. This mainly revolves around the use of certain integrated functions into Windows.h library. Particularly, the ‘ShowWindow’ function, which can manipulate various features of the windowing environment, and ‘FindWindow’ function, which retrieves a handle to a window, are the key.
Here’s a basic C++ code snippet that illustrates how you can hide the console window:
#include
int main()
{
ShowWindow (FindWindowA(“ConsoleWindowClass”, nullptr), 0);
return 0;
}
Understanding the code
Our code begins with the inclusion of the ‘windows.h’ library. This library is a Windows-specific header file for the C++ programming language which contains declarations for all of the functions in the Windows API.
The ‘main’ function is the point where our program starts. Inside this function, we invoke ‘ShowWindow’ and ‘FindWindowA’ functions. Here’s what they do:
– ‘FindWindowA’: This function is used to locate a window by classname. The “ConsoleWindowClass” is, as the name implies, the class name of a console window. ‘nullptr’ argument implies no window name is provided.
– ‘ShowWindow’: This function changes the display state of the detected window. The ‘0’ argument is a command to hide the window.
Now, when you run your program, you’ll notice that the console window doesn’t show up.
Related Libraries and Functions
The ‘windows.h’ library in C++ is teeming with essential functionalities beyond the ‘ShowWindow’ and ‘FindWindowA’ functions that we discussed. Some notable functionalities include system calls, handle management, and various utility functions that the WinAPI (Windows Application Programming Interface) uses.
The ‘FreeConsole’ function is another handy tool that detaches the calling process from its console. After the console has been detached, any attempts to use a standard handle for I/O will result in the handle being redirected to the ‘NULL’ device by default.
Here’s how you can use it:
#include
int main()
{
FreeConsole();
return 0;
}
Understanding and mastering these libraries and functions can help you create more engaging, visually delighting, and user-friendly applications in C++.
