Need help with Console Set Screen and Console Tools

[MARY GIRARDOT]

Hi,
Years ago I had a pgm compiled in PBCC30. I used Console tools CWC to set console window font to non-standard 9x16 custom raster font then would launch my pgm which used the CONSOLE SCREEN to 34,88 (this was manually calculated fill the screen with no scroll bars with desktop res 800x600) this worked perfectly. Console window started maximized and had no scroll bars. Since then PBCC40 (except 4.03) and PBCC50 replacement command CONSOLE SET SCREEN does not work the same (again except ver 4.03 worked) What is happening with the CONSOLE SET SCREEN is that the console window is not displaying Maximized - therefore scroll bars are added - if manually click on the Maximized console window button, console window is then as should be 34,88. I have researched extensivly the forums for a workaround and have tried the %SW_MAXIMIZED api call with no luck. I dont know if this is a PB or Console tools issue. I do know that everything worked perfect with the PBCC3 CONSOLE SCREEN.
Thanks in advance for any help with this,
Mary

[Fred Buffington]

instead of CWC have you tried using
hConsole = ConsHndl
ShowWindow hConsole, %SW_MAXIMIZE

(with the appropriate Console Screen statement)
or in addition to CWC so that you can use your raster font.

[Eric Pearson]

Mary --

It sounds like you are using the CWC "wrapper" utility that is provided with Console Tools, but that your main program is not using Console Tools (the DLL) itself. Is that correct?

In your CWC file, are you using WINSTATE: Maximized ?

If you're not using the DLL, I'd expect Fred's code to work. But sometimes there are timing issues with the console window; it won't always respond to ShowWindow immediately after the use of certain other APIs, unless you SLEEP first.

If you are using the Console Tools DLL in your main program, using ConsoleWindow %MAXIMIZE should fix the problem. It automatically performs the necessary delays.

-- Eric Pearson, Perfect Sync, Inc.

[MARY GIRARDOT]

I have already tried what Fred has suggested, console window still not maximized (CWC wrapper Maximized setting also). I have also tried what what Eric suggested using the Console Tools dll as well, console window still
not maximized. I just cant figure out why the pre pbcc4 console screen statement worked perfectly and now console set screen is not for window maximized. We have moved on with a different workaround but I am still curious as to how to get the console window to show maximized. There have been prior post with similar problem. Fred and Eric, Thanks very much for your suggestions and help. Have a Great Day

[Fred Buffington]

I couldnt get ConsoleWindow %MAXIMIZE to work on WinME although the ShowWindow did.

Mary, I know you will say yes to this but i'll ask it anyway; are you getting a value for hConsole (or whatever variable you use) ?

ConsoleWindow %MAXIMIZE works with PBcc2 when using CWC but not with PBcc4.

**Added Later**
Since I don't use ConsoleTools+Graphics much anymore, I thought it worth mentioning that I do not have the latest
version of contools or graphics from P.S. so my results may differ from others.

[Arie Verheul]

The pigheaded console

I usually manage to let the console do what i need it to do, but i know that Windows may be very pigheaded about console settings. The problem is that once such an issue is solved one does not remember what the problem was.
As i am not sure what the exact problem is, or what exactly you want to achieve, i simply listed some things that might be relevant:

Apart from setting the console size with Console Set Screen, it may be a good idea to always explicitly set the buffer size with Console Set Virtual.
The general rule is that scroll bars will be installed if both the Rows and Columns settings for the buffer size exceed those of the screen.

The WinApi function GetLargestConsoleWindowSize retrieves the maximum number of rows and columns that will fit on the full screen.

If you want the console to occupy the full screen, it is usually needed to use the WinApi function ShowWindow.
However with Vista this is different.

If you want the console to occupy a given area on the screen (in pixels), then it is possible to set the console size with the WinApi function SetWindowPos.

When searching MSDN i found that there is a WinApi function SetConsoleFont, which is only implemented in Vista.
As i do not use Vista i could never try this, but for Vista users it might be useful.

I once needed a console that adjusted itself to the actual content, and i added that code below, just in case it might be useful.


Arie Verheul

 
#Compile Exe
#Dim All
#Break On
 
%ConsoleWidth         = 120      ' Size of virtual console
%ConsoleHeight        = 100
%DefaultConsRows      = 10       ' Minimum console size
 
%HWND_TOPMOST    = &HFFFFFFFF
%SWP_SHOWWINDOW  = &H0040
 
Type COORD
  x As Integer
  y As Integer
End Type
 
Type CONSOLE_FONT_INFO
  nFont As Dword
  dwFontSize As Coord
End Type
 
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Declare Function GetLargestConsoleWindowSize Lib "KERNEL32.DLL" _
         Alias "GetLargestConsoleWindowSize" _
         (ByVal hConsoleOutput As Dword) As Dword
 
Declare Function SetWindowPos Lib "USER32.DLL" _
         Alias "SetWindowPos" _
         (ByVal hWnd As Dword,_
          ByVal hWndInsertAfter As Dword,_
          ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long,_
          ByVal cx As Long, ByVal cy As Long,_
          ByVal wFlags As Dword) As Long
 
Declare Function GetCurrentConsoleFont Lib "kernel32.dll" _
         Alias "GetCurrentConsoleFont" _
        (ByVal hConsoleOutput As Long,_
         ByVal bMaximumWindow As Long,_
         lpConsoleCurrentFont As CONSOLE_FONT_INFO ) As Long
 
Declare Function GetConsoleFontSize Lib "kernel32.dll" _
         Alias "GetConsoleFontSize" _
        (ByVal hConsoleOutput As Long, ByVal nFont As Long) As Dword
 
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Sub ConsoleScreen
 
    Local WindowSize     As Dword
    Local MaxRows, MaxCols  As Word
    Local ConsX,ConsY    As Long
    Local ConsWidth,ConsHeight As Long
    Local ClientWidth,ClientHeight As Long
 
    WindowSize = GetLargestConsoleWindowSize (GetStdOut)
 
    MaxRows    = (Hi(Word, WindowSize))
    MaxCols    = (Lo(Word, WindowSize))
 
    Console Set Screen  %DefaultConsRows,MaxCols
 
    Console Set Virtual %ConsoleHeight,%ConsoleWidth
 
    Desktop Get Client To ClientWidth,ClientHeight
    Desktop Get Loc    To ConsX,ConsY
    Console Get Size   To ConsWidth,ConsHeight
 
    ConsX = ConsX + (ClientWidth - ConsWidth)\2
    ConsY = ConsY - 5
 
    SetWindowPos(ConsHndl,%HWND_TOPMOST,ConsX,ConsY,ClientWidth,ConsHeight,%SWP_SHOWWINDOW)
 
    Cursor Off
    Mouse 3
    Mouse On
 
End Sub
 
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Sub AdjustConsole (DesiredRows As Long)
 
    ' Adjusts console size to actual needs
 
    Dim   FontData                   As CONSOLE_FONT_INFO
    Local ConsX,ConsY,FontHeight     As Long
    Local ConsWidth,ConsHeight       As Long    ' Size in pixels
    Local CurrentRows,CurrentCols    As Long    ' Size in Rows/Columns
    Local ClientWidth,ClientHeight   As Long    ' Desktop client size
 
    ' Collect info about current situation
 
    Console Get Loc    To ConsX,ConsY
    Console Get Size   To ConsWidth,ConsHeight
    Console Get Screen To CurrentRows,CurrentCols
    Desktop Get Client To ClientWidth,ClientHeight
 
    ' Determine height of console font
    ' Both functions below are not in (my copy of) the WinApi includes
 
    GetCurrentConsoleFont(GetStdOut, 0, ByVal VarPtr(FontData))
    FontHeight = Hi(Word,GetConsoleFontSize(GetStdOut, FontData.nFont))
 
    ' Calculate the difference with the current size to avoid frame overhead issues
 
    DesiredRows = Max&(DesiredRows, %DefaultConsRows)
 
    ConsHeight  = ConsHeight + FontHeight * (DesiredRows - CurrentRows)
 
    ConsHeight  = Min&(ConsHeight, ClientHeight - ConsY)   ' Keep scrollbars on the screen
    ConsWidth   = Min&(ConsWidth,  ClientWidth  - ConsX)
 
    SetWindowPos(ConsHndl,%HWND_TOPMOST,ConsX,ConsY,ConsWidth,ConsHeight,%SWP_SHOWWINDOW)
 
End Sub
 
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Function PBMain () As Long
 
    Local I     As Long
    Local X,Y   As Long
 
    ConsoleScreen
 
    For I = 1 To 20
        Print "LINE  ";I
        Console Set View 1,1
        If I > %DefaultConsRows Then AdjustConsole I
        Sleep 500
    Next
 
  WaitKey$
 
End Function

[MARY GIRARDOT]

ConsoleWindow %MAXIMIZE works with PBcc2 when using CWC but not with PBcc4.

ConsoleWindow %MAXIMIZE also worked with PBcc3 when using CWC but not with PBcc4 or PBcc5

[MARY GIRARDOT]

Thanks Arie, I will give your code a try

[Guy Dombrowski]

Mary,

If Arie code does not work, try my Graphic Console technique.
It will work with all Windows flavors including Windows Seven.