Add color to your std::cout

Introduction

This article illustrates a snippet that permits to add color to console messages.

Background

Well, does it really need any comments?

Using the code

This sample shows how to use the library:

#include "ConsoleColor.h"


std::cout << green << "This text is written in green" 
          << white << std::endl;
std::cout << color(FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN) 
          << "This text has a really exiting color !" 
          << white << std::endl;

Now here is the "library":

// ConsoleColor.h


#pragma once
#include <iostream>

#include <windows.h>


inline std::ostream& blue(std::ostream &s)
{
    HANDLE hStdout = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); 
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(hStdout, FOREGROUND_BLUE
              |FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
    return s;
}

inline std::ostream& red(std::ostream &s)
{
    HANDLE hStdout = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); 
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(hStdout, 
                FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
    return s;
}

inline std::ostream& green(std::ostream &s)
{
    HANDLE hStdout = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); 
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(hStdout, 
              FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
    return s;
}

inline std::ostream& yellow(std::ostream &s)
{
    HANDLE hStdout = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); 
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(hStdout, 
         FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
    return s;
}

inline std::ostream& white(std::ostream &s)
{
    HANDLE hStdout = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); 
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(hStdout, 
       FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_BLUE);
    return s;
}

struct color {
    color(WORD attribute):m_color(attribute){};
    WORD m_color;
};

template <class _Elem, class _Traits>
std::basic_ostream<_Elem,_Traits>& 
      operator<<(std::basic_ostream<_Elem,_Traits>& i, color& c)
{
    HANDLE hStdout=GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE); 
    SetConsoleTextAttribute(hStdout,c.m_color);
    return i;
}

// Copyleft Vincent Godin