Hi,
This question has been asked before but what I'm doing is a slight
twist on all of the questions/answers I've seen so far. I developing a
c++ console app (has to be a console app, a wins service is no use to
me) - I don't want the console window to be displayed when the app is
running - I've seen on several posts how this can be done by changing a
projects linker properties to the following /link /subsystem:windows
/entry:mainCRTStartup. This does the job - however, I also want to be
able to occasionally turn back on displaying of the console window at
app startup time using a reg setting or some such thing. Is there
anyway that I can programmatically switch on/off displaying of the
console window?
I have tried using FreeConsole() but the problem with this is that the
console window flashes on the screen for a second and then disappears -
I don't want that flashing - I'd like the console window to either
appear or not appear depending on my reg setting.

Thanks,
Damo

How about you continue using subsystem:windows, get a console for the first
time with AllocConsole(), and thereafter, toggle its visibility with

ShowWindow(GetConsoleWindow(), SW_HIDE);
or
ShowWindow(GetConsoleWindow(), SW_SHOW);

- Vince

On 18 Nov 2005 05:48:19 -0800, "Damo" <damien.obrien@gmail.com> wrote:

- Vince

Use /link /subsystem:windows /entry:mainCRTStartup with the following
sample code:

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

BOOL CreateConsole()
{
// Create console
if (!AllocConsole())
return FALSE;

// Redirect printf, scanf to console
freopen("CONIN$", "rb", stdin);
freopen("CONOUT$", "wb", stdout);
freopen("CONOUT$", "wb", stderr);

// Redirect cout, cin to console
ios::sync_with_stdio();
::setvbuf(stdin, NULL, _IONBF, 0);
::setvbuf(stdout, NULL, _IONBF, 0);
::setvbuf(stderr, NULL, _IONBF, 0);

return TRUE;
}

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
// Create console if you want
if (1)
CreateConsole();

// If console is not created, nothing will happen
printf("Test printf\n");
cout << "Test cout" << endl;

return 0;
}

Zoltan

Thanks guys - both suggestions worked. That extra bit of code to
redirect printf and cout to console is definitely needed if you intend
writing to the console window.

Cheers,
Damo