This class is used for spawning applications that use the console for input and output. The input and output is then redirected to this class. Thus no console window is show, but all output is read from a thread in the class, and console input is sent via a method in this class. It works by creating anonymous pipes and setting them as the stdin and stdout handles for the app to be spawned. When text is available to read a callback is called and the user of the class can parse the results.
Methods:
::StartConsole()
This method is used to spawn the app. And change the stdin/out handles so the class read/write to/from them. A user defined callback procedure is supplied for the caller to recieve output from the app and its exit code.
::IsRunning()
After the app has been spawned, this method will find out if the app has closed.
::TerminateConsole()
This is used to terminate the running app forcably and the cleanup.
::Write()
Write is the same as useing keyboard input to a console. What characters are in the string is what is sent to the app.
Sample Usage:
Code:
void lpread(char *buffer, DWORD len) {
if (buffer) {
//print the output
printf("%s",buffer);
} else {
//app has exited
printf("App Exited With Code: %d", len);
}
}
void main( void ) {
CVConsole mcon;
//Spawn cmd.exe (the command prompt)
mcon.StartConsole("cmd.exe",lpread);
//send a command to it
mcon.Write("dirrn");
//send another command
mcon.Write("exitrn");
}
if (buffer) {
//print the output
printf("%s",buffer);
} else {
//app has exited
printf("App Exited With Code: %d", len);
}
}
void main( void ) {
CVConsole mcon;
//Spawn cmd.exe (the command prompt)
mcon.StartConsole("cmd.exe",lpread);
//send a command to it
mcon.Write("dirrn");
//send another command
mcon.Write("exitrn");
}
This will produce an output similar to:-
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
C:>dir
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is B12X-5F5G
Directory of C:
24/01/2005 20:37 0 AUTOEXEC.BAT
24/01/2005 21:03 22 BIOSSTR.INI
24/01/2005 20:37 0 CONFIG.SYS
8 File(s) 22,242 bytes
3 Dir(s) 14,819,876,864 bytes free
C:>exit
App Exited With Code: 0
