Methods And Properties Of The Console Class In C# Complete Guide

Introduction

The Console class in C# provides functionality for reading from and writing to the console. It's part of the System namespace and is commonly used for input/output tasks in console applications.

Here’s a brief overview of some of its most useful methods and properties:

Common Methods:

• Console.WriteLine(): Writes text to the console followed by a newline.
• Console.Write(): Writes text to the console without adding a newline.
• Console.ReadLine(): Reads up to the next newline character from the standard input stream.
• Console.Beep(): Plays a beep sound through the console speaker.
• Console.Clear(): Clears the buffer for the current console window.
• Console.ReadKey(): Obtains the next ConsoleKeyInfo object pressed by the user.
• Console.SetCursorPosition(x, y): Sets the position of the cursor.
• Console.Title: Gets or sets the title of the console window.
• Console.BackgroundColor and Console.ForegroundColor: Get or set the background and foreground colors of the console window, respectively.

Common Properties:

• Console.WindowWidth: Gets or sets the width of the console window.
• Console.WindowHeight: Gets or sets the height of the console window.
• Console.CursorLeft and Console.CursorTop: Get or set the column and row positions of the cursor within the console window.
• Console.IsErrorRedirected: Gets a value that indicates whether the StandardError stream has been redirected from the standard error stream.
• Console.IsInputRedirected: Gets a value that indicates whether the StandardInput stream has been redirected from the console input stream.
• Console.IsOutputRedirected: Gets a value indicating whether the StandardOutput stream has been redirected from the standard output stream.

Example 1: Writing Text to the Console

This example demonstrates how to write text to the console using Console.WriteLine() and Console.Write().

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Writing text to the console with a new line
        Console.WriteLine("Hello");
        
        // Writing text to the console without a new line
        Console.Write("World");   // This line continues from where the last one left off (same line)
        
        Console.WriteLine("! Welcome to C#."); 
        // Output: 
        // HelloWorld! Welcome to C#.

        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to continue...");
        Console.ReadKey();  // Wait for user to press a key before exiting
    }
}

Explanation:

• Console.WriteLine("Hello"): Outputs "Hello" followed by a new line.
• Console.Write("World"): Outputs "World" but does not move to the next line.
• Console.WriteLine("! Welcome to C#."): Outputs "! Welcome to C#." starting from the location where Console.Write() left off, so it appears immediately after "World".
• Console.ReadKey(): Waits until the user presses a key, this is good for when you want the console window to stay open until the user interacts.

Example 2: Reading Input from the Console

This example shows how to read a string and a number from the console using Console.ReadLine().

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Enter your name:");
        string name = Console.ReadLine();  // Read a line of input from the user
        
        Console.WriteLine("Enter your age:");
        int age = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine()); // Read and convert input to an integer
        
        Console.WriteLine($"Your name is {name} and you are {age} years old.");
        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
        Console.ReadKey();
    }
}

Explanation:

• Console.ReadLine(): Pauses the application and reads a line of characters from the console input buffer.
• Convert.ToInt32(): Converts the string to an integer. Important as Console.ReadLine() returns a string.

Example 3: Changing Console Color and Title

This example illustrates how to change the background and foreground color of the console as well as setting the console window title.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Change background color
        Console.BackgroundColor = ConsoleColor.DarkBlue;
        
        // Change foreground color
        Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Yellow;
        
        // Clear the screen to apply color changes
        Console.Clear();

        // Set console window title
        Console.Title = "My First Console Application";
        
        Console.WriteLine("The background color is dark blue and the foreground color is yellow.");
        
        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
        Console.ReadKey();
        
        // Reset colors to default
        Console.ResetColor();
        
        // Optional - clear the screen again
        Console.Clear();
    }
}

Explanation:

• Console.BackgroundColor: Sets the background color of the console.
• Console.ForegroundColor: Sets the text color of the console.
• Console.Clear(): Clears the console screen to apply changes in color.
• Console.Title: Sets the title of the console window.
• Console.ResetColor(): Resets the colors back to their defaults when done.

Example 4: Using Beep and Cursor Position

This example uses the Console.Beep() method to make a sound and manipulates the cursor position using Console.SetCursorPosition() to create custom messages.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Starting the app...");
        
        // Making a beep sound
        Console.Beep(500, 500);  // Frequency 500 Hz and duration 500 milliseconds 
        Console.WriteLine("Beep sound played!");
        
        
        // Custom text placement
        Console.CursorTop = 7;  // Move cursor down 7 lines
        Console.CursorLeft = 20;  // Move cursor right 20 columns
        Console.WriteLine("This is at a fixed position!");

        // Returning cursor to original starting point
        Console.SetCursorPosition(0, 0);  // Move cursor to top left corner
        Console.WriteLine("Cursor returned to origin.");
        
        
        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
        Console.ReadKey();
    }
}

Explanation:

• Console.Beep(frequency, duration): Plays a beep sound with the specified frequency and duration.
• Console.CursorTop and Console.CursorLeft: Get or set the position of the cursor, allowing you to precisely control text placement.
• Console.SetCursorPosition(column, row): Moves the cursor to the specified coordinates.

Example 5: Resizing Console Window

This example demonstrates how to resize the console window.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Display current window dimensions
        Console.WriteLine($"Original window width: {Console.WindowWidth}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Original window height: {Console.WindowHeight}");

        // Resize the console window
        Console.WindowWidth = 60;
        Console.WindowHeight = 30;

        // Display resized window dimensions
        Console.WriteLine($"\nResized window width: {Console.WindowWidth}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Resized window height: {Console.WindowHeight}");
        
        Console.WriteLine("\nPress any key to exit...");
        Console.ReadKey();
        
        // Optional: Reset window size back to default
        Console.WindowWidth = Console.LargestWindowWidth;
        Console.WindowHeight = Console.LargestWindowHeight;
    }
}

Explanation:

• Console.WindowWidth and Console.WindowHeight: Get or set the width and height of the console window respectively.
• Console.LargestWindowWidth and Console.LargestWindowHeight: Returns the maximum width and height of the console window.

Summary

These examples have shown basic usage of various methods and properties of the Console class. The console is extremely versatile for creating basic text-based applications, including games, utilities, and more. Always remember to handle colors and sizes carefully to avoid unexpected behavior, and use Console.ReadKey() where needed to keep the console open during debugging.

Happy coding!