WriteConsoleOutputCharacter

The WriteConsoleOutputCharacter function copies a number of characters to consecutive cells of a console screen buffer, beginning at a specified location.

BOOL WriteConsoleOutputCharacter(
  HANDLE hConsoleOutput,  // handle to a console screen buffer
  LPCTSTR lpCharacter,    // pointer to buffer to write characters 
                          // from
  DWORD nLength,          // number of character cells to write to
  COORD dwWriteCoord,     // coordinates of first cell to write to
  LPDWORD lpNumberOfCharsWritten 
                          // pointer to number of cells written to
);
 

Parameters

hConsoleOutput

Handle to the screen buffer. The handle must have GENERIC_WRITE access.

lpCharacter

Pointer to a buffer that contains the characters to write to the screen buffer.

nLength

Specifies the number of screen buffer character cells to write to.

dwWriteCoord

Specifies the column and row coordinates of the first cell in the screen buffer to write to.

lpNumberOfCharsWritten

Pointer to a 32-bit variable that receives the number of characters actually written.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero.

If the function fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

If the number of characters to be written to extends beyond the end of the specified row in the screen buffer, characters are written to the next row. If the number of characters to be written to extends beyond the end of the screen buffer, characters are written up to the end of the screen buffer.

The attribute values at the positions written to are not changed.

Windows NT: This function uses either Unicode characters or 8-bit characters from the console's current code page. The console's code page defaults initially to the system's OEM code page. To change the console's code page, use the SetConsoleCP or SetConsoleOutputCP functions, or use the chcp or mode con cp select= commands.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 3.1 or later.
  Windows: Requires Windows 95 or later.
  Windows CE: Unsupported.
  Header: Declared in wincon.h.
  Import Library: Use kernel32.lib.
  Unicode: Implemented as Unicode and ANSI versions on Windows NT.

See Also

Consoles and Character-Mode Support Overview, Console Functions, ReadConsoleOutput, ReadConsoleOutputAttribute, ReadConsoleOutputCharacter, SetConsoleCP, SetConsoleOutputCP, WriteConsoleOutput, WriteConsoleOutputAttribute