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Steve Carter edited this page May 18, 2017 · 15 revisions

ConsoleZ FAQ

Does ConsoleZ support ANSI escape sequences?

  • No it doesn't: ConsoleZ is only a Windows console wrapper. It reads from the console screen buffer, and writes inputs into console input buffer (see MSDN documentation).
  • Yes it does: You can use ansicon to translate ANSI escape codes. Even with this tool, ANSI escaping is still restricted to Windows console capabilities. So, you are limited to 16 colors. Personally, it doesn't bother me. I never needed more than 8 different text colors to display readable text!

How to restore hidden menu bar?

Press the alt key.

Why is the manual (help) blank?

Press F1 or use the menu to open the manual. If blank page with no content is displayed, then you have to disable the security restriction. See here or here.

Why UI becomes strange/ugly/misaligned?

Open the manual (press F1 in ConsoleZ) and follow instructions fromUsing ConsoleZ/Language settingssection.

Why am I limited in number of rows/columns?

First: verify your settings.

Second: Open the manual (press F1 in ConsoleZ) and follow instructions fromUsing ConsoleZ/Language settings section. Windows calculates the max number of row/column using the primary monitor size and the Windows console font size (do not confuse with ConsoleZ font!). Set this smaller to get more rows and/or columns. Do not choose a raster font if you need unicode support.

How to use a Quake-style console animation?

  • This animation requires a global hotkey to hide/show the application. Assign a hotkey to the command Activate ConsoleZ (global) in Settings/HotKeys.
  • Window must be docked to a screen edge to determine animation direction. Select a Docking value, other than none, in Settings/Appearance.
  • If AERO is active, non-client area is not supported. Consider to uncheck Caption and Resizable.

Why doesn't the background color change?

You configure a background color in settings (tabs/background), and you see another color. The color you configured will replace the background color number 0. See in your shell documentation how to change the color number.

Why won't ConsoleZ start after a settings modification?

Usually, that means you configured a shell that cannot start. When you configure a shell, verify it starts before exiting the application. Never modify the first (default) tab settings. Test and if verification is OK, move your tab settings in first place. By default, your configuration file is located in %APPDATA%\console directory. Otherwise, it is located in the same directory as ConsoleZ program. Rename it to reset configuration.

How to configure ConsoleZ's language?

ConsoleZ language loading follows Windows standard order: first the user language, second the system language and last the neutral language (english). Resource dlls, named (console_<(ISO 639-2/B>.dll), are optional. They can be renamed or deleted.

64bits shell crashes on Loading / Attaching

Verify the executable has been built with large address support enabled. (See https://github.com/cbucher/console/issues/354)

DLL injection has failed (reason: (GetThreadContext)The parameter is incorrect.

You use 32bits version of ConsoleZ and attempt to load 64bits shell. Install 64bits version of ConsoleZ on 64bits OSes!