C++ Pixels In Console Window - c++

Question

In C++ using Code::Blocks v10.05, how do I draw a single pixel on the console screen? Is this easy at all, or would it be easier to just draw a rectangle? How do I color it?
I'm sorry, but I just can't get any code from SOF, HF, or even cplusplus.com to work. This is for a Super Mario World figure on the screen. The game I think is 16-bit, and is for the SNES system. C::B says I need SDK for C::B. It says "afxwin.h" doesn't exist. Download maybe?
This is what I'm trying to make:

Answer 1

It depends on your OS. I suppose you are programming in a Windows platform, therefore you can use SetPixel but you have to use "windows.h" to get a console handle, so here an example for drawing the cos() function:
#include<windows.h>
#include<iostream>
#include <cmath>
using namespace std;
#define PI 3.14
int main()
{
//Get a console handle
HWND myconsole = GetConsoleWindow();
//Get a handle to device context
HDC mydc = GetDC(myconsole);
int pixel =0;
//Choose any color
COLORREF COLOR= RGB(255,255,255);
//Draw pixels
for(double i = 0; i < PI * 4; i += 0.05)
{
SetPixel(mydc,pixel,(int)(50+25*cos(i)),COLOR);
pixel+=1;
}
ReleaseDC(myconsole, mydc);
cin.ignore();
return 0;
}
You can also use some others libraries like: conio.h allegro.h sdl, etc.

Answer 2

If you're willing to have the image look blocky, you could take advantage of the block characters from the console code page.
█ = '\xDB' = U+2588 FULL BLOCK
▄ = '\xDC' = U+2584 LOWER HALF BLOCK
▀ = '\xDF' = U+2580 UPPER HALF BLOCK
and space
By using the half-blocks in combination with colored text, you can turn an 80×25 console window into an 80×50 16-color display. (This was the approach used by the QBasic version of Nibbles.)
Then, you just need to convert your image to the 16-color palette and a reasonably small size.

Answer 3

windows.h provides a function SetPixel() to print a pixel at specified location of a window. The general form of the function is
SetPixel(HDC hdc, int x, int y, COLORREF& color);
where, x and y are coordinates of pixel to be display and color is the color of pixel.
Important: to print the pixel in your machine with Code::blocks IDE, add a link library libgdi32.a (it is usually inside MinGW\lib ) in linker setting.

Answer 4

Console is a text device, so in general you don't write to individual pixels. You can create a special font and select it as a font for console, but it will be monochromatic. There are libraries which simplify writing console UI (e.g. Curses), but I believe that you also have more gamelike functionality in mind besides just showing a sprite.
if you want to write a game, I suggest taking a look at some of the graphics/game frameworks/libs, e.g. SDL

Answer 5

I have drawn the straight line using windows.h in code::blocks. I can't explain it in details, but I can provide you a code and procedure to compile it in code::blocks.
go to setting menu and select compiler and debugger.
Click on linker tab and add a link library libgdi32.a which is at C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib directory.
Now compile this program
#include <windows.h>
#include <cmath>
#define ROUND(a) ((int) (a + 0.5))
/* set window handle */
static HWND sHwnd;
static COLORREF redColor=RGB(255,0,0);
static COLORREF blueColor=RGB(0,0,255);
static COLORREF greenColor=RGB(0,255,0);
void SetWindowHandle(HWND hwnd){
sHwnd=hwnd;
}
/* SetPixel */
void setPixel(int x,int y,COLORREF& color=redColor){
if(sHwnd==NULL){
MessageBox(NULL,"sHwnd was not initialized !","Error",MB_OK|MB_ICONERROR);
exit(0);
}
HDC hdc=GetDC(sHwnd);
SetPixel(hdc,x,y,color);
ReleaseDC(sHwnd,hdc);
return;
// NEVERREACH //
}
void drawLineDDA(int xa, int ya, int xb, int yb){
int dx = xb - xa, dy = yb - ya, steps, k;
float xIncrement, yIncrement, x = xa, y = ya;
if(abs(dx) > abs(dy)) steps = abs(dx);
else steps = abs(dy);
xIncrement = dx / (float) steps;
yIncrement = dy / (float) steps;
setPixel(ROUND(x), ROUND(y));
for(int k = 0; k < steps; k++){
x += xIncrement;
y += yIncrement;
setPixel(x, y);
}
}
/* Window Procedure WndProc */
LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd,UINT message,WPARAM wParam,LPARAM lParam){
switch(message){
case WM_PAINT:
SetWindowHandle(hwnd);
drawLineDDA(10, 20, 250, 300);
break;
case WM_CLOSE: // FAIL THROUGH to call DefWindowProc
break;
case WM_DESTROY:
PostQuitMessage(0);
return 0;
default:
break; // FAIL to call DefWindowProc //
}
return DefWindowProc(hwnd,message,wParam,lParam);
}
int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance,HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,LPSTR lpCmdLine,int iCmdShow){
static TCHAR szAppName[] = TEXT("Straight Line");
WNDCLASS wndclass;
wndclass.style = CS_HREDRAW|CS_VREDRAW ;
wndclass.lpfnWndProc = WndProc ;
wndclass.cbClsExtra = 0 ;
wndclass.cbWndExtra = 0 ;
wndclass.hInstance = hInstance ;
wndclass.hIcon = LoadIcon (NULL, IDI_APPLICATION) ;
wndclass.hCursor = LoadCursor (NULL, IDC_ARROW) ;
wndclass.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH) GetStockObject (WHITE_BRUSH) ;
wndclass.lpszMenuName = NULL ;
wndclass.lpszClassName = szAppName ;
// Register the window //
if(!RegisterClass(&wndclass)){
MessageBox(NULL,"Registering the class failled","Error",MB_OK|MB_ICONERROR);
exit(0);
}
// CreateWindow //
HWND hwnd=CreateWindow(szAppName,"DDA - Programming Techniques",
WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW,
CW_USEDEFAULT,
CW_USEDEFAULT,
CW_USEDEFAULT,
CW_USEDEFAULT,
NULL,
NULL,
hInstance,
NULL);
if(!hwnd){
MessageBox(NULL,"Window Creation Failed!","Error",MB_OK);
exit(0);
}
// ShowWindow and UpdateWindow //
ShowWindow(hwnd,iCmdShow);
UpdateWindow(hwnd);
// Message Loop //
MSG msg;
while(GetMessage(&msg,NULL,0,0)){
TranslateMessage(&msg);
DispatchMessage(&msg);
}
/* return no error to the operating system */
return 0;
}
In this program I have used DDA line drawing algorithm. Pixel drawing tasks is done by setPixel(ROUND(x), ROUND(y)) function.
This is windows programing which you can learn details here

Answer 6

To use in CodeBlocks I found this (you have to add a linker option -lgdi32):
//Code Blocks: Project Build Options Linker settings Othoer linker options: add -lgdi32
I forgot: You have to put this before including windows.h:
#define _WIN32_WINNT 0x0500
The whole cosine code again. Ready to compile:
//Code Blocks: Project Build Options Linker settings Othoer linker options: add -lgdi32
#define _WIN32_WINNT 0x0500
#include "windows.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <cmath>
using namespace std;
#define PI 3.14
int main(){
HWND myconsole = GetConsoleWindow();
HDC mydc = GetDC(myconsole);
int pixel =0;
COLORREF COLOR= RGB(255,255,255);
//Draw pixels
for(double i = 0; i < PI * 4; i += 0.05)
{
SetPixel(mydc,pixel,(int)(50+25*cos(i)),COLOR);
pixel+=1;
}
ReleaseDC(myconsole, mydc);
cin.ignore();
return 0;
}