ConsoleHandler Class — Buffer and Console Setup API

ConsoleHandler sets up the Windows console, allocates the CHAR_INFO back-buffer, and exposes static accessors used by shapes and the renderer throughout the engine. Every member variable is stored as static storage, meaning all parts of the engine read from and write to the same shared state regardless of where they access it.

#include "include/headers/ConsoleHandler.h"

This header is included automatically when you include Fazen.h — you do not need to add it separately in most projects.

Constructor

ConsoleHandler(int s_width, int s_height);

Allocates the CHAR_INFO* back-buffer of size s_width * s_height, acquires the standard output and input handles, sets the console screen buffer size, configures the console window rectangle, and calls make2DConsole(8, 8) to set an 8×8 pixel font.

s_width

int

required

Width of the console in character columns. Stored in the static field console_width and used as the stride for all buffer index calculations.

s_height

int

required

Height of the console in character rows. Stored in the static field console_height and used to compute the total buffer element count.

`make2DConsole(int fontw, int fonth)`

Configures the console font size, resizes the console window to match the buffer rectangle, and enables mouse and window input on the input handle. Called automatically by the constructor with fontw = 8 and fonth = 8; call it again only if you need a different cell size after construction.

void make2DConsole(int fontw, int fonth);

fontw

int

required

Pixel width of each character cell. Passed to CONSOLE_FONT_INFOEX::dwFontSize.X. Defaults to 8 when called from the constructor.

fonth

int

required

Pixel height of each character cell. Passed to CONSOLE_FONT_INFOEX::dwFontSize.Y. Defaults to 8 when called from the constructor.

Static Methods — Buffer Access

These methods return the core Win32 objects that GraphicsRenderer::display() passes directly to WriteConsoleOutputW.

Method	Return Type	Description
`GetBuffScreen()`	`CHAR_INFO*`	Returns the back-buffer array. Each element holds a Unicode character and a Windows color attribute for one console cell.
`GetBufferSize()`	`COORD`	Returns `{console_width, console_height}` as a `COORD`, used as the buffer dimensions argument for `WriteConsoleOutputW`.
`GetCharacterPos()`	`COORD`	Returns the write origin `{0, 0}` — the top-left cell within the back-buffer from which output begins.
`GetRectWin()`	`SMALL_RECT*`	Returns a pointer to the destination rectangle `{0, 0, width-1, height-1}` passed to `WriteConsoleOutputW`.
`GetOutHandle()`	`HANDLE`	Standard output handle (`STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE`). Used for all console write and font configuration calls.
`GetInHandle()`	`HANDLE`	Standard input handle (`STD_INPUT_HANDLE`). Used by `MouseHandler` and `KeyboardHandler` to read input events.

Static Methods — Dimensions

Method	Return Type	Description
`GetConsoleWidth()`	`int`	Returns the number of character columns in the console buffer.
`GetConsoleHeight()`	`int`	Returns the number of character rows in the console buffer.
`GetFontWidth()`	`int`	Returns the pixel width of each character cell as set during `make2DConsole`. Defaults to `8`.
`GetFontHeight()`	`int`	Returns the pixel height of each character cell as set during `make2DConsole`. Defaults to `8`.

Static Methods — Window Position

These methods are used by MouseHandler to convert raw screen pixel coordinates into console cell coordinates.

Method	Return Type	Description
`GetWindowPos()`	`void`	Calls `GetWindowRect` on the console window and stores the resulting top-left pixel position in the static fields `consoleRangeStartx` and `consoleRangeStarty`. Call this before mapping mouse coordinates each frame.
`GetconsoleRangeStartx()`	`int`	Returns the cached horizontal pixel offset of the console window’s top-left corner on the screen.
`GetconsoleRangeStarty()`	`int`	Returns the cached vertical pixel offset of the console window’s top-left corner on the screen.
`Getpoint()`	`POINT`	Returns the internally stored `POINT` struct used during window position tracking.

Buffer Indexing

The back-buffer is a flat, row-major array. To access the cell at column x, row y, use:

ConsoleHandler::GetBuffScreen()[x + ConsoleHandler::GetConsoleWidth() * y]

Each CHAR_INFO element has two fields you will typically write:

CHAR_INFO& cell = ConsoleHandler::GetBuffScreen()[x + ConsoleHandler::GetConsoleWidth() * y];
cell.Char.UnicodeChar = L'█';   // character to display
cell.Attributes       = redF;   // Windows console color attribute

Warning

ConsoleHandler uses exclusively static storage. Do not instantiate more than once — the second constructor call overwrites the shared static state, including the buffer pointer, handles, and dimensions set by the first. Doing so will cause the previously allocated CHAR_INFO buffer to leak and leave the engine in an inconsistent state.

Engine Core

Geometry Primitives

Input & Timing

Utilities

ConsoleHandler Class — Buffer and Console Setup API

Header

Constructor

`make2DConsole(int fontw, int fonth)`

Static Methods — Buffer Access

Static Methods — Dimensions

Static Methods — Window Position

Buffer Indexing

Warning

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Engine Core

Geometry Primitives

Input & Timing

Utilities

Documentation Index

​Header

​Constructor

​make2DConsole(int fontw, int fonth)

​Static Methods — Buffer Access

​Static Methods — Dimensions

​Static Methods — Window Position

​Buffer Indexing

​Warning

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Header

Constructor

`make2DConsole(int fontw, int fonth)`

Static Methods — Buffer Access

Static Methods — Dimensions

Static Methods — Window Position

Buffer Indexing

Warning