Colorful.Console

Colorful.Console is a C# library that wraps around the System.Console class, exposing enhanced styling functionality.

How to Get It

• Download Colorful.Console from NuGet.
• Perform a Git clone

git clone https://github.com/tomakita/Colorful.Console.git

Basic Usage

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using Console = Colorful.Console;
...
...
Console.WriteLine("console in pink", Color.Pink);
Console.WriteLine("console in default");

Write With Full System.Drawing.Color Support

int r = 225;
int g = 255;
int b = 250;
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
    Console.WriteLine(storyFragments[i], Color.FromArgb(r, g, b));

    r -= 18;
    b -= 9;
}

Format Text Using Two Colors

string dream = "a dream of {0} and {1} and {2} and {3} and {4} and {5} and {6} and {7} and {8} and {9}...";
string[] fruits = new string[]
{
    "bananas",
    "strawberries",
    "mangoes",
    "pineapples",
    "cherries",
    "oranges",
    "apples",
    "peaches",
    "plums",
    "melons"
};

Console.WriteLineFormatted(dream, Color.LightGoldenrodYellow, Color.Gray, fruits);

Format Text Using Several Colors

string dream = "a dream of {0} and {1} and {2} and {3} and {4} and {5} and {6} and {7} and {8} and {9}...";
Formatter[] fruits = new Formatter[]
{
    new Formatter("bananas", Color.LightGoldenrodYellow),
    new Formatter("strawberries", Color.Pink),
    new Formatter("mangoes", Color.PeachPuff),
    new Formatter("pineapples", Color.Yellow),
    new Formatter("cherries", Color.Red),
    new Formatter("oranges", Color.Orange),
    new Formatter("apples", Color.LawnGreen),
    new Formatter("peaches", Color.MistyRose),
    new Formatter("plums", Color.Indigo),
    new Formatter("melons", Color.LightGreen),
};

Console.WriteLineFormatted(dream, Color.Gray, fruits);

Alternate Between 2 or More Colors Based on Number of Console Writes

ColorAlternatorFactory alternatorFactory = new ColorAlternatorFactory();
ColorAlternator alternator = alternatorFactory.GetAlternator(2, Color.Plum, Color.PaleVioletRed);

for (int i = 0; i < 15; i++)
{
    Console.WriteLineAlternating("cats", alternator);
}

Alternate Between 2 or More Colors Based on 1 or More Regular Expressions

ColorAlternatorFactory alternatorFactory = new ColorAlternatorFactory();
ColorAlternator alternator = alternatorFactory.GetAlternator(new[] { "hiss", "m[a-z]+w" }, Color.Plum, Color.PaleVioletRed);

for (int i = 0; i < 15; i++)
{
    string catMessage = "cats";

    if (i % 3 == 0)
    {
        catMessage = meowVariant[meowCounter++];
    }
    else if (i % 10 == 0)
    {
        catMessage = "hiss";
    }

    Console.WriteLineAlternating(catMessage, alternator);
}

Style Specific Regions of Text

StyleSheet styleSheet = new StyleSheet(Color.White);
styleSheet.AddStyle("rain[a-z]*", Color.MediumSlateBlue);

Console.WriteLineStyled(storyAboutRain, styleSheet);

Style Specific Regions of Text, Performing a Simple Transformation

StyleSheet styleSheet = new StyleSheet(Color.White);
styleSheet.AddStyle("rain[a-z]*", Color.MediumSlateBlue, match => match.ToUpper());

Console.WriteLineStyled(storyAboutRain, styleSheet);

Style Specific Regions of Text, Performing a Transformation Based on Surrounding Text

StyleSheet styleSheet = new StyleSheet(Color.White);
styleSheet.AddStyle("rain[a-z]*", Color.MediumSlateBlue,
    (unstyledInput, matchLocation, match) =>
    {
        if (unstyledInput[matchLocation.End] == '.')
        {
            return "marshmallows";
        }
        else
        {
            return "s'mores";
        }
    });

Console.WriteLineStyled(storyAboutRain, styleSheet);

Convert Text to ASCII Art Using a Default Font

int DA = 244;
int V = 212;
int ID = 255;
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
{
    Console.WriteAscii("HASSELHOFF", Color.FromArgb(DA, V, ID));

    DA -= 18;
    V -= 36;
}

Convert Text to ASCII Art Using FIGlet Fonts

FigletFont font = FigletFont.Load("chunky.flf");
Figlet figlet = new Figlet(font);

Console.WriteLine(figlet.ToAscii("Belvedere"), ColorTranslator.FromHtml("#8AFFEF"));
Console.WriteLine(figlet.ToAscii("ice"), ColorTranslator.FromHtml("#FAD6FF"));
Console.WriteLine(figlet.ToAscii("cream."), ColorTranslator.FromHtml("#B8DBFF"));

Style Collections With a Gradient

List<char> chars = new List<char>()
{
	'r', 'e', 'x', 's', 'z', 'q', 'j', 'w', 't', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'l', 'm',
	'r', 'e', 'x', 's', 'z', 'q', 'j', 'w', 't', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'l', 'm',
	'r', 'e', 'x', 's', 'z', 'q', 'j', 'w', 't', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'l', 'm',
	'r', 'e', 'x', 's', 'z', 'q', 'j', 'w', 't', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'l', 'm'
};
Console.WriteWithGradient(chars, Color.Yellow, Color.Fuchsia, 14);

Usage Notes

Console colors can be set back to their defaults using the Colorful.Console.ReplaceAllColorsWithDefaults function.

Individual colors in the console's color palette can be replaced using the Colorful.Console.ReplaceColor function.

Colorful.Console can only write to the console in 16 different colors (including the black that's used as the console's background, by default!) in a single console session. This is a limitation of the Windows console itself (ref: MSDN), and it's one that we weren't able to work our way around. If you know of a workaround, let us know!