Console.SetOut(TextWriter) Method

Definition

Sets the Out property to target the TextWriter object.

public:
 static void SetOut(System::IO::TextWriter ^ newOut);
public static void SetOut (System.IO.TextWriter newOut);
static member SetOut : System.IO.TextWriter -> unit
Public Shared Sub SetOut (newOut As TextWriter)

Parameters

newOut
TextWriter

A text writer to be used as the new standard output.

Exceptions

newOut is null.

The caller does not have the required permission.

Examples

The following example illustrates the use of the SetOut method. It replaces four consecutive space characters in a string with a tab character. To run it, you must supply two command line arguments. The first is the name of an existing text file to redirect the standard input stream to. The second is the name of a file to redirect the standard output stream to. This file need not exist. If it does, its contents will be overwritten.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;

int main()
{
   array<String^>^args = Environment::GetCommandLineArgs();
   const int tabSize = 4;
   String^ usageText = "Usage: INSERTTABS inputfile.txt outputfile.txt";
   StreamWriter^ writer = nullptr;
   if ( args->Length < 3 )
   {
      Console::WriteLine( usageText );
      return 1;
   }

   try
   {
      // Attempt to open output file.
      writer = gcnew StreamWriter( args[ 2 ] );
      // Redirect standard output from the console to the output file.
      Console::SetOut( writer );
      // Redirect standard input from the console to the input file.
      Console::SetIn( gcnew StreamReader( args[ 1 ] ) );
   }
   catch ( IOException^ e ) 
   {
      TextWriter^ errorWriter = Console::Error;
      errorWriter->WriteLine( e->Message );
      errorWriter->WriteLine( usageText );
      return 1;
   }

   String^ line;
   while ( (line = Console::ReadLine()) != nullptr )
   {
      String^ newLine = line->Replace( ((String^)"")->PadRight( tabSize, ' ' ), "\t" );
      Console::WriteLine( newLine );
   }

   writer->Close();
   
   // Recover the standard output stream so that a 
   // completion message can be displayed.
   StreamWriter^ standardOutput = gcnew StreamWriter( Console::OpenStandardOutput() );
   standardOutput->AutoFlush = true;
   Console::SetOut( standardOutput );
   Console::WriteLine( "INSERTTABS has completed the processing of {0}.", args[ 1 ] );
   return 0;
}
using System;
using System.IO;

public class InsertTabs
{
    private const int tabSize = 4;
    private const string usageText = "Usage: INSERTTABS inputfile.txt outputfile.txt";
    public static int Main(string[] args)
    {
        if (args.Length < 2)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(usageText);
            return 1;
        }

        try
        {
            // Attempt to open output file.
            using (var writer = new StreamWriter(args[1]))
            {
                using (var reader = new StreamReader(args[0]))
                {
                    // Redirect standard output from the console to the output file.
                    Console.SetOut(writer);
                    // Redirect standard input from the console to the input file.
                    Console.SetIn(reader);
                    string line;
                    while ((line = Console.ReadLine()) != null)
                    {
                        string newLine = line.Replace(("").PadRight(tabSize, ' '), "\t");
                        Console.WriteLine(newLine);
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        catch(IOException e)
        {
            TextWriter errorWriter = Console.Error;
            errorWriter.WriteLine(e.Message);
            errorWriter.WriteLine(usageText);
            return 1;
        }

        // Recover the standard output stream so that a
        // completion message can be displayed.
        var standardOutput = new StreamWriter(Console.OpenStandardOutput());
        standardOutput.AutoFlush = true;
        Console.SetOut(standardOutput);
        Console.WriteLine($"INSERTTABS has completed the processing of {args[0]}.");
        return 0;
    }
}
open System
open System.IO

let tabSize = 4
let usageText = "Usage: INSERTTABS inputfile.txt outputfile.txt"

[<EntryPoint>]
let main args =
    if args.Length < 2 then
        Console.WriteLine usageText
        1
    else
        try
            // Attempt to open output file.
            use reader = new StreamReader(args[0])
            use writer = new StreamWriter(args[1])
            
            // Redirect standard output from the console to the output file.
            Console.SetOut writer
            
            // Redirect standard input from the console to the input file.
            Console.SetIn reader
            
            let mutable line = Console.ReadLine()
            while line <> null do
                let newLine = line.Replace(("").PadRight(tabSize, ' '), "\t")
                Console.WriteLine newLine
                line <- Console.ReadLine()

            // Recover the standard output stream so that a
            // completion message can be displayed.
            let standardOutput = new StreamWriter(Console.OpenStandardOutput())
            standardOutput.AutoFlush <- true
            Console.SetOut standardOutput
            Console.WriteLine $"INSERTTABS has completed the processing of {args[0]}."
            0

        with :? IOException as e -> 
            let errorWriter = Console.Error
            errorWriter.WriteLine e.Message
            errorWriter.WriteLine usageText
            1
Imports System.IO

Public Module InsertTabs
    Private Const tabSize As Integer = 4
    Private Const usageText As String = "Usage: INSERTTABS inputfile.txt outputfile.txt"
   
    Public Function Main(args As String()) As Integer
        If args.Length < 2 Then
            Console.WriteLine(usageText)
            Return 1
        End If
      
        Try
            ' Attempt to open output file.
            Using writer As New StreamWriter(args(1))
                Using reader As New StreamReader(args(0))
                    ' Redirect standard output from the console to the output file.
                    Console.SetOut(writer)
                    ' Redirect standard input from the console to the input file.
                    Console.SetIn(reader)
                    Dim line As String = Console.ReadLine()
                    While line IsNot Nothing
                        Dim newLine As String = line.Replace("".PadRight(tabSize, " "c), ControlChars.Tab)
                        Console.WriteLine(newLine)
                        line = Console.ReadLine()
                    End While
                End Using
            End Using
        Catch e As IOException
            Dim errorWriter As TextWriter = Console.Error
            errorWriter.WriteLine(e.Message)
            errorWriter.WriteLine(usageText)
            Return 1
        End Try

        ' Recover the standard output stream so that a 
        ' completion message can be displayed.
        Dim standardOutput As New StreamWriter(Console.OpenStandardOutput())
        standardOutput.AutoFlush = True
        Console.SetOut(standardOutput)
        Console.WriteLine($"INSERTTABS has completed the processing of {args(0)}.")
        Return 0
    End Function 
End Module

Remarks

By default, the Out property is set to the standard output stream.

A StreamWriter that encapsulates a FileStream can be used to send output to a file. For example:

Console::WriteLine("Hello World");
FileStream^ fs = gcnew FileStream("Test.txt", FileMode::Create);
// First, save the standard output.
TextWriter^ tmp = Console::Out;
StreamWriter^ sw = gcnew StreamWriter(fs);
Console::SetOut(sw);
Console::WriteLine("Hello file");
Console::SetOut(tmp);
Console::WriteLine("Hello World");
sw->Close();
Console.WriteLine("Hello World");
FileStream fs = new FileStream("Test.txt", FileMode.Create);
// First, save the standard output.
TextWriter tmp = Console.Out;
StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(fs);
Console.SetOut(sw);
Console.WriteLine("Hello file");
Console.SetOut(tmp);
Console.WriteLine("Hello World");
sw.Close();
Console.WriteLine "Hello World"
use fs = new FileStream("Test.txt", FileMode.Create)
// First, save the standard output.
let tmp = Console.Out
use sw = new StreamWriter(fs)
Console.SetOut sw
Console.WriteLine "Hello file"
Console.SetOut tmp
Console.WriteLine "Hello World"
Console.WriteLine("Hello World")
Dim fs As New FileStream("Test.txt", FileMode.Create)
' First, save the standard output.
Dim tmp as TextWriter = Console.Out
Dim sw As New StreamWriter(fs)
Console.SetOut(sw)
Console.WriteLine("Hello file")
Console.SetOut(tmp)
Console.WriteLine("Hello World")
sw.Close()

The actual object returned by Out may be a synchronized wrapper around the provided text writer.

Applies to

See also