SetConsoleOutputCP function

Sets the output code page used by the console associated with the calling process. A console uses its output code page to translate the character values written by the various output functions into the images displayed in the console window.

Syntax

BOOL WINAPI SetConsoleOutputCP(
  _In_ UINT wCodePageID
);

Parameters

wCodePageID [in]
The identifier of the code page to set. For more information, see Remarks.

Return value

If the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero.

If the function fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

A code page maps 256 character codes to individual characters. Different code pages include different special characters, typically customized for a language or a group of languages.

If the current font is a fixed-pitch Unicode font, SetConsoleOutputCP changes the mapping of the character values into the glyph set of the font, rather than loading a separate font each time it is called. This affects how extended characters (ASCII value greater than 127) are displayed in a console window. However, if the current font is a raster font, SetConsoleOutputCP does not affect how extended characters are displayed.

To find the code pages that are installed or supported by the operating system, use the EnumSystemCodePages function. The identifiers of the code pages available on the local computer are also stored in the registry under the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\CodePage

However, it is better to use EnumSystemCodePages to enumerate code pages because the registry can differ in different versions of Windows. To determine whether a particular code page is valid, use the IsValidCodePage function. To retrieve more information about a code page, including its name, use the GetCPInfoEx function. For a list of available code page identifiers, see Code Page Identifiers.

To determine a console's current output code page, use the GetConsoleOutputCP function. To set and retrieve a console's input code page, use the SetConsoleCP and GetConsoleCP functions.

Requirements

   
Minimum supported client Windows 2000 Professional [desktop apps only]
Minimum supported server Windows 2000 Server [desktop apps only]
Header ConsoleApi2.h (via WinCon.h, include Windows.h)
Library Kernel32.lib
DLL Kernel32.dll

See also

Console Code Pages

Console Functions

GetConsoleCP

GetConsoleOutputCP

SetConsoleCP