PDCurses

PDCurses for Windows console

This directory contains PDCurses source code files specific to the Microsoft Windows console. Although historically called “Win32”, this port can just as easily be built for 64-bit systems. Windows 95 through Windows 10 are covered. (Some features require later versions.)

Building

Choose the appropriate makefile for your compiler:

  Makefile      - GCC (MinGW or Cygnus)
  Makefile.bcc  - Borland C++
  Makefile.vc   - Microsoft Visual C++
  Makefile.wcc  - Watcom

Optionally, you can build in a different directory than the platform directory by setting PDCURSES_SRCDIR to point to the directory where you unpacked PDCurses, and changing to your target directory:
```
  set PDCURSES_SRCDIR=c:\pdcurses
```
Build it:
```
  make -f makefilename
```
(For Watcom, use “wmake” instead of “make”; for MSVC, “nmake”; for MinGW, “mingw32-make”.) You’ll get the library (pdcurses.lib or .a, depending on your compiler) and a lot of object files.

You can also give the optional parameter “WIDE=Y”, to build the library with wide-character (Unicode) support:
```
  wmake -f Makefile.wcc WIDE=Y
```
When built this way, the library is not compatible with Windows 9x, unless you also link with the Microsoft Layer for Unicode (not tested).

Another option, “UTF8=Y”, makes PDCurses ignore the system locale, and treat all narrow-character strings as UTF-8. This option has no effect unless WIDE=Y is also set. Use it to get around the poor support for UTF-8 in the Windows console:
```
  make -f Makefile.bcc WIDE=Y UTF8=Y
```
You can also use the optional parameter “DLL=Y” with Visual C++, MinGW or Cygwin, to build the library as a DLL:
```
  nmake -f Makefile.vc WIDE=Y DLL=Y
```
When you build the library as a Windows DLL, you must always define PDC_DLL_BUILD when linking against it. (Or, if you only want to use the DLL, you could add this definition to your curses.h.)

Add the target “demos” to build the sample programs.
If your build stops with errors about PCONSOLE_SCREEN_BUFFER_INFOEX, add the parameter “INFOEX=N” to your make command line and try again. (This will happen with older compile environments.)

Acknowledgements

Windows console port was originally provided by Chris Szurgot szurgot@itribe.net