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Step 4Skin your Console
So, now the finishing touches. Again, like AHK, there's any number of ways to customize Console to your liking; check out the readme.txt file in your Console directory to find out more about the XML syntax Console uses.
However: here's how to create the drop-down effect: we want something borderless, semi-transparent and top-left anchored.
Here's the console.xml file I used for this effect.
The size and width of the font affects the eventual width of the console. Unfortunately, Console - like the Windows console - can only be so wide. Choose a wider font to achieve a wider console.
Personally, I had issues with proportional fonts (ie: fonts with variable-width letters, like Arial); stick with Monospaced fonts such as Lucida Console for best effect.
The top-left docking and the on-top z_order are what give the appropriate feel, here. Play around with these values to change the look-and-feel of your console.
The inside_border is a personal taste, as is the taskbar_button. The former moves the console's text away from the outside edges, and the taskbar_button makes a Console icon appear on the taskbar when it's active.
The alpha and inactive_alpha transparency is, again, a matter of personal taste. Closer to 255 is more opaque; closer to 0 is more transparent.
I've chosen to put an image behind my console; the sizing of this image, however, is a little bit of guesswork unless you know the letter-sizes of your chosen font; then, simply, multiply out by the rows and columns and come up with an appropriate size. Quake console, anyone?
The final step is to save all this as an XML file, typically in your Console directory. You can then refer to it directly in your AHK script, or, as I've done, create a shortcut in your path somewhere - called "console" - that passes the XML file as a parameter; then point AHK to that.
Extra Credit
For those truly in search of a *nix experience; you can install Cygwin, and direct Console to use the Cygwin Bash environment as your primary shell:
Extra-Extra Credit
Run both Cygwin and Windows cmd with two different hotkeys! That, I'm afraid, is an exercise for the reader...
However: here's how to create the drop-down effect: we want something borderless, semi-transparent and top-left anchored.
Here's the console.xml file I used for this effect.
<?xml version="1.0"?><console title="dropdownconsole" change_refresh="5" refresh="100"> <font> <size>10</size> <bold>false</bold> <italic>false</italic> <color r="255" g="255" b="255" /> <name>Lucida Console</name> </font>
The size and width of the font affects the eventual width of the console. Unfortunately, Console - like the Windows console - can only be so wide. Choose a wider font to achieve a wider console.
Personally, I had issues with proportional fonts (ie: fonts with variable-width letters, like Arial); stick with Monospaced fonts such as Lucida Console for best effect.
<position> <x>0</x> <y>10</y> <!-- dock to top left for "quake-console" feel --> <docked>top left</docked> <snap_distance>10</snap_distance> <!-- float on top --> <z_order>on top</z_order> </position>
The top-left docking and the on-top z_order are what give the appropriate feel, here. Play around with these values to change the look-and-feel of your console.
<appearance> <hide_console>true</hide_console> <border>none</border> <!-- move text away from the outside edge --> <inside_border>10</inside_border> <taskbar_button>tray</taskbar_button>Set border to none to hide the Windows border and make the window chromeless, for a seamless feel.
The inside_border is a personal taste, as is the taskbar_button. The former moves the console's text away from the outside edges, and the taskbar_button makes a Console icon appear on the taskbar when it's active.
<size rows="18" columns="95" buffer_rows="500" /> <transparency alpha="200" inactive_alpha="100">alpha</transparency> <background> <color r="0" g="0" b="0" /> <image style="center">dark.png</image> </background>Columns and Rows govern how many lines/columns of text your console can display. Again, this is a personal taste; set columns to "max" for Console to ... erm... set the width to the maximum.
The alpha and inactive_alpha transparency is, again, a matter of personal taste. Closer to 255 is more opaque; closer to 0 is more transparent.
I've chosen to put an image behind my console; the sizing of this image, however, is a little bit of guesswork unless you know the letter-sizes of your chosen font; then, simply, multiply out by the rows and columns and come up with an appropriate size. Quake console, anyone?
<scrollbar> <color r="0" g="0" b="0" /> <style>flat</style> </scrollbar>Self-explanatory; this sets how the scrollbars are coloured and displayed.
<cursor> <color r="255" g="255" b="255" /> <style>fading block</style> </cursor> </appearance> <behaviour> <!-- keep the console in place --> <mouse_drag>false</mouse_drag> <copy_on_select>true</copy_on_select> </behaviour></console>Mouse_drag prevents you from picking up the console and moving it around. Copy_on_select replicates the *nix select-to-copy functionality, for a more *nixy-feel.
The final step is to save all this as an XML file, typically in your Console directory. You can then refer to it directly in your AHK script, or, as I've done, create a shortcut in your path somewhere - called "console" - that passes the XML file as a parameter; then point AHK to that.
Extra Credit
For those truly in search of a *nix experience; you can install Cygwin, and direct Console to use the Cygwin Bash environment as your primary shell:
<console title="dropdownconsole" change_refresh="5" refresh="100" shell="c:\cygwin\cygwin.bat">
Extra-Extra Credit
Run both Cygwin and Windows cmd with two different hotkeys! That, I'm afraid, is an exercise for the reader...
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<size rows="25" columns="160" buffer_rows="500" />
to make it similar to Yakuake. It fits quite well on my 1280px wide screen.
That said, thanks a lot for the instructions! Transforming my Windows into Linux has been my lifelong dream.
I customise the script , for console2 and make a QuakeConsole.xml with cmd, powershell, bash,.. predefined tabs.
Console2 + QuakeConsole.ahk and precompiled EXE + Script for make startup shortcut:
http://www.mediafire.com/?0e3kxld19qd
If you save it as something else, say "console1.xml", you'll need to tell Console to choose that XML file when it runs. You do that by passing the name of the file to console.exe. For example, you'd create a Windows shortcut to:
c:\program files\console\console.exe console1.xml
Putting the XML file into Console only makes Console look like Quake; you then need to use AutoHotKey as outlined above to make it appear when you press Win+Tilde.
Cheers!
-m
AutoHotkey.ahk
Error: Failed attempt to launch program or document:
Action: <console.exe>
Params: <>
The current thread will exit.
Specifically: The system cannot find the file specified.
Line#
012: Else
013: {
014: WinShow,ahk_class Console Main Command Window
015: WinActivate,ahk_class Console Main Command Window
016: }
017: }
018: Else
---> 019: Run,console.exe
024: DetectHiddenWindows,off
025: Return
030: {
031: WinHide,ahk_class Console Main Command Window
032: WinActivate,ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd
033: }
034: Return
OK
Do I need to rename my shortcut to something else? BTW this only happens when Console is not running and I use Win+` to execute it.