Use TCHAR still can't use std::cout ? cout should automatically get converted to wcout right?

user_12651594 0
Viewed 176

I thought using TCHAR, and setting the character set to UNICODE in Visual Studio, maybe now I could get results in wide character ie 16 bits Unicode system, but it is not working.

This is my code:

#include<Windows.h> //to use windows API
#include<iostream>

int main()
{
    TCHAR a[] = TEXT("This is not ANSI anymore! Olé!"); //8bits each char
    wchar_t b[] = L"This is the Unicode Olé!"; //16 bits each char
    std::cout << a << "\n";
    std::wcout << b << "\n";
    return 0;
}

So I thought, after defining TCHAR, I could make use of:

#ifdef UNICODE
#define std::cout std::wcout
#else
#define std::cout std::cout
#endif

But still, my output is in hex for TCHAR a[], but why? It should use wcout automatically, right?

winapi windows c++
4 Answers

std::cout does not support wchar_t strings, and std::wcout does not support char strings. So you will have to pick one or the other based on which character type TCHAR is using.

You were right to try to use #define to work around that, but you used the wrong syntax for it.

Try this instead:

#include <Windows.h> //to use windows API
#include <iostream>

#ifdef UNICODE
#define t_cout std::wcout
#else
#define t_cout std::cout
#endif

int main()
{
    TCHAR a[] = TEXT("Olé!");
    t_cout << a << TEXT("\n");
    // or: t_cout << a << std::endl;
    return 0;
}
user_658630

But still, my output is in hex for TCHAR a[], but why?

You'll need to use _setmode with stdout for a correct console output. You'll need to do it to stdin also if you want to read console input.

It should use wcout automatically, right?

The macros are not correct, but if you define them correctly and assuming you enabled unicode, yes, TCHAR should expand t wchar_t, and the used output macro will be the one enabled by your #ifdef condition:

#include <Windows.h> //to use windows API
#include <iostream>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <io.h>

#ifdef UNICODE
#define tcout std::wcout //unicode enabled
#else
#define tcout std::cout
#endif

int main()
{
    _setmode(_fileno(stdout), _O_WTEXT); // enable wide char output

    TCHAR a[] = TEXT("This is not ANSI anymore! Olé!");
    tcout << a << TEXT("\n");
}

With _setmode:

enter image description here

Without _setmode:

enter image description here

user_68659320

In Windows with UNICODE set, TCHAR comes out to wchar_t.

You can't use std::cout with wide characters. It only ever uses char. windows.h doesn't redefine cout in the way you think.

So it's as if you were outputting an array of (signed or unsigned) short to the stream. The array decays to a pointer and that's probably why you see hex.

However

std::wcout << a << "\n";

should work.

user_26544700

It's only possible for functions that are part of the Windows API, because the windows.h header file defines two functions, one each for ASCII and Unicode forms. TCHAR would change only for those present there.

cout and wcout are not part of the Windows API. Rather, they are part of the standard C++ iostream header, so they do not change based on the definition of TCHAR.

user_126515940
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