A console is an interface that provides I/O to character-mode applications. This processor-independent mechanism makes it easy to port existing character-mode applications or to create new character-mode tools and applications.
A console consists of an input buffer and one or more screen buffers. The input buffer contains a queue of input records, each of which contains information about an input event. The input queue always includes key-press and key-release events. It can also include mouse events (pointer movements and button presses and releases) and events during which user actions affect the size of the active screen buffer. A screen buffer is a two-dimensional array of character and color data for output in a console window.
The Win32 API functions enable different levels of access to a console. The high-level console I/O functions enable an application to read from standard input to retrieve keyboard input stored in a console's input buffer. The functions also enable an application to write to standard output or standard error to display text in the console's screen buffer. The high-level functions also support redirection of standard handles and control of console modes for different I/O functionality. The low-level console I/O functions enable applications to receive detailed input about keyboard and mouse events, as well as events involving user interactions with the console window. The low-level functions also enable greater control of output to the screen.