Printing colored text to the console can be achieved using ANSI escape codes. These codes are standardized and work on most terminals, including Unix-based systems and Windows 10.
What are ANSI Escape Codes?
ANSI escape codes are a way to control the cursor location, color, and other options on terminals. They are used by prefixing the code with an ESC (escape) character, which is represented as \033 or \u001B.
Basic Color Codes
The basic color codes are:
- Black:
\033[0;30m - Red:
\033[0;31m - Green:
\033[0;32m - Yellow:
\033[0;33m - Blue:
\033[0;34m - Magenta:
\033[0;35m - Cyan:
\033[0;36m - White:
\033[0;37m
To reset the color back to default, use: \033[0m
Example Usage
Here’s an example of how to print colored text:
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("\033[0;31mThis text will be red\033[0m");
System.out.println("\033[0;32mThis text will be green\033[0m");
}
}
Enum-based Approach
You can also use an enum to represent the different colors and styles:
enum Color {
// Color end string, color reset
RESET("\033[0m"),
// Regular Colors. Normal color, no bold, background color etc.
BLACK("\033[0;30m"), // BLACK
RED("\033[0;31m"), // RED
GREEN("\033[0;32m"), // GREEN
YELLOW("\033[0;33m"), // YELLOW
BLUE("\033[0;34m"), // BLUE
MAGENTA("\033[0;35m"), // MAGENTA
CYAN("\033[0;36m"), // CYAN
WHITE("\033[0;37m"), // WHITE
private final String code;
Color(String code) {
this.code = code;
}
@Override
public String toString() {
return code;
}
}
class RunApp {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.print(Color.RED);
System.out.println("This text will be red");
System.out.print(Color.RESET);
System.out.print(Color.GREEN);
System.out.println("This text will be green");
System.out.print(Color.RESET);
}
}
Background Colors
You can also use background colors by prefixing the code with 4 instead of 0. For example:
- Black background:
\033[40m - Red background:
\033[41m - Green background:
\033[42m - Yellow background:
\033[43m - Blue background:
\033[44m - Magenta background:
\033[45m - Cyan background:
\033[46m - White background:
\033[47m
Bold and Underline Text
You can make text bold by prefixing the code with 1 instead of 0. For example:
- Bold black:
\033[1;30m - Bold red:
\033[1;31m
You can underline text by prefixing the code with 4 instead of 0, but after the color code. For example:
- Underlined black:
\033[4;30m - Underlined red:
\033[4;31m
Conclusion
Printing colored text to the console is a simple process that can be achieved using ANSI escape codes. You can use these codes directly or create an enum-based approach for better readability and maintainability.