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I want to change the command prompt string in a windows command prompt?

For example.

C:\current\path -> $CustomPrompt>

If possible, I would prefer the solution to make use of the winapi. I already looked at some of the console functions, but I cannot find any that I would assume wold manipulate the prompt string? Does anyone know how to do this?

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  • What's wrong with just setting the PROMPT environment variable? Commented Jul 18, 2014 at 7:24
  • I'm writing a C++ program so, if possible, I would like to stick to using c++. Oh, as a correction, PROMPT isn't a environment variable, it's a command. Commented Jul 18, 2014 at 7:26
  • @user246694 Your are wrong. PROMPT is both an environmental variable and DOS/Windows command which sets this variable. Commented Jul 18, 2014 at 7:46
  • How am I wrong, if I am indeed referring to the command? You stated yourself that it is a command that sets the variable. Commented Jul 18, 2014 at 7:50
  • 2
    @user246694 you were wrong when you stated that 'PROMPT isn't a environment variable' Commented Jul 18, 2014 at 7:55

1 Answer 1

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Command Prompt String is definied as environmental variable PROMPT. You can modify this variable using setenv() function from cstdlib :

#include <stdlib.h>

//...

setenv("PROMPT", "$A$A", true);

This will, for example, set prompt string to '&&' (double ampersand). For more interesting examples check this out.

EDIT: There is a way to achieve this without need to restart command interpreter. Create following batch file:

@echo off
break off
title custom command prompt
color 0a
cls

:cmd
 set /p cmd=command:

 %cmd%
 echo.
 goto cmd

Lets name it "change_prompt.bat" Then, in your c++ code execute the batch file:

system("change_prompt.bat");

As a result, prompt will look like this:

new prompt

As you can see, this changes:

  • prompt window title
  • prompt color
  • prompt string
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8 Comments

unless this is a silly rep-harvesting maneuver, the OP should note that this only affects the prompts of command interpreter instances created (later on) by this process, and remove the "solution" selection
@Cheersandhth.-Alf Corrected. Well, I am aware this is not a good choice. If you have some better one, feel free to post it.
re the header just use <stdlib.h>. re the function, i'm sorry i didn't notice that it's Posix, not C++ std. so the correction you did was in the wrong direction, just remove the std:: (it's not a standard function), use stdlib.h, and note that it's a Posix function.
I was thinking maybe to just settle for the std::system from <cstdlib> and call std::system("Prompt myprompt");
@agentNil: no, that would only affect the command shell started by the call to system, which would exit without doing anything else.
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