A Windows software package providing an interface similar to a Unix pty-master for communicating with Windows console programs.
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====== winpty ====== winpty is a Windows software package providing an interface similar to a Unix pty-master for communicating with Windows console programs. The package consists of a library (libwinpty) and a tool for Cygwin and MSYS for running Windows console programs in a Cygwin/MSYS pty. The software works by starting the ``winpty-agent.exe`` process with a new, hidden console window, which bridges between the console API and terminal input/output escape codes. It polls the hidden console's screen buffer for changes and generates a corresponding stream of output. The Unix adapter allows running Windows console programs (e.g. CMD, PowerShell, IronPython, etc.) under ``mintty`` or Cygwin's ``sshd`` with properly-functioning input (e.g. arrow and function keys) and output (e.g. line buffering). The library could be also useful for writing a non-Cygwin SSH server. Prerequisites ============= You need the following to build winpty: * A Cygwin or MSYS installation * GNU make * A MinGW g++ toolchain, v4 or later, to build ``winpty.dll`` and ``winpty-agent.exe`` * A g++ toolchain targeting Cygwin or MSYS, v3 or later, to build ``console.exe`` Winpty requires two g++ toolchains as it is split into two parts. The binaries winpty.dll and winpty-agent.exe interface with the native Windows command prompt window so they are compiled with the native MinGW toolchain. The console.exe binary interfaces with the MSYS/Cygwin terminal so it is compiled with the MSYS/Cygwin toolchain. MinGW appears to be split into two distributions -- MinGW (creates 32-bit binaries) and MinGW-w64 (creates both 32-bit and 64-bit binaries). Either one is acceptable, but the compiler must be v4 or later. Cygwin packages --------------- The default g++ compiler for Cygwin targets Cygwin itself, but Cygwin also packages MinGW compilers from both the MinGW and MinGW-w64 projects. As of this writing, the necessary packages are: * Either ``mingw-gcc-g++``, ``mingw64-i686-gcc-g++`` or ``mingw64-x86_64-gcc-g++``. Select the appropriate compiler for your CPU architecture. * ``gcc-g++`` * ``make`` MSYS packages ------------- For the original MSYS, use the ``mingw-get`` tool (MinGW Installation Manager), and select at least these components: * ``mingw-developer-toolkit`` * ``mingw32-base`` * ``mingw32-gcc-g++`` * ``msys-base`` * ``msys-system-builder`` When running ``./configure``, make sure that ``mingw32-g++`` is in your ``PATH``. It will be in the ``C:\MinGW\bin`` directory. MSYS2 packages -------------- For MSYS2, use ``pacman`` and install at least these packages: * ``msys/gcc`` * ``mingw32/mingw-w64-i686-gcc`` or ``mingw64/mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc``. Select the appropriate compiler for your CPU architecture. * ``make`` Build ===== In the project directory, run ``./configure``, then ``make``. This will produce three binaries: * ``build/winpty.dll`` * ``build/winpty-agent.exe`` * ``build/console.exe`` Using the Unix adapter ====================== To run a Windows console program in ``mintty`` or Cygwin ``sshd``, prepend ``console.exe`` to the command-line:: $ build/console.exe c:/Python27/python.exe Python 2.7.2 (default, Jun 12 2011, 15:08:59) [MSC v.1500 32 bit (Intel)] on win32 Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. >>> 10 + 20 30 >>> exit() $ Debugging winpty ================ winpty comes with a tool for collecting timestamped debugging output. To use it: 1. Run ``winpty-debugserver.exe`` on the same computer as winpty. 2. Set the ``WINPTY_DEBUG`` environment variable to ``trace`` for the ``console.exe`` process and/or the process using ``libwinpty.dll``. winpty also recognizes a ``WINPTY_SHOW_CONSOLE`` environment variable. Set it to 1 to prevent winpty from hiding the console window. Copyright ========= This project is distributed under the MIT license (see the ``LICENSE`` file in the project root). By submitting a pull request for this project, you agree to license your contribution under the MIT license to this project.