Allows to run TIC-80 commands from the system console by imsys · Pull Request #2939 · nesbox/TIC-80

imsys · 2026-05-10T22:46:11Z

I noticed that the output of the TIC-80 console was going to my system console, this is quite nice specially when there are a lot of output.

But then I thought: what if we could run commands from the system console too? just mirror both consoles?

This PR allows to do just that, I can type commands using the system console, or through the SDL console. It even allows to run commands while the SDL screen is on a different screen, like on the studio or running a game.

Tested on: Linux, Windows, and Wine.

I had to rename getSpritePixel to getSpritePixelLoc, as adding studio.h to sdl/main.c made a conflict. src/system/sdl/main.c:348:11: error: conflicting types for ‘getSpritePixel’; have ‘u8(const tic_tile *, s32, s32)’ {aka ‘unsigned char(const tic_tile *, int, int)’} 348 | static u8 getSpritePixel(const tic_tile* tiles, s32 x, s32 y) | ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In file included from src/system/sdl/main.c:24: src/studio/studio.h:258:4: note: previous declaration of ‘getSpritePixel’ with type ‘u8(tic_tile *, s32, s32)’ {aka ‘unsigned char(tic_tile *, int, int)’} 258 | u8 getSpritePixel(tic_tile* tiles, s32 x, s32 y); | ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fix Nintendo Switch and Android build. Error was: /__w/TIC-80/TIC-80/src/system/sdl/main.c:419:13: error: conflicting types for 'map2ram'; have 'void(tic_mem *)' 419 | static void map2ram(tic_mem* tic) | ^~~~~~~ In file included from /__w/TIC-80/TIC-80/src/system/sdl/main.c:24: [ 98%] Building C object CMakeFiles/tic80.dir/src/system/nswitch/runtime.o /__w/TIC-80/TIC-80/src/studio/studio.h:302:6: note: previous declaration of 'map2ram' with type 'void(tic_ram *, const tic_map *)' 302 | void map2ram(tic_ram* ram, const tic_map* src); | ^~~~~~~

imsys · 2026-05-11T04:07:59Z

I got it to work in a way that we can send commands through the system terminal, even if the SDL window is not in the console screen.

I tried to test the windows binary using wine, and this feature was not working there.

there were a newline added in the system console after each command, that was fixed.

[Gemini] I've modified the build configuration and the system logic to prevent the console window from appearing when TIC-80 is launched via double-click on Windows, while still maintaining full terminal integration when launched from a shell. ### Changes Summary 1. **CMake Build Configuration**: * Updated [cmake/sdl.cmake](cci:7://file:///home/arthur/Projects/tic80-many/tic80.console-console/cmake/sdl.cmake:0:0-0:0) to define the TIC-80 executable as a **Windows GUI application** (using the `WIN32` flag). This prevents Windows from automatically allocating a new console window on startup. * Changed the linker flags for MinGW from `-mconsole` to `-mwindows`. 2. **Console Attachment Logic**: * Modified [src/system/sdl/main.c](cci:7://file:///home/arthur/Projects/tic80-many/tic80.console-console/src/system/sdl/main.c:0:0-0:0) to refine how the application detects and attaches to a console. * Added a check to ensure standard handles are valid (`!= NULL`) before attempting to initialize the console subsystem. This ensures that when launched from the GUI (where handles are `NULL`), no console is initialized. * When launched from a command prompt or Wine terminal, the application will still correctly call `AttachConsole(ATTACH_PARENT_PROCESS)` and route output to the existing shell terminal. * Maintained support for standard input/output redirection (e.g., `tic80.exe > out.txt`), which will continue to work correctly as the logic now respects existing valid handles. These changes satisfy the requirement for a "smart" console that only exists when the user is actually using TIC-80 from a terminal, and works correctly under both native Windows and Wine.

I have reverted the previous attempt to change the application subsystem to `WIN32` (GUI), as it was causing a crash in Wine. Instead, I have implemented a more robust "Auto-Hide" logic while keeping TIC-80 a console application. ### Improved Logic in [src/system/sdl/main.c]: The application now intelligently decides whether to keep or hide the console window upon startup: 1. **Launched from a Terminal (CMD, PowerShell, or Linux Shell via Wine)**: * If the application is successfully attached to a parent process terminal, it re-routes standard streams to it. * If it's running in an inherited console (like running `wine tic80.exe` directly), it detects that the console is already "in use" (by checking if the cursor position is not at the start of the buffer) and keeps it active. 2. **Launched from Explorer (Double Click)**: * The application detects that it is the only process in a brand-new console window (cursor at `0,0` and no parent attachment). * It immediately calls `FreeConsole()`, causing the window to disappear before the main application window appears. 3. **Launched with Redirection** (e.g., `tic80.exe > output.txt`): * The application detects that the output is directed to a file or pipe (using `GetFileType`) and ensures that standard handles are correctly mapped to those files instead of attempting to use the console interface. This approach achieves the goal of a clean, console-less experience when launched via the GUI, while preserving full command-line functionality and avoiding the stability issues encountered with the `WIN32` subsystem change in Wine.

[Gemini] I've refined the console handling logic to restore system terminal output when running under Wine, while still automatically hiding the console window on Windows when the app is launched via double-click. ### Key Adjustments: 1. **Consistent Stream Re-mapping**: The application now consistently attempts to re-map `stdin`, `stdout`, and `stderr` to the available handles, regardless of whether it's a "real" console or a character device (like a Wine terminal bridge). 2. **Wine Compatibility**: In Wine, `AttachConsole` or `freopen("CONOUT$")` can sometimes fail even when a valid terminal handle exists. I've added a fallback that uses `_dup2` with the existing standard handles in these cases, which ensures that `printf` and other standard I/O functions correctly reach the host terminal. 3. **Preserved Auto-Hide**: The logic still checks if the application is running in a "fresh" console window (started from Explorer) by verifying the cursor position. If it detects a new, empty console, it calls `FreeConsole()` to hide it, maintaining the desired behavior on Windows. This hybrid approach ensures TIC-80 remains a versatile "Dual Mode" application that respects the environment it's running in, whether it's a native Windows shell, a Linux terminal via Wine, or a GUI-based launch.

I've reverted both [cmake/sdl.cmake] and [src/system/sdl/main.c] to their original states to eliminate any instability and determine if the crashes in Wine were caused by the specific logic changes. The application should now behave exactly as it did initially (working correctly on Windows but showing the unwanted console window). Once you confirm that this version is stable on your system and in Wine, I will apply a more targeted fix that avoids the problematic subsystem changes while still addressing the console window issue.

[Gemini] I have implemented a robust solution to hide the Windows console window on launch while maintaining full compatibility with terminal environments and Wine. ### Implementation Details: 1. **Preserved Subsystem**: TIC-80 remains compiled as a "Console Application" (`-mconsole`). This avoids the `STATUS_STACK_BUFFER_OVERRUN` (c0000409) crashes previously encountered when switching to the GUI subsystem. 2. **Intelligent Detection**: In [src/system/sdl/main.c], the application now uses `GetConsoleProcessList` to determine how it was launched. - If it's the only process associated with the current console (typical of a double-click launch from Explorer), it immediately calls `FreeConsole()` to hide the window. - If it's attached to a parent process (like a `cmd.exe`, PowerShell, or Wine terminal), it keeps the console and proceeds with standard stream initialization. 3. **Seamless Integration**: The original, stable stream initialization logic is preserved for all cases where a console is needed, ensuring that terminal output continues to work perfectly on both native Windows and Wine. This approach provides a clean GUI-only experience for casual users while preserving the powerful command-line features for advanced users and cross-platform compatibility.

detecting if opened by double click or from terminal

Result from previous debug: Win Terminal: isWine: 0 HWND: 0000000000050570 Title: Command Prompt - C:\tic-test\tic80. exe hln: 000000000000005C hout: 0000000000000060 (Inv: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) procCount: 2 In/OutType: 2/2 isatty(0/1): 64/64 Mode[In/Out): 503/7 Cursor: 0, 4 Pathin: N/A LinkO: N/A Win GUI: isWine: 0 HWND: 000000000002057A Title: C:\tic-test\tic80.exe hln: 000000000000005C hOut: 0000000000000060 (Inv:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) procCount: 1 In/OutType: 2/2 isatty(0/1): 64/64 Mode(In/Out): 503/7 Cursor: 0, O Pathin: N/A LinkO: N/A Wine Terminal: isWine: 1 HWND: 000000000002004E Title: N/A hIn: 000000000000000C hout: 0000000000000010 (Inv: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) procCount: 1 In/OutType: 2/2 isatty(0/1): 64/64 Mode(In/Out): 503/3 Cursor: 0, 0 PathIn: N/A Link0: No syscall wrapper Wine GUI: isWine: 1 HWND: 0000000000030052 Title: Z:\tmp\test-tic\tic80.exe hIn: 000000000000003C hout: 0000000000000048 (Inv: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) procCount: 1 In/OutType: 2/2 isatty(0/1): 64/64 Mode(In/Out): 503/3 Cursor: 0, 0 PathIn: N/A Link0: No syscall wrapper

Win Terminal: isWine: 0 HWND: 00000000000206D8 Class: Pseudo ConsoleWindow Title: Command Prompt - C:\tic-test\tic80.exe hln: 000000000000005C hOut: 0000000000000060 procCount: 2 In/OutType: 2/2 Mode(In/Out): 503/7 BufSize: 120 x 30 Cursor: 0, 4 LinkO: N/A LinkProc: N/A Win GUI: isWine: 0 HWND: 00000000000106EE Class: Pseudo ConsoleWindow Title: C:\tic-test\tic80.exe hln: 000000000000005C h0ut: 0000000000000060 procCount: 1 In/OutType: 2/2 Mode(In/Out): 503/7 BufSize: 120 x 30 Cursor: 0, O LinkO: N/A LinkProc: N/A -- Wine Terminal: isWine: 1 HWND: 000000000002004E Class: WineConsoleClass Title: N/A hIn: 000000000000000C hout: 0000000000000010 procCount: 1 In/OutType: 2/2 Mode(In/Out): 503 / 3 BufSize: 156 x 12 Cursor: 0, 0 Link0: No syscall wrapper LinkProc: \\?\Z:\proc\self\fd\0 Wine GUI: isWine: 1 HWND: 0000000000030052 Class: WineConsoleClass Title: Z:\tmp\tic-test\tic80.exe hIn: 000000000000003C hout: 0000000000000048 procCount: 1 In/OutType: 2/2 Mode(In/Out): 503/3 BufSize: 80 x 150 Cursor: 0,0 Link0: No syscall wrapper LinkProc: \\?\Z:\proc\self\fd\0

Tests done, conclusion: On Wine, terminal launches don't have a visible console window (IsWindowVisible(consoleWnd): 0). GUI launches (e.g. from KDE) create a visible virtual console (IsWindowVisible(consoleWnd): 1).

imsys · 2026-06-02T23:42:46Z

+#if defined(__TIC_WINDOWS__)
+#include <conio.h>
+#include <io.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#elif defined(__TIC_LINUX__) || defined(__APPLE__) || defined(__TIC_MACOSX__)
 #include <signal.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/select.h>
+#include <termios.h>


Windows (__TIC_WINDOWS__)

<conio.h>: Needed for _kbhit() (to check if a key is waiting without blocking) and _getch() (to read a single character without waiting for Enter).

<io.h>: Needed for _open_osfhandle() and _dup2(), which are used to reconnect the standard streams (stdin, stdout, stderr) when the console is hidden or redirected.

<fcntl.h>: Needed for the _O_TEXT constant used during the stream redirection process.

POSIX (__TIC_LINUX__, __APPLE__, __TIC_MACOSX__)

<unistd.h>: Provides read() for reading from the terminal and the STDIN_FILENO constant (the standard input file descriptor).

<sys/select.h>: Required for the select() function and the associated macros (fd_set, FD_ZERO, FD_SET). This is used to poll the terminal for input without blocking the entire game loop.

<termios.h>: Provides the tcgetattr, tcsetattr, and terminal mode constants (ICANON, ECHO, TCSANOW). These are used to switch the terminal into "Raw Mode" so TIC-80 can capture keystrokes immediately (like arrow keys) without waiting for the user to press Enter.

imsys · 2026-06-02T23:44:37Z

+#ifdef BAREMETALPI
        printf("%s", console->input.text);
+#endif


As this proposed request makes a sync between tic80 console and the system console, we have to remove the output here, otherwise we get a duplicated command output.

imsys · 2026-06-02T23:47:11Z

        else printBack(console, "\n loading cart...");
    }

+    processKeyboard(console);


I had to move it down here because it was causing an extra > at the startup:

TIC-80 tiny computer version 1.2.3101-dev (240d0a1) https://tic80.com (C) 2017-2026 > hello! type help for help >

imsys · 2026-06-02T23:52:04Z

 }

-static u8 getSpritePixel(const tic_tile* tiles, s32 x, s32 y)
+static u8 getSpritePixelLoc(const tic_tile* tiles, s32 x, s32 y)


I had to rename it because it started to cause a conflict with the one in studio/studio.c

src/system/sdl/main.c:348:11: error: conflicting types for ‘getSpritePixel’; have ‘u8(const tic_tile *, s32, s32)’ {aka ‘unsigned char(const tic_tile *, int, int)’} 348 | static u8 getSpritePixel(const tic_tile* tiles, s32 x, s32 y) | ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In file included from src/system/sdl/main.c:24: src/studio/studio.h:258:4: note: previous declaration of ‘getSpritePixel’ with type ‘u8(tic_tile *, s32, s32)’ {aka ‘unsigned char(tic_tile *, int, int)’} 258 | u8 getSpritePixel(tic_tile* tiles, s32 x, s32 y); | ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~ make[2]: *** [CMakeFiles/tic80.dir/build.make:79: CMakeFiles/tic80.dir/src/system/sdl/main.c.o] Error 1 make[1]: *** [CMakeFiles/Makefile2:1064: CMakeFiles/tic80.dir/all] Error 2 make: *** [Makefile:156: all] Error 2

imsys · 2026-06-02T23:54:35Z

 }

-static void map2ram(tic_mem* tic)
+static void map2ramLoc(tic_mem* tic)


I had to rename it because it started to cause a conflict with the one in studio/studio.c on the Android and Nintendo Switch builds.

/__w/TIC-80/TIC-80/src/system/sdl/main.c:419:13: error: conflicting types for 'map2ram'; have 'void(tic_mem *)' 419 | static void map2ram(tic_mem* tic) | ^~~~~~~ In file included from /__w/TIC-80/TIC-80/src/system/sdl/main.c:24: [ 98%] Building C object CMakeFiles/tic80.dir/src/system/nswitch/runtime.o /__w/TIC-80/TIC-80/src/studio/studio.h:302:6: note: previous declaration of 'map2ram' with type 'void(tic_ram *, const tic_map *)' 302 | void map2ram(tic_ram* ram, const tic_map* src); | ^~~~~~~

imsys · 2026-06-03T00:08:41Z

The Windows version was working quite nice, but I added extra code to get it properly work on Wine. It is desirable to it work nice on Wine for consistency and to be easier to test while on Linux.

imsys · 2026-06-03T00:28:13Z

I also noticed that on Windows, all versions of TIC-80 seems to popup the terminal for a few milliseconds, and then it disappears when double clicking on the binary. It seems this is due to the way it is compiled.
It seems that it is being compiled as -mconsole (gcc) / /SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE (MSVC), default for main() and wmain(). The alternative would be: -mwindows / /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS, default for WINAPI WinMain() and WINAPI wWinMain().

I don't really work on windows and I don't really want to set a windows dev environment for now. And it is a bit out of scope for this PR.

Anyway, to test this PR on windows, we can just open CMD and start tic80 from there. (drag and drop to the terminal windows.)

imsys added 3 commits May 10, 2026 19:37

Allows to run TIC-80 commands from the system console

5c1f2f9

imsys added 22 commits May 11, 2026 01:14

Fix builds using console_minimal.c

32bdfbe

Fix system console under wine, fixes newline, adds comments

4f5963e

there were a newline added in the system console after each command, that was fixed.

wine fix attempt

b1dab1c

fix wine freeze

89da39d

Better bidirectional console sync

84b1d9a

Wine fix

ff78585

Try to improve wine app

beb325a

detecting if opened by double click or from terminal

Another wine fix attempt

00f65d2

Another wine fix try

18a877a

wine debug

18fce7c

enhanced debug

a837b85

debug

e2725da

missing declaration

a8ee968

Removed debugging test, fixed up Wine

240d0a1

Tests done, conclusion: On Wine, terminal launches don't have a visible console window (IsWindowVisible(consoleWnd): 0). GUI launches (e.g. from KDE) create a visible virtual console (IsWindowVisible(consoleWnd): 1).

fix minor duplicated > at startup

cb14d7e

there were an extra > showing in the system console at startup: TIC-80 tiny computer version 1.2.3101-dev (240d0a1) https://tic80.com (C) 2017-2026 > hello! type help for help >

imsys commented Jun 2, 2026

View reviewed changes

imsys marked this pull request as ready for review June 2, 2026 23:55

imsys mentioned this pull request Jun 3, 2026

ESC key mapping and the Menu. #2937

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Allows to run TIC-80 commands from the system console - #2939

Allows to run TIC-80 commands from the system console#2939
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