Wireshark · Ethereal-dev: [Ethereal-dev] [RFC] Win32 only: console opening behaviour by preference setting?

[Ulf Lamping <ulf.lamping@xxxxxx>]

Hi List!

I'm currently thinking about the win32 console opening behaviour.

Ethereal Win32 version will handle console messages (printf) differently 
compared to the unix versions, as the unix versions typically have a 
console which will print the message requested into. A win32 program 
will have no such console by default, thus have to opening itself one.

The current behaviour is:
-open this console window automatically, if something like a g_warning 
is called. BTW: if no console window is open, a simple printf call will 
have no effect, as it will not open such a window
-close this console window at program exit, but require a key press to 
close it

I've played a bit with a menu item "View->Console" like the one for the 
statusbar, but that results in odd behaviour. Especially when you close 
and reopen the console window this way, all text will be gone (there 
seems to be no way to hide the console window, so you have to close it).


Saying this, I would like to add a preference setting, which will have a 
dropdown with three options:

Open a console window:
"Never (novice users)": never open a console window
"Automatic (advanced users)": just like today
"Always (debugging)": open the console window already at program start

Default should be the "Never" option.

The novice user (default) will usually not be interested in such 
information, and even more important will get annoyed as he has not 
enough knowledge how to get rid of this message again (which pops up 
everytime he starts Ethereal, like when having "problems" with the 
preference settings).

The advanced user will be interested in this info to track down 
problems, or might guide a novice user how to do so.

While debugging, you might be interested in any such message.

Any other ideas or comments?

Regards, ULFL