Customize the Output Window

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Customize the Output Window

2 Jul 2010 1:00 AM
  • Comments 8

Menu:  Tools -> Options -> Fonts and Colors -> Show settings for -> Output Window
Versions:  2008,2010
Published:  7/2/2010
Code:  vstipTool0044

 

Tired of the same old Output Window?  Want bigger fonts?  Better colors? 

image

 

Well you can get it all!  Just go to Tools -> Options -> Fonts and Colors -> Show settings for -> Output Window:

image

 

You can change the font type, color, and size for a variety of display items.  Here is one change I made:

image

 

And the result in the Output Window:

image

 

Obviously you'll want to experiment with combinations that suit you :)

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Comments
  • Anthony
    3 Nov 2010 8:15 PM

    Yes, but how do you increase the total number of lines in the buffer!

  • 4 Nov 2010 7:18 AM

    @anthony -- could you clarify?  are you having issues with the number of lines in the Output window?

  • Domi
    11 Jan 2011 5:37 PM

    Yes, how do you increase it ? Max lines seems to be 50000, how can be this increased ?

  • 12 Jan 2011 5:27 PM

    Okay so I pinged Dustin Campbell on the VS Team and here is his answer:

    "To keep memory down, the output window ensures that there is no more than 256MB is taken up by the text in the output window. At  2 bytes per character, that means that no more than 134,217,728 characters can appear. However, that total is spread across all of the output window panes (e.g. “Debug”, “Build”, etc.). When the total amount of text used by each output pane reaches that maximum number, an algorithm is run to reduce the amount of text used by 10%.

    Given that the maximum amount of text is already at ¼ GB, a facility to tweak that number was never added."

    Makes sense from a performance standpoint IMHO.

    Z

  • Domi
    17 Jan 2011 7:10 AM

    Wow. Thanks! I guess we can not run long test cases with output mesages. Is there a way to redirect the output to a file and log everything ? Maybe in the new VS ? All i do know is when i see the number of lines reaches close to 50000 hit break, save the output and hit run again. This method excludes automation.

    Domi

  • 17 Jan 2011 8:59 AM

    Hey Domi -- Have you checked out DebugView?  technet.microsoft.com/.../bb896647.aspx   It might be what you are looking for.

  • Domi
    17 Jan 2011 1:14 PM

    Thanks, but DebugView does not work for me.

  • Fred
    21 Oct 2011 4:26 AM

    what about launching your build from the CLI using msbuild, and redirecting the output into a file?

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