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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-12T06:23:58+00:00

I wanna build a console app that may stop and prompt for some input,

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I wanna build a console app that may stop and prompt for some input, under some conditions. But I want to prompt only if input will be available.

Is there a way to know if Stdin is connected to anything?

I think powershell does this, and I’d like to do something similar. Powershell detects when it is run interactively, and prompts when that is true. I think it is also possible to force powershell into non-interactive mode. (Correct me if I am wrong)

I guess I’m thinking there are several possibilities, including but not limited to:

  • the program is running interactively in a cmd.exe prompt. In this case, prompt for input.
  • the program is running within a script, and something haas been piped to stdin. In this case, no prompt.
  • the program is running within a script, which is running in a cmd.exe prompt. In which case, prompt.
  • the program is running from within another program, and nothing has been piped to stdin. In this case, no prompt.

Is it possible for a console app to distinguish between these situations and modify behavior accordingly?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Check out the GetStdHandle API. Calling GetStdHandle(STD_INPUT_HANDLE) will return NULL if there is no associated stdin for the application.

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