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Win32 Console Documentation -- in particular, console/standard handles and CreateProcess inheritance

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Console Handles and Standard Handles
====================================

This document attempts to explain how console handles and standard handles
work, and how they interact with process creation and console attachment and
detachment.  It is based on experiments that I ran against various versions of
Windows from Windows XP to Windows 10.

The information here is verified by the test suite in the `src`
directory.  It should be taken with a grain of salt.  I don't have access
to many operating systems.  There may be important things I didn't think to
test.  Some of the behavior is surprising, so it's hard to be sure I have
fully identified the behavior.

Feel free to report errors or omissions.  An easy thing to do is to run the
accompanying test suite and report errors.  The [test suite](#test-suite) is
designed to expect bugs on the appropriate Windows releases.

Table of Contents
-----------------

* [Common semantics](#common-semantics)
 * [Traditional semantics](#traditional-semantics)
   * [Console handles and handle sets (traditional)](#console-handles-and-handle-sets-traditional)
   * [CreateProcess (traditional)](#createprocess-traditional)
   * [AllocConsole, AttachConsole (traditional)](#allocconsole-attachconsole-traditional)
   * [FreeConsole (traditional)](#freeconsole-traditional)
 * [Modern semantics](#modern-semantics)
   * [Console handles (modern)](#console-handles-modern)
   * [CreateProcess (modern)](#createprocess-modern)
   * [AllocConsole, AttachConsole (modern)](#allocconsole-attachconsole-modern)
   * [Implicit screen buffer refcount](#implicit-screen-buffer-refcount)
   * [FreeConsole (modern)](#freeconsole-modern)
   * [Interesting properties](#interesting-properties)
 * [Other notes](#other-notes)
   * [SetActiveConsoleScreenBuffer](#setactiveconsolescreenbuffer)
   * [CREATE_NO_WINDOW process creation flag](#create_no_window-process-creation-flag)
   * [PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_HANDLE_LIST](#proc_thread_attribute_handle_list)
 * [Bugs](#bugs)
   * [Windows XP does not duplicate a pipe's read handle [xppipe]](#windows-xp-does-not-duplicate-a-pipes-read-handle-xppipe)
   * [Windows XP duplication inheritability [xpinh]](#windows-xp-duplication-inheritability-xpinh)
   * [CreateProcess duplicates `INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE` until Windows 8.1 [dupproc]](#createprocess-duplicates-invalid_handle_value-until-windows-81-dupproc)
   * [CreateProcess duplication broken w/WOW64 [wow64dup]](#createprocess-duplication-broken-wwow64-wow64dup)
   * [Windows Vista BSOD](#windows-vista-bsod)
   * [Windows 7 inheritability [win7inh]](#windows-7-inheritability-win7inh)
   * [Windows 7 conhost.exe crash with `CONOUT$` [win7_conout_crash]](#windows-7-conhostexe-crash-with-conout-win7_conout_crash)
 * [Test suite](#test-suite)
 * [Footnotes](#footnotes)

Common semantics
----------------

There are three flags to `CreateProcess` that affect what console a new console
process is attached to:

- `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE`
 - `CREATE_NO_WINDOW`
 - `DETACHED_PROCESS`

These flags are interpreted to produce what I will call the *CreationConsoleMode*.
`CREATE_NO_WINDOW` is ignored if combined with either other flag, and the
combination of `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE` and `DETACHED_PROCESS` is an error:

| Criteria                                    | Resulting *CreationConsoleMode*       |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| None of the flags (parent has a console)    | *Inherit*                             |
| None of the flags (parent has no console)   | *NewConsole*                          |
| `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE`                        | *NewConsole*                          |
| `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE` and `CREATE_NO_WINDOW` | *NewConsole*                          |
| `CREATE_NO_WINDOW`                          | *NewConsoleNoWindow*                  |
| `DETACHED_PROCESS`                          | *Detach*                              |
| `DETACHED_PROCESS` and `CREATE_NO_WINDOW`   | *Detach*                              |
| `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE` and `DETACHED_PROCESS` | none - the `CreateProcess` call fails |
| All three flags                             | none - the `CreateProcess` call fails |

Windows' behavior depends on the *CreationConsoleMode*:

* *NewConsole* or *NewConsoleNoWindow*:  Windows attaches the new process to
   a new console.  *NewConsoleNoWindow* is special--it creates an invisible
   console.  (Prior to Windows 7, `GetConsoleWindow` returned a handle to an
   invisible window.  Starting with Windows 7, `GetConsoleWindow` returns
   `NULL`.)

* *Inherit*:  The child attaches to its parent's console.

* *Detach*:  The child has no attached console, even if its parent had one.

I have not tested whether or how these flags affect non-console programs (i.e.
programs whose PE header subsystem is `WINDOWS` rather than `CONSOLE`).

There is one other `CreateProcess` flag that plays an important role in
understanding console handles -- `STARTF_USESTDHANDLES`.  This flag influences
whether the `AllocConsole` and `AttachConsole` APIs change the
"standard handles" (`STDIN/STDOUT/STDERR`) during the lifetime of the
new process, as well as the new process' initial standard handles, of course.
The standard handles are accessed with `GetStdHandle`
and `SetStdHandle`, which [are effectively wrappers around a global
`HANDLE[3]` variable](http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2013/03/07/10399690.aspx)
 -- these APIs do not use `DuplicateHandle` or `CloseHandle`
internally, and [while NT kernels objects are reference counted, `HANDLE`s
are not](http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2007/08/29/4620336.aspx).

The `FreeConsole` API detaches a process from its console, but it never alters
the standard handles.

(Note that by "standard handles", I am strictly referring to `HANDLE` values
and not `int` file descriptors or `FILE*` file streams provided by the C
language.  C and C++ standard I/O is implemented on top of Windows `HANDLE`s.)

Traditional semantics
---------------------

### Console handles and handle sets (traditional)

In releases prior to Windows 8, console handles are not true NT handles.
Instead, the values are always multiples of four minus one (i.e. 0x3, 0x7,
0xb, 0xf, ...), and the functions in `kernel32.dll` detect the special handles
and perform LPCs to `csrss.exe` and/or `conhost.exe`.

A new console's initial console handles are always inheritable, but
non-inheritable handles can also be created.  The inheritability can
be changed, except on Windows 7 (see [[win7inh]](#win7inh)).

Traditional console handles cannot be duplicated to other processes.  If such
a handle is used with `DuplicateHandle`, the source and target process handles
must be the `GetCurrentProcess()` pseudo-handle, not a real handle to the
current process.

Whenever a process creates a new console (either during startup or when it
calls `AllocConsole`), Windows replaces that process' set of open
console handles (its *ConsoleHandleSet*) with three inheritable handles
(0x3, 0x7, 0xb).  Whenever a process attaches to an existing console (either
during startup or when it calls `AttachConsole`), Windows completely replaces
that process' *ConsoleHandleSet* with the set of inheritable open handles
from the originating process.  These "imported" handles are also inheritable.

### CreateProcess (traditional)

The manner in which Windows sets standard handles is influenced by two flags:

- Whether `STARTF_USESTDHANDLES` was set in `STARTUPINFO` when the process
   started (*UseStdHandles*)
 - Whether the `CreateProcess` parameter, `bInheritHandles`, was `TRUE`
   (*InheritHandles*)

From Window XP up until Windows 8, `CreateProcess` sets standard handles using
the first matching rule:

1. If *UseStdHandles*, then the child uses the `STARTUPINFO` fields.  Windows
    makes no attempt to validate the handles, nor will it treat a
    non-inheritable handle as inheritable simply because it is listed in
    `STARTUPINFO`.

2. If *ConsoleCreationMode* is *NewConsole* or *NewConsoleNoWindow*, then
    Windows sets the handles to (0x3, 0x7, 0xb).

3. If *ConsoleCreationMode* is *Detach*, then Windows sets the handles to
    (`NULL`, `NULL`, `NULL`).

4. If *InheritHandles*, then the parent's standard handles are copied as-is
    to the child, without exception.

5. Windows duplicates each
    of the parent's non-console standard handles into the child.  Any
    standard handle that looks like a traditional console handle, up to
    0x0FFFFFFF, is copied as-is, whether or not the handle is open.
    <sup>[[1]](#foot_dup_noninherit_con)</sup>

If Windows fails to duplicate a handle for any reason (e.g. because
    it is `NULL` or not open), then the child's new handle is `NULL`.
    The child handles have the same inheritability as the parent handles.
    These handles are not closed by `FreeConsole`.
    (Bugs:
    [[xppipe]](#xppipe)
    [[xpinh]](#xpinh)
    [[dupproc]](#dupproc)
    [[wow64dup]](#wow64dup))

The `bInheritHandles` parameter to `CreateProcess` does not affect whether
console handles are inherited.  Console handles are inherited if and only if
they are marked inheritable.  The `PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_HANDLE_LIST`
attribute added in Vista does not restrict console handle inheritance, and
erratic behavior may result from specifying a traditional console handle in
`PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_HANDLE_LIST`'s `HANDLE` list.  (See the
`Test_CreateProcess_InheritList` test in `src`.)

### AllocConsole, AttachConsole (traditional)

`AllocConsole` and `AttachConsole` set the standard handles as follows:

- If *UseStdHandles*, then Windows does not modify the standard handles.
 - If !*UseStdHandles*, then Windows changes the standard handles to
   (0x3, 0x7, 0xb), even if those handles are not open.

### FreeConsole (traditional)

After calling `FreeConsole`, no console APIs work, and all previous console
handles are apparently closed -- even `GetHandleInformation` fails on the
handles.  `FreeConsole` has no effect on the `STDIN/STDOUT/STDERR` values.

Modern semantics
----------------

### Console handles (modern)

Starting with Windows 8, console handles are true NT kernel handles that
reference NT kernel objects.  Console handles are associated with a device path
beginning with`\Device\ConDrv\`.  View the full path using `procexp.exe` or
`handle.exe` from sysinternals (e.g. `handle.exe -a -p <pid>`).  Be sure to run
the tool elevated, or you will only see the `\Device\ConDrv` for each handle.

If a process is attached to a console, then it will have two open console
handles that Windows uses internally -- one to `\Device\ConDrv\Connect` and
another to `\Device\ConDrv\Reference`.

Ordinary I/O console objects can be classified in two ways:

- *Input* vs *Output*
 - *Bound* vs *Unbound*

A *Bound* *Input* object is tied to a particular console, and a *Bound*
*Output* object is tied to a particular console screen buffer.  These
objects are usable only if the process is attached to the correct
console.  *Bound* objects are created through these methods only:

- `CreateConsoleScreenBuffer` (associated with `\Device\ConDrv\ScreenBuffer`)
 - opening `CONIN$` or `CONOUT$` (associated with `\Device\ConDrv\CurrentIn`
   and `\Device\ConDrv\CurrentOut`)

Most console objects are *Unbound*, which are created during console
initialization.  For any given console API call, an *Unbound* *Input* object
refers to the currently attached console's input queue, and an *Unbound*
*Output* object refers to the screen buffer that was active during the calling
process' console initialization.  These objects are usable as long as the
calling process has any console attached.

*Unbound* objects are associated with `\Device\ConDrv\Input` and
`\Device\ConDrv\Output`.

Unlike traditional console handles, modern console handles **can** be
duplicated to other processes.

### CreateProcess (modern)

Whenever a process is attached to a console (during startup, `AttachConsole`,
or `AllocConsole`), Windows will sometimes create new *Unbound* console
objects and assign them to one or more standard handles.  If it assigns
to both `STDOUT` and `STDERR`, it reuses the same new *Unbound*
*Output* object for both.

As with previous releases, standard handle determination is affected by the
*UseStdHandles* and *InheritHandles* flags.

Each of the child's standard handles is set using the first match:

1. If *InheritHandles*, *UseStdHandles*, and the relevant `STARTUPINFO`
    field is non-`NULL`, then Windows uses the `STARTUPINFO` field.  As with
    previous releases, Windows makes no effort to validate the handle, nor
    will it treat a non-inheritable handle as inheritable simply because it
    is listed in `STARTUPINFO`.  <sup>[[2]](#foot_explicit_stdhnd_con)</sup>

2. If *CreationConsoleMode* is *NewConsole* or *NewConsoleNoWindow*, then
    Windows opens a handle to a new *Unbound* console object.  This handle will
    be closed if `FreeConsole` is later called.  (N.B.: Windows reuses the
    same *Unbound* output object if it creates handles for both `STDOUT` and
    `STDERR`.  The handles themselves are still different, though.)

3. If *ConsoleCreationMode* is *Detach*, then Windows sets the handle to
    `NULL`.

4. If *UseStdHandles*, the child's standard handle becomes `NULL`.

5. If *InheritHandles*, and there is no `PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_HANDLE_LIST`
    specified, then the parent's standard handle is copied as-is.

6. The parent's standard handle is duplicated.  As with previous releases, if
    the handle cannot be duplicated, then the child's handle becomes `NULL`.
    The child handle has the same inheritability as the parent handle.
    `FreeConsole` does *not* close this handle, even if it happens to be a
    console handle (which is not unlikely).
    (Bugs: [[dupproc]](#dupproc))

### AllocConsole, AttachConsole (modern)

`AllocConsole` and `AttachConsole` set the standard handles as follows:

- If *UseStdHandles*, then Windows opens a console handle for each standard
   handle that is currently `NULL`.
 - If !*UseStdHandles*, then Windows opens three new console handles.

### Implicit screen buffer refcount

When a process' console state is initialized (at startup, `AllocConsole`
or `AttachConsole`), Windows increments a refcount on the console's
currently active screen buffer, which decrements only when the process
detaches from the console.  All *Unbound* *Output* console objects reference
this screen buffer.

### FreeConsole (modern)

As in previous Windows releases, `FreeConsole` in Windows 8 does not change
the `STDIN/STDOUT/STDERR` values.  If Windows opened new console handles for
`STDIN/STDOUT/STDERR` when it initialized the process' console state, then
`FreeConsole` will close those handles.  Otherwise, `FreeConsole` will only
close the two internal handles.

### Interesting properties

* `FreeConsole` can close a non-console handle.  This happens if:

1. Windows had opened handles during console initialization.
     2. The program closes its standard handles and opens new non-console
        handles with the same values.
     3. The program calls `FreeConsole`.

(Perhaps programs are not expected to close their standard handles.)

* Console handles--*Bound* or *Unbound*--can be duplicated to other
   processes.  The duplicated handles are sometimes usable, especially
   if *Unbound*.  The same *Unbound* *Output* object can be open in two
   different processes and refer to different screen buffers in the same
   console or in different consoles.

* Even without duplicating console handles, it is possible to have open
   console handles that are not usable, even with a console attached.

* Dangling *Bound* handles are not allowed, so it is possible to have
   consoles with no attached processes.  The console cannot be directly
   modified (or attached to), but its visible content can be changed by
   closing *Bound* *Output* handles to activate other screen buffers.

* A program that repeatedly reinvoked itself with `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE` and
   `bInheritHandles=TRUE` would accumulate console handles.  Each child
   would inherit all of the previous child's console handles, then allocate
   three more for itself.  All of the handles would be usable (if the
   program kept track of them somehow).

Other notes
-----------

### SetActiveConsoleScreenBuffer

Screen buffers are referenced counted.  Changing the active screen buffer
with `SetActiveConsoleScreenBuffer` does not increment a refcount on the
buffer.  If the active buffer's refcount hits zero, then Windows chooses
another buffer and activates it.

### `CREATE_NO_WINDOW` process creation flag

The documentation for `CREATE_NO_WINDOW` is confusing:

>  The process is a console application that is being run without a
>  console window. Therefore, the console handle for the application is
>  not set.
>
>  This flag is ignored if the application is not a console application,
>  or if it is used with either `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE` or `DETACHED_PROCESS`.

Here's what's evident from examining the OS behavior:

* Specifying both `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE` and `DETACHED_PROCESS` causes the
   `CreateProcess` call to fail.

* If `CREATE_NO_WINDOW` is specified together with `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE` or
   `DETACHED_PROCESS`, it is quietly ignored, just as documented.

* Otherwise, `CreateProcess` behaves the same way with `CREATE_NO_WINDOW` as
   it does with `CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE`, except that the new console either has
   a hidden window (before Windows 7) or has no window at all (Windows 7
   and later).  These situations can be distinguished using the
   `GetConsoleWindow` and `IsWindowVisible` calls.  `GetConsoleWindow` returns
   `NULL` starting with Windows 7.

### `PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_HANDLE_LIST`

The `PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_HANDLE_LIST` list cannot be empty; the
`UpdateProcThreadAttribute` call fails if `cbSize` is `0`.  However, a list
containing a `NULL` is apparently OK and equivalent to an empty list.
Curiously, if the inherit list has both a non-`NULL` handle and a `NULL`
handle, the list is still treated as empty (i.e. the non-`NULL` handle is
not inherited).

Starting with Windows 8, `CreateProcess` duplicates the parent's handles into
the child when `PROC_THREAD_ATTRIBUTE_HANDLE_LIST` and these other parameters
are specified:

- *InheritHandles* is true
 - *UseStdHandles* is false
 - *CreationConsoleMode* is *Inherit*

Bugs
----

### <a name="xppipe">Windows XP does not duplicate a pipe's read handle [xppipe]</a>

On Windows XP, `CreateProcess` fails to duplicate a handle in this situation:

- `bInheritHandles` is `FALSE`.
 - `STARTF_USESTDHANDLES` is not specified in `STARTUPINFO.dwFlags`.
 - One of the `STDIN/STDOUT/STDERR` handles is set to the read end of an
   anonymous pipe.

In this situation, Windows XP will set the child process's standard handle to
`NULL`.  The write end of the pipe works fine.  Passing a `bInheritHandles`
of `TRUE` (and an inheritable pipe handle) works fine.  Using
`STARTF_USESTDHANDLES` also works.  See `Test_CreateProcess_Duplicate_XPPipeBug`
in `src/HandleTests` for a test case.

### <a name="xpinh">Windows XP duplication inheritability [xpinh]</a>

When `CreateProcess` in XP duplicates an inheritable handle, the duplicated
handle is non-inheritable.  In Vista and later, the new handle is also
inheritable.

### <a name="dupproc">`CreateProcess` duplicates `INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE` until Windows 8.1 [dupproc]</a>

From Windows XP to Windows 8, when `CreateProcess` duplicates parent standard
handles into the child, it duplicates `INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE` (aka the
`GetCurrentProcess()` pseudo-handle) to a true handle to the parent process.
This bug was fixed in Windows 8.1.

On some older operating systems, the WOW64 mode also translates
`INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE` to `NULL`.

### <a name="wow64dup">CreateProcess duplication broken w/WOW64 [wow64dup]</a>

On some versions of 64-bit Windows, when a 32-bit program invokes another
32-bit program, `CreateProcess`'s handle duplication does not occur.
Traditional console handles are passed through, but other handles are converted
to `NULL`.  The problem does not occur when 64-bit programs invoke 64-bit
programs.  (I have not tested 32-bit to 64-bit or vice versa.)

The problem affects at least:

- Windows 7 SP1

### Windows Vista BSOD

It is easy to cause a BSOD on Vista and Server 2008 by (1) closing all handles
to the last screen buffer, then (2) creating a new screen buffer:

#include <windows.h>
    int main() {
        FreeConsole();
        AllocConsole();
        CloseHandle((HANDLE)0x7);
        CloseHandle((HANDLE)0xb);
        CreateConsoleScreenBuffer(
            GENERIC_READ | GENERIC_WRITE,
            FILE_SHARE_READ | FILE_SHARE_WRITE,
            NULL,
            CONSOLE_TEXTMODE_BUFFER,
            NULL);
        return 0;
    }

### <a name="win7inh">Windows 7 inheritability [win7inh]</a>

* Calling `DuplicateHandle(bInheritHandle=FALSE)` on an inheritable console
   handle produces an inheritable handle, but it should be non-inheritable.
   Previous and later Windows releases work as expected, as does Windows 7 with
   a non-console handle.

* Calling `SetHandleInformation(dwMask=HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT)` fails on console
   handles, so the inheritability of an existing console handle cannot be
   changed.

### <a name="win7_conout_crash">Windows 7 `conhost.exe` crash with `CONOUT$` [win7_conout_crash]</a>

There is a bug in Windows 7 involving `CONOUT$` and `CloseHandle` that can
easily crash `conhost.exe` and/or activate the wrong screen buffer.  The
bug is triggered when a process without a handle to the active screen buffer
opens `CONOUT$` and then closes it using `CloseHandle`.

Here's what *seems* to be going on:

Each process may have at most one "console object" referencing
a particular buffer.  A single console object can be shared between multiple
processes, and whenever console handles are imported (`CreateProcess` and
`AttachConsole`), the objects are reused.

If a process opens `CONOUT$`, however, and does not already have a reference
to the active screen buffer, then Windows creates a new console object.  The
bug in Windows 7 is this: if a process calls `CloseHandle` on the last handle
for a console object, then the screen buffer is freed, even if there are other
handles/objects still referencing it.  At that point, the console might display
the wrong screen buffer, but using the other handles to the buffer can return
garbage and/or crash `conhost.exe`.  Closing a dangling handle is especially
likely to trigger a crash.

Rather than using `CloseHandle`, letting Windows automatically clean up a
console handle via `FreeConsole` or exiting somehow avoids the problem.

The bug affects Windows 7 SP1, but does not affect
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, the server version of the OS.

See `src/HandleTests/Win7_Conout_Crash.cc`.

Test suite
----------

To run the test suite, install Cygwin or MSYS2, and install the MinGW-w64 G++
compiler package.  Enter the `src` subdirectory.  Run `./configure`, then
`make`, and finally `build/HandleTests.exe`.

For a WOW64 run:

* Build the 64-bit `Worker.exe`.
 * Rename it to `Worker64.exe` and save it somewhere.
 * Build the 32-bit binaries.
 * Copy `Worker64.exe` to the `build` directory alongside `Worker.exe`.

Footnotes
---------

<a name="foot_dup_noninherit_con">1</a>: From the previous discussion,
it follows that if a standard handle is a non-inheritable console handle,
then the child's standard handle will be invalid:

- Traditional console standard handles are copied as-is to the child.
 - The child has the same *ConsoleHandleSet* as the parent, excluding
   non-inheritable handles.

It's an interesting edge case, though, so I test for it specifically.  As of
Windows 8, the non-inheritable console handle would be successfully duplicated.

<a name="foot_explicit_stdhnd_con">2</a>: Suppose a console program invokes
`CreateProcess` with these parameters:

- `bInheritHandles` is `FALSE`.
 - `STARTF_USESTDHANDLES` is set.
 - `STARTUPINFO` refers to inheritable console handles (e.g. the default
   standard handles)

Prior to Windows 8, the child would have received valid standard handles.  As
of Windows 8, the child's standard handles will be `NULL` instead.

This document is released into the public domain, as per the CC0
(https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

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