[windows] How to echo with different colors in the Windows command line

I know that the color bf command sets the colors of the whole command line window but I wanted to to print one single line in a different color.

I looked at this because I wanted to introduce some simple text colors to a Win7 Batch file. This is what I came up with. Thanks for your help.

@echo off
cls && color 08

rem .... the following line creates a [DEL] [ASCII 8] [Backspace] character to use later
rem .... All this to remove [:]
for /F "tokens=1,2 delims=#" %%a in ('"prompt #$H#$E# & echo on & for %%b in (1) do rem"') do (set "DEL=%%a")

echo.

<nul set /p="("
call :PainText 09 "BLUE is cold"    && <nul set /p=")  ("
call :PainText 02 "GREEN is earth"  && <nul set /p=")  ("
call :PainText F0 "BLACK is night"  && <nul set /p=")"
echo.
<nul set /p="("
call :PainText 04 "RED is blood"    && <nul set /p=")  ("
call :PainText 0e "YELLOW is pee"   && <nul set /p=")  ("
call :PainText 0F "WHITE all colors"&& <nul set /p=")"

goto :end

:PainText
<nul set /p "=%DEL%" > "%~2"
findstr /v /a:%1 /R "+" "%~2" nul
del "%~2" > nul
goto :eof

:end
echo.
pause

To get this working on Windows 10, you can enable this flag: ENABLE_VIRTUAL_TERMINAL_PROCESSING.

With this registry key you can set this by default

[HKCU\Console] VirtualTerminalLevel dword 0x1

for me i found some solutions: it is a working solution

     @echo off
    title a game for youtube 
explorer "https://thepythoncoding.blogspot.com/2020/11/how-to-echo-with-different-colors-in.html"
    SETLOCAL EnableDelayedExpansion
    for /F "tokens=1,2 delims=#" %%a in ('"prompt #$H#$E# & echo on & for %%b in (1) do rem"') do (
      set "DEL=%%a"
    )
    echo say the name of the colors, don't read
    
    call :ColorText 0a "blue"
    call :ColorText 0C "green"
    call :ColorText 0b "red"
    echo(
    call :ColorText 19 "yellow" 
    call :ColorText 2F "black"
    call :ColorText 4e "white"
    
    goto :Beginoffile
    
    :ColorText
    echo off
    <nul set /p ".=%DEL%" > "%~2"
    findstr /v /a:%1 /R "^$" "%~2" nul
    del "%~2" > nul 2>&1
    goto :eof
    
    :Beginoffile

I just converted from Win 7 Home to Win 10 Pro and wanted to replace the batch I call from other batches to echo info in color. Reviewing what is discussed above I use the following which will directly replace my previous batch. NOTE the addition of "~" to the message so that messages with spaces may be used. Instead of remembering codes I use letters for the colors I needed.

If %2 contains spaces requires "..." %1 Strong Colors on black: R=Red G=GREEN Y=YELLOW W=WHITE

ECHO OFF
IF "%1"=="R" ECHO ^[91m%~2[0m
IF "%1"=="G" ECHO ^[92m%~2[0m
IF "%1"=="Y" ECHO ^[93m%~2[0m
IF "%1"=="W" ECHO ^[97m%~2[0m

An advanced Macro for handling Cursor Color, Position and properties For Windows 10.
Please refer to the help and usage examples for information on usage.

Supports and Shows examples of:

• Cursor Positioning
  • Absolute
  • Relative to last Cursor Position ; left right by n columns ; up down by n lines
  • Combinations of Relative and Absolute Position.
• Show / Hide Cursor
• Cursor Graphics properties [ Color ; Foreground and Background ]
  • Same line multicolor output
  • Easily chain multiple VT graphics sequences.
• Clearing of all text on a line from a given position.
• Deletion of a number of characters to the right of the cursor on the current line.
• Optionally Save the Cursor position at the time of expansion as independent Y and X values.
  • /Save Cursor position storing component of the macro adpated from Jeb's answer here
• NEW: Switching between Screen buffers.

Edit:

I've included below the final usage example a command line that uses VT codes to achieve the same result as that example, to illustrate the difference in readability when using multiple Terminal sequences in the same Cursor output.

NOTES On changing Buffers:

Cursor position is tied to the active buffer; It is not availale when switching to an alternate buffer.
When reverting to the main buffer:
The cursor position originally occupied in the main buffer is restored, and the content of the alternate buffer is discarded.

::: Cout cursor Macro. Author: T3RRY ::: Filename: Cout.bat
::: OS requirement: Windows 10
::: Purpose: Facilitate advanced console display output with the easy use of Virtual terminal codes
::: Uses a macro function to effect display without users needing to memorise or learn specific
::: virtual terminal sequences.
::: Enables output of text in 255 bit color at absolute or relative Y;X positions.
::: Allows cursor to be hidden or shown during and after text output. See help for more info.

@Echo off & Setlocal EnableExtensions
============================================== :# Usage
 If not "%~1" == "" Echo/%~1.|findstr /LIC:"/?" > nul && (
  If "%~2" == "" (Cls &  Mode 1000,50 & Color 30)
  If "%~2" == "Usage" ( Color 04 & ( Echo/n|choice /n /C:o 2> nul ) & timeout /T 5 > nul )
  If "%~2" == "DE" ( Color 04 & Echo/                      --- Delayed expansion detected^^^! Must not be enabled prior to calling %~n0 ---&( Echo/n|choice /n /C:o 2> nul ))
  If not Exist "%TEMP%\%~n0helpfile.~tmp" (For /F "Delims=" %%G in ('Type "%~f0"^| Findstr.exe /BLIC:":::" 2^> nul ')Do (
   For /F "Tokens=2* Delims=[]" %%v in ("%%G")Do Echo(^|%%v^|
  ))>"%TEMP%\%~n0helpfile.~tmp"
  Type "%TEMP%\%~n0helpfile.~tmp" | More
  timeout /T 60 > nul
  Color 07
  If "%~2" == "DE" (Exit)Else Exit /B 1
 )
 If "!![" == "[" Call "%~f0" "/?" "DE"
:::[=====================================================================================================================]
:::[ cout /?                                                                                                             ]
:::[ %COUT% Cursor output macro.                                                                                         ]
:::[ * Valid Args for COUT: {/Y:Argvalue} {/X:Argvalue} {/S:Argvalue} {/C:Argvalue}                                      ]
:::[       - Args Must be encased in curly braces. Arg order does not matter ; Each Arg is optional.                     ]
:::[ * Valid Switches for COUT: /Save /Alt /Main                                                                         ]
:::[ /Save - Stores the Y and X position at the start of the current expansion to .lY and .lX variables                  ]
:::[ /Alt  - Switch console to alternate screen Buffer. Persists until /Main switch is used.                             ]
:::[ /Main - Restore console to main screen Buffer. Console default is the main buffer.                                  ]
:::[                                                                                                                     ]
:::[   USAGE:                                                                                                            ]
:::[ * ArgValue Options ; '#' is an integer:                                                                             ]
:::[   {/Y:up|down|#} {/Y:up#|down#|#} {/Y:#up|#down|#} {/X:left|right|#} {/X:left#|right#|#} {/X:#left|#right|#}        ]
:::[  * note: {/Y:option} {/X:option} - 1 option only per Arg.                                                           ]
:::[        - directions: 'up' 'down' 'left' 'right' are relative to the cursors last position.                          ]
:::[         - /Y and /X options - #direction or direction#:                                                             ]
:::[           Positions the cursor a number of cells from the current position in the given direction.                  ]
:::[           Example; To move the cursor 5 rows up in the same column, without displaying any new text:                ]
:::[            %COUT%{/Y:5up}                                                                                           ]
:::[        - '#' (Absolute position) is the column number {/X:#} or row number {/Y:#} the cursor                        ]
:::[         * Integers for absolute positions contained in variables must be Expanded: {/Y:%varname%}                   ]
:::[           is to be positioned at, allowing cursor position to be set on single or multiple axis.                    ]
:::[         * Absolute Y and X positions capped at line and column maximum of the console display.                      ]
:::[         * Exceeding the maximum Y positions the cursor at the start of the last line in the console display.        ]
:::[         * Exceeding the maximum X positions the cursor at the start of the next line                                ]
:::[                                                                                                                     ]
:::[   {/S:Output String} {/S:(-)Output String} {/S:Output String(+)} {/S:Output String(K)} {/S:Output String(.#.)}      ]
:::[  * note: (-) Hide or (+) Show the Cursor during output of the string.                                               ]
:::[          (K) Clears the row of text from the position (K) occurs.                                                   ]
:::[          Example; Delete 5 characters from the current row to the right of the curser:                              ]
:::[           %COUT%{/S:(.5.)}                                                                                          ]
:::[   {/C:VTcode} {/C:VTcode-VTcode} {/C:VTcode-VTcode-VTcode}                                                          ]
:::[  * note: Chain multiple graphics rendition codes using '-'                                                          ]
:::[  See:      https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/console-virtual-terminal-sequences#text-formatting      ]
:::[  See also: https://www.rapidtables.com/web/color/RGB_Color.html                                                     ]
:::[=====================================================================================================================]

============================================== :# PreScript variable definitions

rem /* generate Vitual Terminal Escape Control .Character */
 For /F %%a in ( 'Echo prompt $E ^| cmd' )Do Set "\E=%%a"
rem /* https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/console-virtual-terminal-sequences */
(Set \n=^^^

%= Newline variable for macro definitions. DO NOT MODIFY this line or above 2 lines. =%)

================== :# Screen Dimensions [Customise columns,lines using the mode command.]
 Mode 160,38 & Cls
rem /* Get screen dimensions [lines] [columns]. Must be done before delayed expansion is enabled. */
 For /F "tokens=1,2 Delims=:" %%G in ('Mode')Do For %%b in (%%H)Do For %%a in (%%G)Do Set "%%a=%%b"

rem /* NON ENGLISH VERSION USERS: You will need to manually set Columns and lines for their desired console size */
 If not defined columns (Set "columns=100"& Set "lines=30")

rem /* Cursor position codes - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/console-virtual-terminal-sequences#simple-cursor-positioning */
 Set "left=D"&Set "right=C"&Set "up=A"&set "down=B"
 For /L %%n in (1 1 %lines%)Do (Set "%%ndown=[%%nB"&Set "down%%n=[%%nB"& set "%%nup=[%%nA"&Set "up%%n=[%%nA")
 For /L %%n in (1 1 %columns%)Do (Set "%%nleft=[%%nD"&Set "left%%n=[%%nD"&set "%%nright=[%%nC"&set "right%%n=[%%nC")

%= Catch Args        =%Set COUT=For %%n in (1 2)Do If %%n==2 ( %\n%
%= Test No Args       =%If "!Args!" == "" (CLS^&Echo/Usage Error. Args Required. ^& Call "%~f0" "/?" "Usage" ^|^| Exit /B 1) %\n%
%= Test Braces Used   =%If "!Args:}=!" == "!Args!" (CLS^&Echo/Usage Error. Args must be enclosed in curly braces ^& Call "%~f0" "/?" "Usage" ^|^| Exit /B 1) %\n%
%= Reset macro        =%Set ".Y=" ^& Set ".X=" ^& Set ".Str=" ^& Set ".C=" %\n%
%=  internal vars     =%Set "Arg1=" ^& Set "Arg2=" ^& Set "Arg3=" ^& Set "Arg4=" %\n%
%= Split Args.        =%For /F "Tokens=1,2,3,4 Delims={}" %%1 in ("!Args!")Do ( %\n%
%= Substring           =%Set "Arg1=%%~1" %\n%
%=  modification       =%Set "Arg2=%%~2" %\n%
%=  identifies Args    =%Set "Arg3=%%~3" %\n%
%=  during handling.   =%Set "Arg4=%%~4" %\n%
%=                    =%) %\n%
%= Check /Save switch =%If not "!Args:/Save=!" == "!Args!" (%\n%
%= Reset Cursor Save   =%Set ".Cpos=" ^&Set ".Char="%\n%
%= 10 char max; Repeat =%For /L %%l in (2 1 12)Do (%\n%
%= until R returned     =%If not "!.Char!" == "R" (%\n%
%= from esc[6n          =%^<nul set /p "=%\E%[6n" %\n%
%= Redirects to          =%FOR /L %%z in (1 1 %%l) DO pause ^< CON ^> NUL%\n%
%= prevent blocking      =%Set ".Char=;"%\n%
%= script execution      =%for /F "tokens=1 skip=1 delims=*" %%C in ('"REPLACE /W ? . < con"') DO (Set ".Char=%%C")%\n%
%= Append string w.out R =%If "!.Cpos!" == "" (Set ".Cpos=!.Char!")Else (set ".Cpos=!.Cpos!!.Char:R=!") %\n%
%=                      =%)%\n%
%=                     =%)%\n%
%= Split Captured Pos  =%For /F "tokens=1,2 Delims=;" %%X in ("!.Cpos!")Do Set ".lY=%%X" ^& Set ".LX=%%Y" %\n%
%= End of Pos /Save   =%)%\n%
%= Begin Arg          =%For %%i in (1 2 3 4)Do For %%S in (Y X C S)Do If not "!Arg%%i!" == "" ( %\n%
%= Processing. 4 Args   =%If not "!Arg%%i:/%%S:=!" == "!Arg%%i!" ( %\n%
%= Flagged with Y X C S  =%Set "Arg%%i=!Arg%%i:/%%S:=!" %\n%
%= Strip /Flag In Arg#   =%For %%v in ("!Arg%%i!")Do ( %\n%
%= /Y Lines Arg handling  =%If "%%S" == "Y" ( %\n%
%= Test if arg is variable =%If Not "!%%~v!" == "" ( %\n%
%= assign down / up value   =%Set ".Y=%\E%!%%~v!" %\n%
%= -OR-                    =%)Else ( %\n%
%= assign using operation   =%Set /A ".Y=!Arg%%i!" %\n%
%= to allow use of offsets; =%If !.Y! GEQ !Lines! (Set /A ".Y=Lines-1") %\n%
%= constrained to console   =%Set ".Y=%\E%[!.Y!d" %\n%
%= maximum lines.         =%)) %\n%
%= /X Cols Arg handling   =%If "%%S" == "X" ( %\n%
%= processing follows same =%If Not "!%%~v!" == "" ( %\n%
%= logic as /Y;            =%Set ".X=%\E%!%%~v!" %\n%
%= except if Columns     =%)Else ( %\n%
%= exceed console max     =%Set /A ".X=!Arg%%i!" %\n%
%= columns line wrapping   =%If !.X! GEQ !Columns! (Set ".X=1"^& Set ".Y=%\E%!Down!") %\n%
%= is effected.            =%Set ".X=%\E%[!.X!G" %\n%
%=                       =%)) %\n%
%= /C Color Arg Handling. %If "%%S" == "C" ( %\n%
%= Substituition          =%Set ".C=%\E%[!Arg%%i!" %\n%
%= replaces '-' with VT   =%Set ".C=!.C:-=m%\E%[!" %\n%
%= chain - m\E[           =%Set ".C=!.C!m" %\n%
%=                       =%) %\n%
%= /S String Arg Handle  =%If "%%S" == "S" ( %\n%
%=  Substitute Sub-Args   =%Set ".Str=!Arg%%i!" %\n%
%=  (-) hide cursor        =%Set ".Str=!.Str:(-)=%\E%[?25l!" %\n%
%=  (+) show cursor        =%Set ".Str=!.Str:(+)=%\E%[?25h!" %\n%
%=  (K) clear line         =%Set ".Str=!.Str:(K)=%\E%[K!" %\n%
%=  (.#.) delete # of      =%Set ".Str=!.Str:(.=%\E%[!" %\n%
%=  characters             =%Set ".Str=!.Str:.)=P!" %\n%
%=                       =%) %\n%
%= End Arg Handling   =%))) %\n%
%= /Main /Alt Switch  =%If not "!Args:/Main=!" == "!Args!" ( %\n%
%= handling for       =%^< nul Set /P "=%\E%[?1049l!.Y!!.X!!.C!!.Str!%\E%[0m" %\n%
%= switching console  =%)Else If not "!Args:/Alt=!" == "!Args!" ( %\n%
%= buffers. No Switch =%^< nul Set /P "=%\E%[?1049h!.Y!!.X!!.C!!.Str!%\E%[0m" %\n%
%= outputs to current =%)Else ( ^< nul Set /P "=!.Y!!.X!!.C!!.Str!%\E%[0m" ) %\n%
%= buffer.           =%)Else Set Args=
rem /* Simple subsecond delay macro. Uses call to a non existentent label # number of times to delay script execution. */
 For /F "tokens=1,2 delims==" %%G in ('wmic cpu get maxclockspeed /format:value')Do Set /A "%%G=%%H/20" 2> nul
 If not defined Maxclockspeed Set "Maxclockspeed=200"
 Set "Hash=#"& Set "delay=(If "!Hash!" == "#" (Set /A "Delay.len=Maxclockspeed")Else Set "Delay.len=#")& For /L %%i in (1 1 !Delay.Len!)Do call :[_false-label_] 2> Nul"

============================================== :# Script Body [Demo]
rem /* Enable Delayed Expansion after macro definiton in order to expand macro. */
 Setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion & CD "%TEMP%"
rem /* Usage examples */
 %COUT%{/X:10}{/Y:5}{/C:34}{"/S:(-)hello there^^^!"}
 %Delay%
rem /* Example use of mixed foreground / background color and other graphics rendition properties */
 %COUT%{"/C:31-1-4-48;2;0;80;130"}{/S:Bye for now.}{/Y:down}
 %Delay%
 %COUT%{/Y:up}{/C:35}{/S:again}{/X:16}
 %Delay%
 %COUT%{"/S:(K)^_^"}{/X:right}{/C:32}{/Y:down} /Save
 %Delay%
rem /* Switch to Alternate screen buffer: /Alt */
 %COUT%{"/S:(-)(K)o_o"}{/X:.lX+1}{/Y:6}{/C:33}{/Y:down} /Alt
 %Delay%
 %COUT%{"/S:Don't worry, they'll be back"}{/Y:down}{/X:15left}{/C:7-31}
rem /* Cursor position is tied to the active console buffer. The contents of the Alternate buffer are discarded when reverting to the Main buffer. */
 %Delay%
rem /* Return to Main screen buffer: /Main */
 %COUT%{/X:3left}{/Y:5up}{"/S:That's all folks."} /Save /Main
rem /* Cursor position is tied to the active console buffer. */
 %Delay%
rem /* restore cursor position /Save .lX value with +7 offset ; Overwrite all and delete 6 following characters:(.6.) ; restore cursor: (+) */
     %COUT%{/X:10left}{/S:How(.6.)(+)}{/C:32}
rem /* The same as the above line using VT codes manually. */
 ::: <nul Set /P "=%\E%[10D%\E%[32mHow%\E%[6P%\E%[?25l"
 %Delay%
 %COUT%{/Y:100}
 Endlocal
 Goto :eof

Put the following lines into a file called ColourText.bas on your desktop.

Imports System
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
Imports Microsoft.Win32

Public Module MyApplication  
Public Declare Function GetStdHandle Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetStdHandle" (ByVal nStdHandle As Long) As Long
Public Declare Function SetConsoleTextAttribute Lib "kernel32" Alias "SetConsoleTextAttribute" (ByVal hConsoleOutput As Long, ByVal wAttributes As Long) As Long
Public Const STD_ERROR_HANDLE = -12&
Public Const STD_INPUT_HANDLE = -10&
Public Const STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE = -11&

Sub Main()
    Dim hOut as Long
    Dim Ret as Long
    Dim Colour As Long
    Dim Colour1 As Long
    Dim Text As String
    hOut  = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE)
    Colour = CLng("&h" & Split(Command(), " ")(0))
    Colour1 = Clng("&h" & Split(Command(), " ")(1))
    Text = Mid(Command(), 7)
    Ret = SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut,  Colour)
    Console.Out.WriteLine(text)
    Ret = SetConsoleTextAttribute(hOut, Colour1)
End Sub
End Module

Save it and type the following in a command prompt.

"C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\vbc.exe" /target:exe /out:"%userprofile%\desktop\ColourText.exe" "%userprofile%\desktop\ColourText.bas" /verbose

A file called ColourText.exe will appear on your desktop. Move it to the Windows folder.

To use you must use two character codes to set colour eg 01 not 1.

ColourText ColourOfText ColourOfTextWhenFinished Text

EG To set blue on white by not passing any text, then red on white text, finishing with blue on grey.

ColourText F1 F1
ColourText F2 71 This is green on white

or

ColourText F1 F1
cls
ColourText F4 F4
Echo Hello
Echo Hello today
ColourText F1 F1

Also the CLS command becomes interesting. Color command without parameters resets all colours to startup colours.

To get the colour code add the following numbers together. Use Calculator in programmers mode. These are hex numbers. They can be added together eg Red + Blue + FG Intensity = 13 = D. As 10+ wasn't used the background will be black. Colour codes MUST be two characters, eg 08 not 8.

FOREGROUND_RED = &H4     '  text color contains red.
FOREGROUND_INTENSITY = &H8     '  text color is intensified.
FOREGROUND_GREEN = &H2     '  text color contains green.
FOREGROUND_BLUE = &H1     '  text color contains blue.
BACKGROUND_BLUE = &H10    '  background color contains blue.
BACKGROUND_GREEN = &H20    '  background color contains green.
BACKGROUND_INTENSITY = &H80    '  background color is intensified.
BACKGROUND_RED = &H40    '  background color contains red.

you could use cecho.. you can also use it to embed right into your script so you dont have to carry along a .com or .exe

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/17033/Add-Colors-to-Batch-Files

As Glenn Slayden said in this answer, you can add to the registry the proper value to make the cmd "more colorful".

Fortunately, the global default can be changed from opt-in to opt-out. The registry key at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console\VirtualTerminalLevel sets the global default behavior for processing ANSI escape sequences. Create a DWORD key (if necessary) and set its value to 1 to globally enable (or 0 to disable`) ANSI processing by default.

This is a self-compiled bat/.net hybrid (should be saved as .BAT) that can be used on any system that have installed .net framework (it's a rare thing to see an windows without .NET framework even for the oldest XP/2003 installations) . It uses jscript.net compiler to create an exe capable to print strings with different background/foreground color only for the current line.

@if (@X)==(@Y) @end /* JScript comment
@echo off
setlocal

for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%v in ('dir /b /s /a:-d  /o:-n "%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\*jsc.exe"') do (
   set "jsc=%%v"
)

if not exist "%~n0.exe" (
    "%jsc%" /nologo /out:"%~n0.exe" "%~dpsfnx0"
)

%~n0.exe %*

endlocal & exit /b %errorlevel%

*/

import System;

var arguments:String[] = Environment.GetCommandLineArgs();

var newLine = false;
var output = "";
var foregroundColor = Console.ForegroundColor;
var backgroundColor = Console.BackgroundColor;
var evaluate = false;
var currentBackground=Console.BackgroundColor;
var currentForeground=Console.ForegroundColor;


//http://stackoverflow.com/a/24294348/388389
var jsEscapes = {
  'n': '\n',
  'r': '\r',
  't': '\t',
  'f': '\f',
  'v': '\v',
  'b': '\b'
};

function decodeJsEscape(_, hex0, hex1, octal, other) {
  var hex = hex0 || hex1;
  if (hex) { return String.fromCharCode(parseInt(hex, 16)); }
  if (octal) { return String.fromCharCode(parseInt(octal, 8)); }
  return jsEscapes[other] || other;
}

function decodeJsString(s) {
  return s.replace(
      // Matches an escape sequence with UTF-16 in group 1, single byte hex in group 2,
      // octal in group 3, and arbitrary other single-character escapes in group 4.
      /\\(?:u([0-9A-Fa-f]{4})|x([0-9A-Fa-f]{2})|([0-3][0-7]{0,2}|[4-7][0-7]?)|(.))/g,
      decodeJsEscape);
}


function printHelp( ) {
   print( arguments[0] + "  -s string [-f foreground] [-b background] [-n] [-e]" );
   print( " " );
   print( " string          String to be printed" );
   print( " foreground      Foreground color - a " );
   print( "                 number between 0 and 15." );
   print( " background      Background color - a " );
   print( "                 number between 0 and 15." );
   print( " -n              Indicates if a new line should" );
   print( "                 be written at the end of the ");
   print( "                 string(by default - no)." );
   print( " -e              Evaluates special character " );
   print( "                 sequences like \\n\\b\\r and etc ");
   print( "" );
   print( "Colors :" );
   for ( var c = 0 ; c < 16 ; c++ ) {
        
        Console.BackgroundColor = c;
        Console.Write( " " );
        Console.BackgroundColor=currentBackground;
        Console.Write( "-"+c );
        Console.WriteLine( "" );
   }
   Console.BackgroundColor=currentBackground;
   
   

}

function errorChecker( e:Error ) {
        if ( e.message == "Input string was not in a correct format." ) {
            print( "the color parameters should be numbers between 0 and 15" );
            Environment.Exit( 1 );
        } else if (e.message == "Index was outside the bounds of the array.") {
            print( "invalid arguments" );
            Environment.Exit( 2 );
        } else {
            print ( "Error Message: " + e.message );
            print ( "Error Code: " + ( e.number & 0xFFFF ) );
            print ( "Error Name: " + e.name );
            Environment.Exit( 666 );
        }
}

function numberChecker( i:Int32 ){
    if( i > 15 || i < 0 ) {
        print("the color parameters should be numbers between 0 and 15");
        Environment.Exit(1);
    }
}


if ( arguments.length == 1 || arguments[1].toLowerCase() == "-help" || arguments[1].toLowerCase() == "-help"   ) {
    printHelp();
    Environment.Exit(0);
}

for (var arg = 1; arg <= arguments.length-1; arg++ ) {
    if ( arguments[arg].toLowerCase() == "-n" ) {
        newLine=true;
    }
    
    if ( arguments[arg].toLowerCase() == "-e" ) {
        evaluate=true;
    }
    
    if ( arguments[arg].toLowerCase() == "-s" ) {
        output=arguments[arg+1];
    }
    
    
    if ( arguments[arg].toLowerCase() == "-b" ) {
        
        try {
            backgroundColor=Int32.Parse( arguments[arg+1] );
        } catch(e) {
            errorChecker(e);
        }
    }
    
    if ( arguments[arg].toLowerCase() == "-f" ) {
        try {
            foregroundColor=Int32.Parse(arguments[arg+1]);
        } catch(e) {
            errorChecker(e);
        }
    }
}

Console.BackgroundColor = backgroundColor ;
Console.ForegroundColor = foregroundColor ;

if ( evaluate ) {
    output=decodeJsString(output);
}

if ( newLine ) {
    Console.WriteLine(output);  
} else {
    Console.Write(output);
    
}

Console.BackgroundColor = currentBackground;
Console.ForegroundColor = currentForeground;

Here's the help message:

Example:

coloroutput.bat -s "aa\nbb\n\u0025cc" -b 10 -f 3 -n -e

You can also find this script here.

You can also check carlos' color function -> http://www.dostips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4453

You can just creates files with the name of the word to print, uses findstr which can print in color, and then erases the file. Try this example:

@echo off
SETLOCAL EnableDelayedExpansion
for /F "tokens=1,2 delims=#" %%a in ('"prompt #$H#$E# & echo on & for %%b in (1) do rem"') do (
  set "DEL=%%a"
)

call :ColorText 0a "green"
call :ColorText 0C "red"
call :ColorText 0b "cyan"
echo(
call :ColorText 19 "blue"
call :ColorText 2F "white"
call :ColorText 4e "yellow"

goto :eof

:ColorText
echo off
<nul set /p ".=%DEL%" > "%~2"
findstr /v /a:%1 /R "^$" "%~2" nul
del "%~2" > nul 2>&1
goto :eof

Run color /? to get a list of colors.

You could use ANSICON to enable ANSI terminal codes in older versions of Windows. There are 32 and 64 bit versions that I have used in Windows XP and Windows 7.

I was annoyed by the lack of proper coloring in cmd too, so I went ahead and created cmdcolor. It's just an stdout proxy, which looks for a limited set of ANSI/VT100 control sequences (in other words, like in bash), i.e. echo \033[31m RED \033[0m DEFAULT | cmdcolor.exe.

Usage and downloads.

Windows 10 - TH2 and above:

(a.k.a. Version 1511, build 10586, release 2015-11-10)

At Command Prompt:

echo ^[[32m HI ^[[0m

Using the actual keys:   echo Ctrl+[[32m HI Ctrl+[[0mEnter

You should see a green "HI" below it.

Code numbers can be found here:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI_escape_code#Colors

Notepad:

To save this into notepad, you can type ESC into it using: Alt+027 with the numpad, then the [32m part. Another trick when I was on a laptop, redirect the line above into a file to get started, then cut and paste:

echo echo ^[[32m HI ^[[0m >> batch_file.cmd

We used to do this with ANSI terminal codes. Not sure if they still work, but you could try them.

This isn't a great answer, but if you know the target workstation has Powershell you can do something like this (assuming BAT / CMD script):

CALL:ECHORED "Print me in red!"

:ECHORED
%Windir%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Powershell.exe write-host -foregroundcolor Red %1
goto:eof

Edit: _{^{(now simpler!)}}

It's an old answer but I figured I'd clarify & simplify a bit

PowerShell is now included in all versions of Windows since 7. Therefore the syntax for this answer can be shortened to a simpler form:

• the path doesn't need to be specified since it should be in the environment variable already.
• unambiguous commands can be abbreviated. For example you can:
  • use -fore instead of -foregroundcolor
  • use -back instead of -backgroundcolor
• the command can also basically be used 'inline' in place of echo
  (rather than creating a separate batch file as above).

Example:

powershell write-host -fore Cyan This is Cyan text
powershell write-host -back Red This is Red background

More Information:

The complete list of colors and more information is available in the
- PowerShell Documentation for Write-Host

There is an accepted answer with more than 250 upvotes already. The reason I am still contributing is that the escape character required for echoing is not accepted by many editors (I am using, e.g., MS Code) and all other solutions require some third-party (non-Windows-default) pieces of software.

The work-around with using only plain batch commands is using PROMPT instead of ECHO. The PROMPT command accepts the escape character in an any-editor-friendly way as a $Echaracter sequence. (Simply replace the Esc in the ASCII Escape codes) with $E.

Here is a demo code:

@ECHO OFF

    :: Do not pollute environment with the %prompt.bak% variable
    :: ! forgetting ENDLOCAL at the end of the batch leads to prompt corruption
    SETLOCAL

    :: Old prompt settings backup
    SET prompt.bak=%PROMPT%

    :: Entering the "ECHO"-like section

        :: Forcing prompt to display after every command (see below)
        ECHO ON

        :: Setting the prompt using the ANSI Escape sequence(s)
        :: - Always start with $E[1A, otherwise the text would appear on a next line
        :: - Then the decorated text follows
        :: - And it all ends with $E30;40m, which makes the following command invisible
        ::   - assuming default background color of the screen
        @ PROMPT $E[1A$E[30;42mHELLO$E[30;40m

        :: An "empty" command that forces the prompt to display. 
        :: The word "rem" is displayed along with the prompt text but is made invisible
        rem

        :: Just another text to display
        @ PROMPT $E[1A$E[33;41mWORLD$E[30;40m
        rem

        :: Leaving the "ECHO"-like section
        @ECHO OFF

    :: Or a more readable version utilizing the cursor manipulation ASCII ESC sequences

        :: the initial sequence
        PROMPT $E[1A
        :: formating commands
        PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[32;44m
        :: the text
        PROMPT %PROMPT%This is an "ECHO"ed text...
        :: new line; 2000 is to move to the left "a lot"
        PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[1B$E[2000D
        :: formating commands fro the next line
        PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[33;47m
        :: the text (new line)
        PROMPT %PROMPT%...spreading over two lines
        :: the closing sequence
        PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[30;40m

        :: Looks like this without the intermediate comments:
        :: PROMPT $E[1A
        :: PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[32;44m
        :: PROMPT %PROMPT%This is an "ECHO"ed text...
        :: PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[1B$E[2000D
        :: PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[33;47m
        :: PROMPT %PROMPT%...spreading over two lines
        :: PROMPT %PROMPT%$E[30;40m

        :: show it all at once!
        ECHO ON
        rem
        @ECHO OFF

    :: End of "ECHO"-ing

    :: Setting prompt back to its original value
    :: - We prepend the settings with $E[37;40m in case
    ::   the original prompt settings do not specify color
    ::   (as they don't by default).
    :: - If they do, the $E[37;40m will become overridden, anyway.
    :: ! It is important to write this command 
    ::   as it is with `ENDLOCAL` and in the `&` form.
    ENDLOCAL & PROMPT $E[37;40m%prompt.bak%

EXIT /B 0

NOTE: The only drawback is that this technique collides with user cmd color settings (color command or settings) if not known explicitly.

-- Hope this helps as thi is the only solution acceptable for me for the reasons mentioned at the beginning. --

EDIT:

Based on comments, I am enclosing another snippet inspired by @Jeb. It:

• Shows how to obtain and use the "Esc" character runtime (rather than entering it to an editor) (Jeb's solution)
• Uses "native" ECHO command(s)
• So it does not affect local PROMPT value
• Demonstrates that coloring the ECHO output inevitably affect PROMPT color so the color must be reset, anyway

@ECHO OFF

    :: ! To observe color effects on prompt below in this script
    ::   run the script from a fresh cmd window with no custom
    ::   prompt settings

    :: Only not to pollute the environment with the %\e% variable (see below)
    :: Not needed because of the `PROMPT` variable
    SETLOCAL

        :: Parsing the `escape` character (ASCII 27) to a %\e% variable
        :: Use %\e% in place of `Esc` in the [http://ascii-table.com/ansi-escape-sequences.php]
        FOR /F "delims=#" %%E IN ('"prompt #$E# & FOR %%E IN (1) DO rem"') DO SET "\e=%%E"

        :: Demonstrate that prompt did not get corrupted by the previous FOR
        ECHO ON
        rem : After for
        @ECHO OFF

        :: Some fancy ASCII ESC staff
        ECHO [          ]
        FOR /L %%G IN (1,1,10) DO (
            TIMEOUT /T 1 > NUL
            ECHO %\e%[1A%\e%[%%GC%\e%[31;43m.
            ECHO %\e%[1A%\e%[11C%\e%[37;40m]
        )

        :: ECHO another decorated text
        :: - notice the `%\e%[30C` cursor positioning sequence
        ::   for the sake of the "After ECHO" test below
        ECHO %\e%[1A%\e%[13C%\e%[32;47mHELLO WORLD%\e%[30C

        :: Demonstrate that prompt did not get corrupted by ECHOing
        :: neither does the cursor positioning take effect.
        :: ! But the color settings do.
        ECHO ON
        rem : After ECHO
        @ECHO OFF

    ENDLOCAL

    :: Demonstrate that color settings do not reset
    :: even when out of the SETLOCAL scope
    ECHO ON
    rem : After ENDLOCAL
    @ECHO OFF

    :: Reset the `PROMPT` color
    :: - `PROMPT` itself is untouched so we did not need to backup it.
    :: - Still ECHOING in color apparently collide with user color cmd settings (if any).
    :: ! Resetting `PROMPT` color this way extends the `PROMPT`
    ::   by the initial `$E[37;40m` sequence every time the script runs.
    :: - Better solution then would be to end every (or last) `ECHO` command
    ::   with the `%\e%[37;40m` sequence and avoid setting `PROMPT` altogether.
    ::   which makes this technique preferable to the previous one (before EDIT)
    :: - I am keeping it this way only to be able to
    ::   demonstrate the `ECHO` color effects on the `PROMPT` above.
    PROMPT $E[37;40m%PROMPT%

    ECHO ON
    rem : After PROMPT color reset
    @ECHO OFF

EXIT /B 0

call :color_echo "blue" "blue txt"
call :color_echo "red" "red txt"
echo "white txt"


REM : https://www.robvanderwoude.com/ansi.php
:color_echo
    @echo off

    set "color=%~1"
    set "txt=%~2"

    set ESC=
    set black=%ESC%[30m
    set red=%ESC%[31m
    set green=%ESC%[32m
    set yellow=%ESC%[33m
    set blue=%ESC%[34m
    set magenta=%ESC%[35m
    set cyan=%ESC%[36m
    set white=%ESC%[37m

    if "%~1" == "black"   set "color=!black!"
    if "%~1" == "red"     set "color=!red!"
    if "%~1" == "green"   set "color=!green!"
    if "%~1" == "yellow"  set "color=!yellow!"
    if "%~1" == "blue"    set "color=!blue!"
    if "%~1" == "magenta" set "color=!magenta!"
    if "%~1" == "cyan"    set "color=!cyan!"
    if "%~1" == "white"   set "color=!white!"

    echo | set /p="!color!!txt!"
    echo.

    REM : return to standard white color
    echo | set /p="!white!"

    REM : exiting the function only
    EXIT /B 0

I'm adding an answer to address an issue noted in some comments above: that inline ansi color codes can misbehave when inside a FOR loop (actually, within any parenthesized block of code). The .bat code below demonstrates (1) the use of inline color codes, (2) the color failure that can occur when inline color codes are used in a FOR loop or within a parenthesized block of code, and (3) a solution to the problem. When the .bat code executes, tests 2 and 3 demonstrate the colorcode failure, and test 4 shows no failure because it implements the solution.

[EDIT 2020-04-07: I found another solution that's presumably more efficient than calling a subroutine. Enclose the FINDSTR phrase in parentheses, as in the following line:

   echo success | (findstr /R success)

ENDEDIT]

Note: In my (limited) experience, the color code problem manifests only after input is piped to FINDSTR inside the block of code. That's how the following .bat reproduces the problem. It's possible the color code problem is more general than after piping to FINDSTR. If someone can explain the nature of the problem, and if there's a better way to solve it, I'd appreciate it.

@goto :main
:resetANSI
EXIT /B
rem  The resetANSI subroutine is used to fix the colorcode
rem  bug, even though it appears to do nothing.

:main
@echo off
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion

rem  Define some useful colorcode vars:
for /F "delims=#" %%E in ('"prompt #$E# & for %%E in (1) do rem"') do set "ESCchar=%%E"
set "green=%ESCchar%[92m"
set "yellow=%ESCchar%[93m"
set "magenta=%ESCchar%[95m"
set "cyan=%ESCchar%[96m"
set "white=%ESCchar%[97m"
set "black=%ESCchar%[30m"

echo %white%Test 1 is NOT in a FOR loop nor within parentheses, and color works right.
   echo %yellow%[Test 1] %green%This is Green, %magenta%this is Magenta, and %yellow%this is Yellow.
   echo %Next, the string 'success' will be piped to FINDSTR...
   echo success | findstr /R success
   echo %magenta%This is magenta and FINDSTR found and displayed 'success'.%yellow%
   echo %green%This is green.
echo %cyan%Test 1 completed.

echo %white%Test 2 is within parentheses, and color stops working after the pipe to FINDSTR.
(  echo %yellow%[Test 2] %green%This is Green, %magenta%this is Magenta, and %yellow%this is Yellow.
   echo %Next, the string 'success' will be piped to FINDSTR...
   echo success | findstr /R success
   echo %magenta%This is supposed to be magenta and FINDSTR found and displayed 'success'.
   echo %green%This is supposed to be green.
)
echo %cyan%Test 2 completed.

echo %white%Test 3 is within a FOR loop, and color stops working after the pipe to FINDSTR.
for /L %%G in (3,1,3) do (
   echo %yellow%[Test %%G] %green%This is Green, %magenta%this is Magenta, and %yellow%this is Yellow.
   echo %Next, the string 'success' will be piped to FINDSTR...
   echo success | findstr /R success
   echo %magenta%This is supposed to be magenta and FINDSTR found and displayed 'success'.
   echo %green%This is supposed to be green.
)
echo %cyan%Test 3 completed.

echo %white%Test 4 is in a FOR loop but color works right because subroutine :resetANSI is 
echo called after the pipe to FINDSTR, before the next color code is used.
for /L %%G in (4,1,4) do (
   echo %yellow%[Test %%G] %green%This is Green, %magenta%this is Magenta, and %yellow%this is Yellow.
   echo %Next, the string 'success' will be piped to FINDSTR...
   echo success | findstr /R success
   call :resetANSI
   echo %magenta%This is magenta and FINDSTR found and displayed 'success'.
   echo %green%This is green.
)
echo %cyan%Test 4 completed.%white%

EXIT /B

You can use the color command to change the color of the whole console

Color 0F

Is black and white

Color 0A 

Is black and green

You'll need to echo an ANSI escape code sequence to alter the text colour: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI_escape_code

Another very good source of these escape codes is http://ascii-table.com/ansi-escape-sequences.php

An alternative is to use NodeJS.

Here is an example:

const os = require('os');
const colors = require('colors');

console.log("Operative System:".green,os.type(),os.release());
console.log("Uptime:".blue,os.uptime());

And this is the result:

The following code consists of two parts. If it is convenient for you too, there is also a .txt format in this .cmd file, below the "double" line (====).

::adonios77
::This is a .cmd file
@ECHO OFF
TITLE Colored Command Prompt echoes HELP
mode con: cols=55 lines=47
CLS
COLOR 0f 
echo [93m
ECHO This is just help, as optical example,
ECHO when make or modify colorful command prompt echoes.
ECHO.
ECHO More info in Source:
ECHO [4m[94mhttps://stackoverflow.com/questions/2048509/how-to-echo-with-different-colors-in-the-windows-command-line[0m

ECHO.
ECHO [0mESC[0m "Text" Default colours Text[0m
ECHO [7mESC[7m "Text" Inversed Back-Fore colors[0m 
ECHO [101mESC[101m "Text" in Red Background[0m
ECHO [91mESC[91m "Text" in Red Foreground)[0m

echo.
echo To make an ESC special character, (ASCII Escape code)
echo open or edit a .txt or .bat or .cmd file,
echo (hold)L-Alt and (type)027 in NumPad)
echo Or, in Command Prompt, (can't copy/paste special char.)
echo just press Ctrl+[ 
echo  (it should look like: "echo ^[[33m'Text'^[[0m")
echo. 
echo STYLES
echo [0mESC[0m Reset[0m
echo [1mESC[1m Bold [90m*This is not work for me[0m
echo [4mESC[4m Underline[0m
echo [7mESC[7m[0m Inverse
echo. 
echo COLORS#  Foreground-Background (color /? HEX) && echo.
echo           [90mDark[0m     /    [100mLight[0m
echo        Fore-Back   /  Fore-Back
echo Black  *   [100m[30m30[0m-[4m[40m40  [0m   (0) / (8) [90m90[0m-[100m100 [0m
echo Red        [31m31[0m-[41m41  [0m   (4) / (C) [91m91[0m-[101m101 [0m
echo Green      [32m32[0m-[42m42  [0m   (2) / (A) [92m92[0m-[102m102 [0m
echo Yellow         [33m33[0m-[90m[43m43  [0m   (6) / (E) [93m93[0m-[90m[103m103 [0m
echo Blue       [34m34[0m-[44m44  [0m   (1) / (9) [94m94[0m-[104m104 [0m
echo Magenta    [35m35[0m-[45m45  [0m   (5) / (D) [95m95[0m-[105m105 [0m
echo Cyan       [36m36[0m-[46m46  [0m   (3) / (B) [96m96[0m-[106m106 [0m
echo White  *   [37m37[0m-[47m47  [0m   (7) / (F) [97m97[0m-[7;97m107 [0m
echo. 
echo Note: use ESC[0m at the end of (every) line.
echo. 
echo COMBINATIONS
echo [7;91mESC[7;91m inverse red foreground color ESC[0m[0m
echo. 

ECHO. && PAUSE
exit

============================================================
:: This is a .txt file.
 This is just help, as optical example,
 when make or modify colorful command prompt echoes.

 More info in Source:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2048509/how-to-echo-with-different-colors-in-the-windows-command-line

To make an ESC special character, (),
open or edit a .txt or .bat or .cmd file,
(hold)L-Alt and (type)027 in NumPad)

STYLES
[0m Reset
[1m Bold
[4m Underline
[7m Inverse

COLORS#  (Foreground-Background)
            Dark        /     Light
        Fore-Back       /   Fore-Back
Black       30-40   (0) / (8)   90-100
Red         31-41   (4) / (C)   91-101
Green       32-42   (2) / (A)   92-102
Yellow      33-43   (6) / (E)   93-103
Blue        34-44   (1) / (9)   94-104
Magenta     35-45   (5) / (D)   95-105
Cyan        36-46   (3) / (B)   96-106
White       37-47   (7) / (F)   97-107

COMBINATIONS
ESC[7;31m inverse red foreground color 0m

Note: use ESC[0m at the end of (every) line.

examples:
@ECHO OFF
ECHO          Default Text
ECHO [7m"Text" Inversed Back-Fore colors (7m)[0m 
ECHO [101m"Text" in Red Background (101m)[0m
ECHO [91m"Text" in Red Foreground (91m)[0m

============================================================

Also, I figured out that with this way can be change the way the Command Prompt looks like, temporarily or permanently. The following TEXT code is an example of:

This is a .txt file.

 Antony's examples:

prompt $Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$S $T$_ $P\$_$G 
 gives something like that:

====================  19:53:02,73
 C:\Windows\system32\
> 

For All Users & Permanent: 
(if there is space between characters, must double quoted [""])
SETX PROMPT /M $Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$S$S$T$_$_$S$P\$_$G$S
 gives something like that:

====================   9:01:23,17

 C:\Windows\system32\
> 

NOTE: Variables created or modified by SETX
         will be available at the next logon session.

Now let's give colors to the above examples. The result in the image above.

COLORED PROMPT examples:

For only the current User:

prompt $E[91m$E[40m$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$S $T$E[93m$_ $P\$_$G$E[0m

or

For All Users and Permanently:

SETX PROMPT /M $E[91m$E[40m$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$Q$S$S$T$E[93m$_$_$S$P\$_$G$S$E[0m

Setting color to the log statements in powershell is not a big deal friend. you can use -ForegroundColor parameter.

To write a confirmation message.

Write-Host "Process executed Successfully...." -ForegroundColor Magenta

To write an error message.

Write-Host "Sorry an unexpected error occurred.." -ForegroundColor Red

To write a progress message.

Write-Host "Working under pocess..." -ForegroundColor Green

An option for non windows 10 users that doesn't require calling labels, avoiding the delays that go with doing so.

Below is a macro verison of a findstr colorprint routine

usage - where BF is replaced with the hex digit values of the background / Foreground colors: %Col%{BF}{"string to print"}

@Echo off & CD "%TEMP%"
 For /F "tokens=1,2 delims=#" %%a in ('"prompt #$H#$E# & echo on & for %%b in (1) do rem"') do (set "DEL=%%a")
 Set "Col=For %%l in (1 2)Do if %%l==2 (Set "_Str="&(For /F "tokens=1,2 Delims={}" %%G in ("!oline!")Do Set "C_Out=%%G" & Set "_Str=%%~H")&(For %%s in (!_Str!)Do Set ".Str=%%s")&( <nul set /p ".=%DEL%" > "!_Str!" )&( findstr /v /a:!C_Out! /R "^$" "!_Str!" nul )&( del " !_Str!" > nul 2>&1 ))Else Set Oline="
 Setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
rem /* concatenation of multiple macro expansions requires the macro to be expanded within it's own code block. */
 (%Col%{02}{"green on black,"}) & (%Col%{10}{black on blue})
 Echo/& (%Col%{04}{red on black}) & (%Col%{34}{" red on blue"})
Goto :Eof

A more robust version of the macro replete with error handling.

@Echo off & PUSHD "%TEMP%"
rem /* Macro Definitions */
(Set  \n=^^^
%= macro newline Do not modify =%
)
(Set LF=^


%= linefeed. Do not modify =%)
 If "!![" == "[" (
  Echo/%%COL%% macro must be defined prior to delayed expansion being enabled
  Goto :end
 )
 For /F "tokens=1,2 delims=#" %%a in ('"prompt #$H#$E# & echo on & for %%b in (1) do rem"') do (set "DEL=%%a")
rem /* %hCol% - Alternate color macro; escaped for use in COL macro. No error checking. Usage: (%hCol:?=HEXVALUE%Output String) */
 Set "hCol=For %%o in (1 2)Do if %%o==2 (^<nul set /p ".=%DEL%" ^> "!os!" ^& findstr /v /a:? /R "^$" "!os!" nul ^& del "!os!" ^> nul 2^>^&1 )Else Set os="
rem /* %TB%   - used with substitution within COL macro to format help output; not fit for general use, */
 Set "TB=^&^< nul Set /P "=.%DEL%!TAB!"^&"
rem /* %COL%  - main color output macro. Usage: (%COL%{[a-f0-9][a-f0-9]}{String to Print}) */
 Set COL=Set "_v=1"^&Set "Oline="^& For %%l in (1 2)Do if %%l==2 (%\n%
  If not "!Oline!" == "" (%\n%
   Set "_Str="%\n%
   For /F "tokens=1,2 Delims={}" %%G in ("!oline!")Do (%\n%
    Set "Hex=%%G"%\n%
    Set "_Str=%%~H"%\n%
   )%\n%
   Echo/!Hex!^|findstr /RX "[0-9a-fA-F][0-9a-fA-F]" ^> nul ^|^| (Echo/^&(%hCol:?=04%Invalid - )%TB%(%hCol:?=06%Bad Hex value.)%TB%(%hCol:?=01%%%COL%%{!Hex!}{!_Str!})%TB:TAB=LF%(%hCol:?=02%!Usage!)^&Set "_Str="^&Set "_v=0")%\n%
   If not "!_Str!" == "" (%\n%
    ^<nul set /p ".=%DEL%" ^> "!_Str!"%\n%
    findstr /v /a:!Hex! /R "^$" "!_Str!" nul %\n%
    del "!_Str!" ^> nul 2^>^&1%\n%
   )Else If not !_v! EQU 0 (%\n%
    Echo/^&(%hCol:?=04%Invalid -)%TB%(%hCol:?=06%Arg 2 absent.)%TB%(%hCol:?=01%%%COL%%!Oline!)%TB:TAB=LF%(%hCol:?=04%Input is required for output string.)%TB:TAB=LF%(%hCol:?=02%!Usage!)%\n%
   )%\n%
  )Else (Echo/^&(%hCol:?=04%Invalid -)%TB%(%hCol:?=06%No Args)%TB:TAB=!TAB!!TAB!%(%hCol:?=01%%%COL%%!Oline!)%TB:TAB=LF%(%hCol:?=02%!Usage!))%\n%
 )Else Set Oline=
 Set "usage=%%COL%%{[a-f0-9][a-f0-9]}{String to Print}"
 For /F eol^=^%LF%%LF%^ delims^= %%A in ('forfiles /p "%~dp0." /m "%~nx0" /c "cmd /c echo(0x09"') do Set "TAB=%%A"
rem /* removes escaping from macros to enable use outside of COL macro */
 Set "hCol=%hCol:^=%"
 Set "TB=%TB:^=%"
 Setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
 rem /* usage examples */
 (%COL%{02}{"green on black,"}) & (%COL%{10}{"black on blue"})
 Echo/
 (%COL%{04}{"red on black"}) & (%COL%{34}{" red on blue"})&(%COL%{40}{"black on red"})
 Echo/& %COL%{03}{Demonstration of error handling-}
rem /* error handling */
 Echo/%TB:TAB=!LF! % %hCol:?=20%Example 1 - No args
%COL%
 Echo/%TB:TAB=!LF! % %hCol:?=20%Example 2 - Missing 2nd Arg
%COL%{ff}
 Echo/%TB:TAB=!LF! % %hCol:?=20%Example 3 - Invalid hex value for 1st Arg
%COL%{HF}{string}
 Echo/%TB:TAB=!LF! % %hCol:?=0d%Done
:end
POPD
Goto :Eof