# Use Fortran Console Application Projects

A Fortran Console application (.EXE) is a character-based Intel® Fortran program that does not require screen graphics output.

Fortran Console projects operate in a single window and let you interact with your program through normal read and write commands. Console applications are better suited to problems that require pure numerical processing rather than graphical output or a graphical user interface. This type of application is also more transportable to other platforms than the other types of application.

Fortran Console applications can be faster than Fortran Standard Graphics or Fortran QuickWin graphics applications, because of the resources required to display graphical output (see Use the Console).

Any graphics routine that your program calls will produce no output, but will return error codes. A program will not automatically exit if such an error occurs, so your code should be written to handle this condition.

With a Fortran Console project, you cannot use the QuickWin functions. However, you can use single- or multi-threaded static libraries, DLLs, and dialog boxes.

As with all Windows* command consoles, you can toggle between console viewing modes by pressing ALT and ENTER.

To create a console application from the IDE:

1. Select the Console Application project type.

2. Select from two templates: Empty project or Main program code, which includes sample code.

Parent topic: About Fortran Project Types

## See Also

Use the Console