Added ability to pass a console object to Cmd.print_to().

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
+# 3.3.0 (TBD)
+
+- Enhancements
+    - Added ability to pass a console object to `Cmd.print_to()`. This provides support for things
+      like wrapping a `print_to()` call in a `console.status()` or `console.capture()` context
+      manager.
+
+- Breaking Changes
+    - Renamed the `file` parameter of `Cmd.print_to()` to `destination` to support file-like objects
+      and console objects.
+    - `Cmd2BaseConsole(file)` argument is now a keyword-only argument to be consistent with the
+      `rich.console.Console` class.
+
 ## 3.2.2 (February 21, 2026)
 
 - Bug Fixes

cmd2/cmd2.py

@@ -65,7 +65,11 @@
 )
 
 import rich.box
-from rich.console import Group, RenderableType
+from rich.console import (
+    Console,
+    Group,
+    RenderableType,
+)
 from rich.highlighter import ReprHighlighter
 from rich.rule import Rule
 from rich.style import Style, StyleType
@@ -133,6 +137,7 @@
     shlex_split,
 )
 from .rich_utils import (
+    Cmd2BaseConsole,
     Cmd2ExceptionConsole,
     Cmd2GeneralConsole,
     RichPrintKwargs,
@@ -165,7 +170,7 @@
 
 # Set up readline
 if rl_type == RlType.NONE:  # pragma: no cover
-    Cmd2GeneralConsole(sys.stderr).print(rl_warning, style=Cmd2Style.WARNING)
+    Cmd2GeneralConsole(file=sys.stderr).print(rl_warning, style=Cmd2Style.WARNING)
 else:
     from .rl_utils import (
         readline,
@@ -1247,30 +1252,66 @@ def visible_prompt(self) -> str:
 
     def print_to(
         self,
-        file: IO[str],
+        destination: IO[str] | Cmd2BaseConsole,
         *objects: Any,
         sep: str = " ",
         end: str = "\n",
         style: StyleType | None = None,
-        soft_wrap: bool = True,
-        emoji: bool = False,
-        markup: bool = False,
-        highlight: bool = False,
+        soft_wrap: bool | None = None,
+        emoji: bool | None = None,
+        markup: bool | None = None,
+        highlight: bool | None = None,
         rich_print_kwargs: RichPrintKwargs | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,  # noqa: ARG002
     ) -> None:
-        """Print objects to a given file stream.
+        """Print objects to a given destination (file stream or cmd2 console).
+
+        If ``destination`` is a file-like object, it is wrapped in a ``Cmd2GeneralConsole``
+        which is configured for general-purpose printing. By default, it enables soft wrap and
+        disables Rich's automatic detection for markup, emoji, and highlighting. These defaults
+        can be overridden by passing explicit keyword arguments.
+
+        If ``destination`` is a ``Cmd2BaseConsole``, the console's default settings for
+        soft wrap, markup, emoji, and highlighting are used unless overridden by passing
+        explicit keyword arguments.
+
+        See the Rich documentation for more details on emoji codes, markup tags, and highlighting.
+
+        **Why use this method instead of console.print()?**
+
+        This method calls ``cmd2.rich_utils.prepare_objects_for_rendering()`` on the objects
+        being printed. This ensures that strings containing ANSI style sequences are converted
+        to Rich Text objects, so that Rich can correctly calculate their display width when
+        printing.
+
+        Example:
+        ```py
+        with console.capture() as capture:
+            self.print_to(console, some_ansi_styled_string)
+        ```
+
+        !!! note
 
-        This method is configured for general-purpose printing. By default, it enables
-        soft wrap and disables Rich's automatic detection for markup, emoji, and highlighting.
-        These defaults can be overridden by passing explicit keyword arguments.
+            To ensure consistent behavior, this method requires a file-like object or
+            an instance of ``Cmd2BaseConsole``.
+            Consoles not derived from ``Cmd2BaseConsole`` are disallowed because:
 
-        :param file: file stream being written to
+            1. **Style Control**: They ignore the global ``ALLOW_STYLE`` setting.
+            2. **Theming**: They do not respect the application-wide ``APP_THEME``.
+            3. **Error Handling**: They trigger a ``SystemExit`` on broken pipes.
+               ``Cmd2BaseConsole`` instead raises a catchable ``BrokenPipeError``,
+               ensuring the CLI application remains alive if a pipe is closed.
+
+        :param destination: The output target. File-like objects are automatically
+                            wrapped in a ``Cmd2GeneralConsole`` to ensure they respect
+                            cmd2 global settings; otherwise, this must be an
+                            instance of ``Cmd2BaseConsole``.
         :param objects: objects to print
         :param sep: string to write between printed text. Defaults to " ".
         :param end: string to write at end of printed text. Defaults to a newline.
         :param style: optional style to apply to output
-        :param soft_wrap: Enable soft wrap mode. Defaults to True.
+        :param soft_wrap: Enable soft wrap mode. Defaults to None.
+                          If None, the destination console's default behavior is used.
                           If True, text that doesn't fit will run on to the following line,
                           just like with print(). This is useful for raw text and logs.
                           If False, Rich wraps text to fit the terminal width.
@@ -1279,24 +1320,43 @@ def print_to(
                           For example, when soft_wrap is True Panels truncate text
                           which is wider than the terminal.
         :param emoji: If True, Rich will replace emoji codes (e.g., :smiley:) with their
-                      corresponding Unicode characters. Defaults to False.
+                      corresponding Unicode characters. Defaults to None.
+                      If None, the destination console's default behavior is used.
         :param markup: If True, Rich will interpret strings with tags (e.g., [bold]hello[/bold])
-                       as styled output. Defaults to False.
+                       as styled output. Defaults to None.
+                       If None, the destination console's default behavior is used.
         :param highlight: If True, Rich will automatically apply highlighting to elements within
                           strings, such as common Python data types like numbers, booleans, or None.
                           This is particularly useful when pretty printing objects like lists and
-                          dictionaries to display them in color. Defaults to False.
+                          dictionaries to display them in color. Defaults to None.
+                          If None, the destination console's default behavior is used.
         :param rich_print_kwargs: optional additional keyword arguments to pass to Rich's Console.print().
         :param kwargs: Arbitrary keyword arguments. This allows subclasses to extend the signature of this
                        method and still call `super()` without encountering unexpected keyword argument errors.
                        These arguments are not passed to Rich's Console.print().
+        :raises TypeError: If ``destination`` is a non-cmd2 ``Console`` instance that
+                           does not derive from ``Cmd2BaseConsole``.
 
-        See the Rich documentation for more details on emoji codes, markup tags, and highlighting.
         """
+        if isinstance(destination, Console):
+            if not isinstance(destination, Cmd2BaseConsole):
+                # Explicitly reject non-cmd2 consoles to ensure safe behavior
+                raise TypeError(
+                    f"destination must be a 'Cmd2BaseConsole' or a file-like object, "
+                    f"not a non-cmd2 '{type(destination).__name__}'. "
+                    "Consoles not derived from 'Cmd2BaseConsole' bypass cmd2's "
+                    "'ALLOW_STYLE' logic, 'APP_THEME' settings, and trigger 'SystemExit' "
+                    "on broken pipes."
+                )
+            console = destination
+        else:
+            # It's a file-like object (e.g., sys.stdout, StringIO)
+            console = Cmd2GeneralConsole(file=destination)
+
         prepared_objects = ru.prepare_objects_for_rendering(*objects)
 
         try:
-            Cmd2GeneralConsole(file).print(
+            console.print(
                 *prepared_objects,
                 sep=sep,
                 end=end,
@@ -1313,19 +1373,19 @@ def print_to(
             # writing. If you would like your application to print a
             # warning message, then set the broken_pipe_warning attribute
             # to the message you want printed.
-            if self.broken_pipe_warning and file != sys.stderr:
-                Cmd2GeneralConsole(sys.stderr).print(self.broken_pipe_warning)
+            if self.broken_pipe_warning and console.file != sys.stderr:
+                Cmd2GeneralConsole(file=sys.stderr).print(self.broken_pipe_warning)
 
     def poutput(
         self,
         *objects: Any,
         sep: str = " ",
         end: str = "\n",
         style: StyleType | None = None,
-        soft_wrap: bool = True,
-        emoji: bool = False,
-        markup: bool = False,
-        highlight: bool = False,
+        soft_wrap: bool | None = None,
+        emoji: bool | None = None,
+        markup: bool | None = None,
+        highlight: bool | None = None,
         rich_print_kwargs: RichPrintKwargs | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,  # noqa: ARG002
     ) -> None:
@@ -1352,10 +1412,10 @@ def perror(
         sep: str = " ",
         end: str = "\n",
         style: StyleType | None = Cmd2Style.ERROR,
-        soft_wrap: bool = True,
-        emoji: bool = False,
-        markup: bool = False,
-        highlight: bool = False,
+        soft_wrap: bool | None = None,
+        emoji: bool | None = None,
+        markup: bool | None = None,
+        highlight: bool | None = None,
         rich_print_kwargs: RichPrintKwargs | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,  # noqa: ARG002
     ) -> None:
@@ -1383,10 +1443,10 @@ def psuccess(
         *objects: Any,
         sep: str = " ",
         end: str = "\n",
-        soft_wrap: bool = True,
-        emoji: bool = False,
-        markup: bool = False,
-        highlight: bool = False,
+        soft_wrap: bool | None = None,
+        emoji: bool | None = None,
+        markup: bool | None = None,
+        highlight: bool | None = None,
         rich_print_kwargs: RichPrintKwargs | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,  # noqa: ARG002
     ) -> None:
@@ -1411,10 +1471,10 @@ def pwarning(
         *objects: Any,
         sep: str = " ",
         end: str = "\n",
-        soft_wrap: bool = True,
-        emoji: bool = False,
-        markup: bool = False,
-        highlight: bool = False,
+        soft_wrap: bool | None = None,
+        emoji: bool | None = None,
+        markup: bool | None = None,
+        highlight: bool | None = None,
         rich_print_kwargs: RichPrintKwargs | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,  # noqa: ARG002
     ) -> None:
@@ -1447,7 +1507,7 @@ def pexcept(
         :param kwargs: Arbitrary keyword arguments. This allows subclasses to extend the signature of this
                        method and still call `super()` without encountering unexpected keyword argument errors.
         """
-        console = Cmd2ExceptionConsole(sys.stderr)
+        console = Cmd2ExceptionConsole(file=sys.stderr)
 
         # Only print a traceback if we're in debug mode and one exists.
         if self.debug and sys.exc_info() != (None, None, None):
@@ -1494,10 +1554,10 @@ def pfeedback(
         sep: str = " ",
         end: str = "\n",
         style: StyleType | None = None,
-        soft_wrap: bool = True,
-        emoji: bool = False,
-        markup: bool = False,
-        highlight: bool = False,
+        soft_wrap: bool | None = None,
+        emoji: bool | None = None,
+        markup: bool | None = None,
+        highlight: bool | None = None,
         rich_print_kwargs: RichPrintKwargs | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,  # noqa: ARG002
     ) -> None:
@@ -1542,9 +1602,9 @@ def ppaged(
         style: StyleType | None = None,
         chop: bool = False,
         soft_wrap: bool = True,
-        emoji: bool = False,
-        markup: bool = False,
-        highlight: bool = False,
+        emoji: bool | None = None,
+        markup: bool | None = None,
+        highlight: bool | None = None,
         rich_print_kwargs: RichPrintKwargs | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,  # noqa: ARG002
     ) -> None:
@@ -1581,17 +1641,16 @@ def ppaged(
 
         # Check if we are outputting to a pager.
         if functional_terminal and can_block:
-            prepared_objects = ru.prepare_objects_for_rendering(*objects)
-
             # Chopping overrides soft_wrap
             if chop:
                 soft_wrap = True
 
             # Generate the bytes to send to the pager
-            console = Cmd2GeneralConsole(self.stdout)
+            console = Cmd2GeneralConsole(file=self.stdout)
             with console.capture() as capture:
-                console.print(
-                    *prepared_objects,
+                self.print_to(
+                    console,
+                    *objects,
                     sep=sep,
                     end=end,
                     style=style,

cmd2/rich_utils.py

@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ class Cmd2BaseConsole(Console):
 
     def __init__(
         self,
+        *,
         file: IO[str] | None = None,
         **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> None:
@@ -180,17 +181,19 @@ def on_broken_pipe(self) -> None:
 
 
 class Cmd2GeneralConsole(Cmd2BaseConsole):
-    """Rich console for general-purpose printing."""
+    """Rich console for general-purpose printing.
 
-    def __init__(self, file: IO[str] | None = None) -> None:
+    It enables soft wrap and disables Rich's automatic detection for markup,
+    emoji, and highlighting. These defaults can be overridden in calls to the
+    console's or cmd2's print methods.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *, file: IO[str] | None = None) -> None:
         """Cmd2GeneralConsole initializer.
 
         :param file: optional file object where the console should write to.
                      Defaults to sys.stdout.
         """
-        # This console is configured for general-purpose printing. It enables soft wrap
-        # and disables Rich's automatic detection for markup, emoji, and highlighting.
-        # These defaults can be overridden in calls to the console's or cmd2's print methods.
         super().__init__(
             file=file,
             soft_wrap=True,
@@ -203,35 +206,53 @@ def __init__(self, file: IO[str] | None = None) -> None:
 class Cmd2RichArgparseConsole(Cmd2BaseConsole):
     """Rich console for rich-argparse output.
 
-    This class ensures long lines in help text are not truncated by avoiding soft_wrap,
+    Ensures long lines in help text are not truncated by disabling soft_wrap,
     which conflicts with rich-argparse's explicit no_wrap and overflow settings.
+
+    Since this console is used to print error messages which may not be intended
+    for Rich formatting, it disables Rich's automatic detection for markup, emoji,
+    and highlighting. Because rich-argparse does markup and highlighting without
+    involving the console, disabling these settings does not affect the library's
+    internal functionality.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, file: IO[str] | None = None) -> None:
+    def __init__(self, *, file: IO[str] | None = None) -> None:
         """Cmd2RichArgparseConsole initializer.
 
         :param file: optional file object where the console should write to.
                      Defaults to sys.stdout.
         """
-        # Since this console is used to print error messages which may not have
-        # been pre-formatted by rich-argparse, disable Rich's automatic detection
-        # for markup, emoji, and highlighting. rich-argparse does markup and
-        # highlighting without involving the console so these won't affect its
-        # internal functionality.
         super().__init__(
             file=file,
+            soft_wrap=False,
             markup=False,
             emoji=False,
             highlight=False,
         )
 
 
 class Cmd2ExceptionConsole(Cmd2BaseConsole):
-    """Rich console for printing exceptions.
+    """Rich console for printing exceptions and Rich Tracebacks.
 
-    Ensures that long exception messages word wrap for readability by keeping soft_wrap disabled.
+    Ensures that output is always word-wrapped for readability and disables
+    Rich's automatic detection for markup, emoji, and highlighting to prevent
+    interference with raw error data.
     """
 
+    def __init__(self, *, file: IO[str] | None = None) -> None:
+        """Cmd2ExceptionConsole initializer.
+
+        :param file: optional file object where the console should write to.
+                     Defaults to sys.stdout.
+        """
+        super().__init__(
+            file=file,
+            soft_wrap=False,
+            markup=False,
+            emoji=False,
+            highlight=False,
+        )
+
 
 def console_width() -> int:
     """Return the width of the console."""