Developer console

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The console provides a command-line interface for the advanced configuration of GoldSrc, Source and Source 2 games, aswell as the Steam client. Just about any configuration task can be completed from the console, and in fact many have to be.

Enabling the console

On Source and Source 2 games, the console starts disabled by default. To enable it, load the game and visit Options > Keyboard > Advanced. There will be a pop-up that will include two options, one of them labeled "Enable Developer Console". Once enabled, it can be opened and closed by pressing the button above Tab ⇆, known as the "tilde." ~

GoldSrc games start with the console enabled by default (ever since Steam was released), but the previous version (also known as retail/WON version), needs -console launch option. The previous version of GoldSrc games cannot use ~ key to open the console (unless the player is in-game), instead the player clicks on the Console menu option.

For the Steam client, to open the developer console, you can use steam://nav/console or steam://open/console (simply click on it, or type this command in the "Run" application on Windows, or through your internet browser and submit). You can also launch Steam with -console to start Steam with the "Console" option available on the client tabs, and in the context menu.

Note.pngNote:This should work regardless of your keyboard layout. If it doesn't, add -console to the game's launch options to force it to open. Once open, type bind your_key toggleconsole to add a new binding and fix it in the future. Replace your_key with the key you wish to open the console with.

Submitting

The grey box across the bottom of the console window is where commands are entered. They come in two forms: commands and variables. Commands are simply keywords, but variables ("cvars") require a value of some sort before they are accepted. When setting a cvar you might type something like this:

mat_wireframe 1

When you've finished typing, hit Return or ↵ Enter to submit. You'll see everything you type 'echoed' to the console with a preceding ].

A few notes:

  • Multiple values are separated with spaces. If a value contains a space, surround it with quote marks. (e.g. say "Hello everyone on the server".)
  • The console will suggest commands and sometimes values in a pop-out box beneath the input field. Press ↑/↓ to navigate the list and Tab ⇆ to accept the highlighted suggestion.
  • Only "archived" cvars are stored after the game closes. Use autoexec if you want to set any others when a game loads.
  • Some commands are serverside, others clientside. In multiplayer, you can only set clientside ones, unless you are the server owner.
  • There are many command prefixes. The most common are cl ("clientside") and sv ("serverside").

Useful commands

See also:  List of console scripting commands - small command palette for scripting the console,
Category:Source base console commands

The console window

con_enable <boolean>
Allows the console to be activated.
showconsole
hideconsole
toggleconsole
Simple command that opens/closes/toggles the console. toggleconsole is bound to ` by default.

Find commands

find <term>
The ever-useful find command searches console command names and descriptions for the term you provide.
Note.pngNote:Use cvarlist in GoldSource.
help <command name>
Displays any help text for a command, without affecting its value.

Controlling console output

clear
Clear console output, i. e. empties the console. This is useful to execute before other commands to tell where some text starts and ends such as after find <string>.
echo <string>
Display user-defined text in the console.
con_log <file>
condump
Use one of these commands if you want to record what goes on in the console for later use. con_log writes output constantly, while condump records the current text in the console when invoked.
Tip.pngTip:The console only displays 241 lines at a time. Use con_log if you run up against this.
con_filter_enable <0-2>
Filters console output based on the setting of con_filter_text and con_filter_text_out. If set to 1, all other console output is not shown at all. If set to 2, all other console output is printed in gray to highlight the filtered text.
con_filter_text <string>
If this is not the empty string and con_filter_enable is not 0, then any console output is filtered out if it does not match this.
con_filter_text_out <string>
If this is not the empty string and con_filter_enable is not 0, then any console output is filtered out if it does match this.

Cheats and debugging tools

developer <0-2>
Developer mode enables more verbose console output, enables cheats and the console automatically, and makes various other useful changes. If set to 2, the last few lines of console output will be printed at the top of the screen as well.
sv_cheats <boolean>
Most cvars that affect gameplay, especially in multiplayer games, are flagged as "cheats". Submit sv_cheats 1 to unlock them.
Note.pngNote:Achievements will be disabled when cheats is enabled.
Note.pngNote:You will never be VAC banned for using built-in cheat commands.
noclip
Allows you to fly trough your level without player collisions. Requires sv_cheats to be set to 1.
getpos
Prints the current position of the local player to the console. cl_showpos <0-1> can be used to show the position on the screen continuously.
cl_showfps <0-2>
Display the current frames per second. If set to "2", will also show the lowest and highest FPS with an average, and the latency.
find_ent <term>
Similar to the find command above, but searches for entities within the map by name.
impulse <number>
A generic client command with various game dependent uses, both cheat and not cheat.

Game related

map <mapname>
Starts a game on a map.
connect <address>
Tries to connect to a server and load its current map.
disconnect
Disconnects the game from the current server.
status
Shows information about the server that a client is connected to.
quit
Closes the game.

Command prefixes

Most console commands and variables have prefixes in their name to show the subsystem they belong to, but this isn't always the case, especially for commands coming from Half-Life 1, where the old name was kept unchanged.

Commonly used console command prefixes are:

Command prefixes
ai_ single player AI
bot_ bot system
cc_ close caption system
cl_ multiplayer game (client; see also mp_)
demo_ demo playback
disp_ terrain displacement maps
dsp_ audio DSP settings
ent_ entity control/debug
fire_ firing entity events
fog_ fog override parameters for the fogui
g_ single player game
hltv_ Obsolete Half-Life TV (see tv_ for SourceTV)
host_ host system
hud_ client HUD
joy_ joystick input
log_ logging system
m_ mouse input
mat_ material system
mp_ multiplayer game (server; see also cl_)
nav_ navigation meshes
net_ engine networking
npc_ single player game NPCs
phys_ physics system
r_ video renderer
rcon_ remote control access
sk_ player skill / difficulty
snd_ sound system
sv_ server settings (engine)
tv_ SourceTV
v_ client view
vgui_ VGUI
voice_ ingame player voice
vprof_ code profiler
wc_ WorldCraft/Hammer helpers

See also

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