tm — lightweight console Task Manager for Windows

tm is a small C++20 command-line tool that mimics a BSD-style ps/top view on Windows. It enumerates processes, shows per-process CPU% (sampled over time), working-set memory, thread count, and parent PID, and can optionally terminate a process.

The default run prints one snapshot sized to fit your console without scrolling. Top mode refreshes the display at a user-controlled interval.

Features

• One-shot snapshot similar to ps with a concise summary header.
• Top mode that refreshes in-place (default every 1 second).
• Console-aware row limiting to avoid scrolling; override with -n/--numprocs.
• Kill a process by PID with -k/--kill.
• C++20 implementation using Win32 APIs (Toolhelp32Snapshot, GetProcessTimes, GetSystemTimes, GetProcessMemoryInfo).

Usage

tm.exe [options]

Options:
  -t, --top                 Refresh continuously (top mode)
  -s, --seconds <sec>       Seconds between refreshes (implies -t)
  -n, --numprocs <n>        Max processes to display (default: fit console)
  -k, --kill <pid>          Terminate a process
  -h, -?, --help            Show this help

Examples:

• One-shot snapshot: tm.exe
• Top mode, default 1s refresh: tm.exe -t
• Top mode every 2.5 seconds: tm.exe -s 2.5
• Limit rows to 30: tm.exe -n 30
• Kill PID 1234, then exit: tm.exe -k 1234
• Kill and then stay in top mode: tm.exe -k 1234 -t

How it works (brief)

• Processes are enumerated with CreateToolhelp32Snapshot.
• Per-process CPU% is approximated by comparing GetProcessTimes deltas to GetSystemTimes deltas across samples.
• Memory comes from GetProcessMemoryInfo (working set in MB).
• Console height is read via GetConsoleScreenBufferInfo; the tool subtracts header lines so the summary stays visible.

Building on Windows (novice-friendly)

You need the Microsoft C++ toolchain (Visual Studio or Build Tools) and nmake.

1. Install:

   • Install Visual Studio 2022 (any edition) with the Desktop development with C++ workload; or
   • Install Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022 with the same C++ workload.

2. Open a Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022 (or x64 Native Tools Command Prompt). This preconfigures cl and nmake.

3. In the project folder, build:

   nmake
   

   This uses the provided Makefile (targets tm.exe, links psapi.lib).

Alternate: run the helper script that sets up the environment then builds:

cmd /c build.cmd

(This calls vcvarsall.bat x64 and then nmake.)

4. Run:

   tm.exe
   

File overview

• main.cpp — the entire application (argument parsing, sampling, rendering).
• Makefile — nmake build rules using cl and psapi.lib.
• build.cmd — convenience script to load the MSVC environment and invoke nmake.

Notes and limitations

• CPU% is sampled; very short-lived processes might show 0% or not appear.
• Requires access rights to query or terminate target processes; some system processes may not open or kill.
• Output is UTF-8; executable names are narrow-converted from wide strings.

Enjoy! Contributions and tweaks are welcome.***