SDL_ReadStorageFile(3)

💾 SDL_ReadStorageFile(3) 💾

okay bestie, welcome to the SDL3 FUNCTIONS corner of the manual, where we're talking about SDL_ReadStorageFile and honestly? it's giving "just grab the file already." 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

SDL_ReadStorageFile — synchronously read a file from a storage container straight into a buffer you provide. no threads, no drama, no waiting around, we're doing this right now. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <SDL3/SDL_storage.h>

bool SDL_ReadStorageFile(SDL_Storage *storage, const char *path, void *destination, Uint64 length);

like. look at it. one line. one call. iconic. 👑

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so here's the tea, and it's kind of the whole thing: the value of length must match the length of the file exactly. not kinda-sorta. not "close enough." exactly. 😭

and how do you find out what that number is? you call SDL_GetStorageFileSize() to get it, bestie. that's the move. 🎀

lowkey important: this behavior may be relaxed in a future release. but that's a future-release problem, not a you-right-now problem. right now? exact length. periodt. 💀

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🌈 FUNCTION PARAMETERS 🌈

• storage — a storage container to read from. this is the little home your file lives in, so to speak. 🏠
• path — the relative path of the file to read. relative, bestie, not an absolute "i know where everything is on this machine" situation. 🧚
• destination — a client-provided buffer to read the file into. client-provided means you bring the buffer. you're the main character here. 🌟
• length — the length of the destination buffer. (and remember what we said up in DESCRIPTION? yeah. that one. 🙈)

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⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

returns true if the file was read, or false on failure. 💖

and if you get false? don't panic, just call SDL_GetError() for more information — it will tell you what went wrong, like a friend who actually communicates. 🫶

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💜 AVAILABILITY 💜

this function is available since SDL 3.2.0. so if you're on something older, sorry bestie, no file for you. 💅

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• SDL_GetStorageFileSize(3) — go here FIRST to get that exact length. seriously. 🌸
• SDL_StorageReady(3) — vibe check your storage before you go reading from it. ✨
• SDL_WriteStorageFile(3) — the other direction, for when you're the one doing the writing. 🦋

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and that's the whole page, no cap. brought to you by the fine folks at Simple Directmedia Layer, running the SDL 3.4.18 era of things — thanks for reading, mwah, go read your files responsibly 💖🎀🫶