SDL_StartTextInput(3)

💖 SDL_StartTextInput(3) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the SDL3 FUNCTIONS corner of the man pages, where we learn how to make a window actually listen to your typing 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

SDL_StartTextInput — start accepting Unicode text input events in a window. periodt. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <SDL3/SDL_keyboard.h>

bool SDL_StartTextInput(SDL_Window *window);

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's the tea ☕ — this function will enable text input (that's SDL_EVENT_TEXT_INPUT and SDL_EVENT_TEXT_EDITING events, no cap) in the window you point at. the way it works is you use this one paired with SDL_StopTextInput(), like the iconic duo they are 🫶

and listen — text input events are not received by default. like, at all. zero. nada. you gotta ask for them, bestie. 🙈

also heads up, on some platforms using this function shows the screen keyboard and/or activates an IME, which can prevent some key press events from being passed through. so like, some keys might just get ghosted 💀 not by you, by the platform. iykyk.

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👑 FUNCTION PARAMETERS 👑

• window — the window to enable text input. that's it, that's the whole list, she's simple and she's iconic 🌈

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⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

Returns true on success or false on failure 🎀 and if it fails, you call SDL_GetError() for more information — like, go get the receipts, she'll tell you what went wrong.

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💜 THREAD SAFETY 💜

this function should only be called on the main thread. no side quests, no extra threads, main character energy only 👑

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✨ AVAILABILITY ✨

this function is available since SDL 3.2.0. she's new-ish, she's fresh, she ate 🍓

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• SDL_SetTextInputArea(3)
• SDL_StartTextInputWithProperties(3)
• SDL_StopTextInput(3)
• SDL_TextInputActive(3)

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ok that's the whole page bestie, go forth and enable some text input 💖

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and that's a wrap on this little Simple Directmedia Layer moment, brought to you by SDL 3.4.18 ✨ thanks for reading, ily, mwah 🫶🎀