SDL_main(3)

💖 SDL_main 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the SDL3 FUNCTIONS corner of the manual, where today's main character is SDL_main — An app-supplied function for program entry. yes that's the whole vibe, let's go 🫶

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <SDL3/SDL_main.h>

int SDL_main(int argc, char *argv[]);

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so here's the tea: you do NOT write this function yourself. like, ever. apps should write a totally normal, standard ANSI-C main function instead, and let SDL handle the chaos behind the scenes. 💅

and here's why that matters — if SDL needs to sneak some startup code in before main runs, or if the platform literally doesn't _use_ a function called "main" at all, SDL does some macro magic to redefine main into SDL_main and hands you its own main instead. iconic behavior honestly ✨

so like, the rules:

• include SDL_main.h in the same file as your main function 🎀
• and do not use that symbol for anything else in that file, because it might get redefined and then everything is on fire 😭

also important: this function is only provided by the app if it isn't using SDL_MAIN_USE_CALLBACKS. so like, pick a lane bestie 🌈

and ngl, program startup is a surprisingly complex topic. fr fr. please go read [README-main-functions](README-main-functions) — or docs/README-main-functions.md in the source tree — for the full deep-dive explanation. it's giving required reading 📚

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🎀 FUNCTION PARAMETERS 🎀

• argc — an ANSI-C style main function's argc. yes, the real one. no cap.
• argv — an ANSI-C style main function's argv. also the real one. 🦋

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⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

returns an ANSI-C main return code, bestie. so like — generally 0 is considered successful program completion, and small non-zero values are considered errors. that's the whole mood. periodt. 💅

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🔥 THREAD SAFETY 🔥

this is the program entry point. like, the literal entry point. main character energy, obviously 👑

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🌈 AVAILABILITY 🌈

this function is available since SDL 3.2.0. so if you're on something older... bestie. 😭

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lowkey reminder: don't name your own stuff SDL_main, don't skip the SDL_main.h include, and definitely don't do both wrong at once 🙈

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okay that's the whole page, you ate it, go write a main like a normal person and let SDL do its little macro thing 💜

Simple Directmedia Layer · SDL 3.4.18 · SDL_main(3) — mwah, see you in the next manpage bestie 🎀✨