al_android_open_fd(3)

🫶 al_android_open_fd(3) — Allegro 5 API ✨

okay bestie, so you're on Android and you need to open a file descriptor from a URI? say less, this is literally the function for you. it lives in the Allegro 5 API manual (that's the Library Functions Manual, iykyk) 💅

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <allegro5/allegro_android.h>

int al_android_open_fd(const char *uri, const char *mode)

one include, one function, zero drama. 🎀

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So what it does: it opens a file descriptor so you can get at the data behind a Universal Resource Identifier (URI). The URI schemes it accepts are content:// and file:// — those two, and that's it, no cap. And heads up bestie: you are the one responsible for closing the returned file descriptor. it's giving "you brought it into this world, you clean it up" 😭

about the file mode — the options are "r", "w", "rw", "wt", "wa" or "rwt". and here's the tea 🍵: the exact implementation of these modes differ depending on the underlying content provider. like, for example, "w" may or may not truncate. that's just how it is, no cap.

On success you get a file descriptor back; on an error you get a negative value instead. And on an error, the Allegro errno is set — so go check al_get_errno(). 🔥

⚠️ Note: Remember to add to your manifest file the relevant permissions to your app. for real, don't skip this, your app will simply not slay without it 🙈

🦋 Example 🦋

const char *content_uri = "content://...";
int fd = al_android_open_fd(content_uri, "r");

if (fd >= 0) {
    ALLEGRO_FILE *f = al_fopen_fd(fd, "r");

    if (f != NULL) {
        do_something_with(f);
        al_fclose(f);
    }
    else {
        handle_error(al_get_errno());
        close(fd);
    }
}
else {
    handle_error(al_get_errno());
}

look at that error handling. meticulous. main character energy, honestly 👑💜

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⭐ SINCE ⭐

5.2.10 — she's been around, she's established 🎀

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• al_fopen_fd(3)
• al_get_errno(3)

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💀 [Unstable API]: This API is new and subject to refinement. translation: she's still in her glow-up era, so don't be shocked if things shift ✨

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mwah 💋 that's the whole page! this cutie came straight out of the Allegro reference manual — page al_android_open_fd(3), dated as per that manual's own footer. go forth and open those fds, bestie 🫶🌸