al_get_glyph_dimensions(3)

🌸 NAME 🌸

al_get_glyph_dimensions — Allegro 5 API, straight outta the Library Functions Manual 💖

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

              #include <allegro5/allegro_font.h>

              bool al_get_glyph_dimensions(const ALLEGRO_FONT *f,
                 int codepoint, int *bbx, int *bby, int *bbw, int *bbh)

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

okay so sometimes al_get_glyph_width(3) or al_get_glyph_advance(3) just aren’t enough when you need exact glyph placement, and this function hands you some extra info — especially if you’re trying to draw the font vertically. ✨

The function itself returns true if the character was present in font, and false if the character was not present in font. 🫶

Returned variables (all in pixel) 👇

• bbx, bby — Offset to upper left corner of bounding box.
• bbw, bbh — Dimensions of bounding box.

These values are the same as al_get_text_dimensions(3) would return for a string of a single character equal to the glyph passed to this function. Heads-up though: glyphs may go to the left and upwards of the X, in which case x and y will have negative values. 😭

If you want to draw a string vertically, for Japanese or as a game effect, then you should leave bby + bbh space between the glyphs in the y direction for a regular placement. 🌸

If you want to draw a string horizontally in an extra compact way, then you should leave bbx + bbw space between the glyphs in the x direction for a compact placement. 💅

In the figure below is an example of what bbx and bby may be like for a 2 glyph, and a g glyph of the same font compared to the result of al_get_glyph_width(). 👑

                 al_get_glyph_width()     al_get_glyph_width()
                        __|___                   __|__
                       /      \                 /     \
                   bbx    bbw                 bbx   bbw
                  <-->+<------>+           <-->+<----->+   X baseline
                  ^   |        |           ^   |       |
              bby |   |        |       bby |   |       |
                  v   |        |           |   |       |
                  +---+--------+           |   |       |
                  ^   | *****  |           |   |       |
                  |   |*    ** |           v   |       |
              bbh |   |    **  |       bbh +---+-------+
                  |   |  **    |           ^   | ***** |
                  v   |********|           |   |*     *|
                  +---+--------+           |   | ***** |
                                           |   |      *|
                                           |   | *    *|
                                           v   |  **** |
                                           +---+-------+

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🎀 SINCE 🎀

5.1.12 — iconic behavior since then, no cap 💜

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

al_draw_glyph(3), al_get_glyph_width(3), al_get_glyph_advance(3).

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that’s the whole page, signed off from the Allegro reference manual — no date stamped on this one, so no date to report 💖✨