create_video_bitmap(3)

💖 create_video_bitmap — the Allegro manual, but make it cute 💖

okay bestie, welcome to create_video_bitmap(3), a page straight out of the Allegro manual for the Allegro game programming library. yes we are in the Allegro docs and yes we are thriving. let's get into it 🦋

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✨ NAME ✨

create_video_bitmap — literally just creates a video memory bitmap. that's it. that's the whole thing. Allegro game programming library representation, no cap 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <allegro.h>

BITMAP *create_video_bitmap(int width, int height);

look at her. iconic signature. BITMAP *, two ints, and she's serving 🎀

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👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

so what does she actually do? she allocates a video memory bitmap of the specified size. main character energy fr fr.

you can use this to:

• allocate offscreen video memory for storing source graphics that are ready for a hardware accelerated blitting operation, or
• create multiple video memory pages which you can then display by calling show_video_bitmap().

also, the docs are like "go read the introduction of this chapter" for a comparison with other types of bitmaps and other specific details — so if you want the full lore, that's where it lives 📖✨

⚠️ Warning, and this one matters: video memory bitmaps are usually allocated from the same space as the screen bitmap, so they may overlap with it. therefore it is not a good idea to use the global screen at the same time as any surfaces returned by this function. like, don't do it. i'm begging 🫶

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💀 RETURN VALUE 💀

• Success: returns a pointer to the bitmap 💖
• Failure: returns NULL if you have run out of video ram 😭

and listen — remember to destroy this bitmap before any subsequent call to set_gfx_mode(). that is not optional, that is a lifestyle. free your memory, bestie 🧚

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the whole friend group, in order, exactly as they appear:

• create_bitmap(3)
• create_bitmap_ex(3)
• create_system_bitmap(3)
• create_sub_bitmap(3)
• destroy_bitmap(3)
• screen(3)
• show_video_bitmap(3)
• gfx_capabilities(3)
• is_video_bitmap(3)
• clear_bitmap(3)
• clear_to_color(3)
• ex3buf(3)
• exaccel(3)
• exflip(3)
• exupdate(3)

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and that's the page!! this lil beauty came to you courtesy of Allegro, version 4.4.3 — go allocate something iconic and stay hydrated 🍓💜