retrace_count(3)

💖 retrace_count — the retrace count simulator, bestie 💖

okay so this is retrace_count(3), a lil piece of the Allegro manual (yes, the Allegro game programming library, we love her) ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <allegro.h>

extern volatile int retrace_count;

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so like… if the retrace simulator is installed, this count gets bumped every single vertical retrace. periodt. 💅

but wait, there's more 👀 — if the simulator isn't installed but the refresh rate is known, the count still gets incremented at that same rate, just ignoring retraces entirely.

and if neither of those is true? then bestie, it just goes up 70 times a second. that's the fallback, no cap. 🍓

the whole point of this is that it gives you a way to control the speed of your program without installing user timer functions. iconic behaviour honestly, lowkey genius, you get smooth timing for free 🙈✨

ngl the volatile is doing real work here — the value is changing behind your back and the compiler needs to know that. main character energy fr fr 👑

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• ex3d(3)
• exblend(3)
• exdbuf(3)
• exflip(3)
• exlights(3)

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🎀 this was Allegro, version 4.4.3 — shoutout to the Allegro girlies for keeping the docs cute and the timing tight. mwah 💜🦋⭐

retrace_count(3) — we're done here, go control some program speed 💅✨