get_rle_sprite(3alleg4)

✨ get_rle_sprite — bestie edition 💖

okay so this is a page from the Allegro manual (3alleg4), and it's all about one lil function that turns your boring bitmap into a run-length-encoded glow-up. Allegro game programming library, if you didn't know — now you do 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

get_rle_sprite — creates an RLE sprite using a bitmap as source. yes that's the whole job. Allegro game programming library. slay.

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

#include <allegro.h>

RLE_SPRITE *get_rle_sprite(BITMAP *bitmap);

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so basically, get_rle_sprite creates an RLE sprite based on the bitmap you hand it — and heads up, that bitmap must be a memory bitmap. no exceptions, no loopholes, it's giving strict. 💅

and the thing nobody tells you: you have to free this RLE sprite later or you're gonna leak memory and your program will just sit there bloating like an unread group chat. remember that fr fr 😭

here's the example from the page, verbatim, because it eats:

RLE_SPRITE *rle;
BITMAP *bmp;
...
/* Create RLE sprite from an existent bitmap. */
rle = get_rle_sprite(bmp);
if (!rle)
   abort_on_error("Couldn't create RLE sprite!");

/* We don't need the bitmap any more.*/
destroy_bitmap(bmp);

/* Use the RLE sprite. */
...
/* Destroy it when we don't need it any more. */
destroy_rle_sprite(rle);

see how it creates the RLE sprite, checks for NULL, yeets the original bitmap with destroy_bitmap, uses the sprite, then cleans up with destroy_rle_sprite? that's the whole cycle bestie, main character energy from start to finish 👑

⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

• returns a pointer to the created RLE sprite — iconic, we love her 💖
• returns NULL if the RLE sprite could not be created — not iconic, but at least she tells you 😭

and one more time for the people in the back: remember to free this RLE sprite later to avoid memory leaks. don't do it dirty, destroy it.

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

• draw_rle_sprite(3alleg4)
• destroy_rle_sprite(3alleg4)

ngl the RLE sprite is lowkey the upgrade arc and the bitmap is the before photo. treat them both with respect and free your sprites, bestie 🌈

okay that's the whole page!! this was Allegro, version 4.4.3, and the page itself is get_rle_sprite(3alleg4) — so go forth, make RLE sprites, and destroy them when you're done. mwah 💅💖✨