set_uformat(3alleg4)

📦 version 4.4.3.1, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 set_uformat — bestie, let's talk text encodings 💖

okay so this is set_uformat(3alleg4) from the Allegro manual (yes that Allegro, the game programming library, version 4.4.3, we love her 💅). it sets the global current text encoding format and it's lowkey one of those "call it once and never think about it again" situations. let's get into it 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

set_uformat</purl> — set the global current text encoding format. Allegro game programming library. periodt. 👑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <allegro.h>

void set_uformat(int type);

like, that's it. one function, one int, one vibe check. 🎀

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

so what this does is it sets the current text encoding format. and bestie, that's not a small thing, because it affects all parts of Allegro — literally everywhere you see a function that returns a char *, or takes a char * as a parameter. all of it. the whole library. no cap. 😭

type should be one of these values, and you will pick one of these, there is no fifth option:

  • U_ASCII — fixed size, 8-bit ASCII characters
  • U_ASCII_CP — alternative 8-bit codepage (peep set_ucodepage() for that one 👀)
  • U_UNICODE — fixed size, 16-bit Unicode characters
  • U_UTF8 — variable size, UTF-8 format Unicode characters ✨
🚨 okay so here's the part where I grab you by the shoulders. you can change the text format on the fly, but that is not a good idea. not "eh, maybe don't" — it's a bad idea. fr fr.

here's why: many strings — for example the names of your hardware drivers and any language translations — are loaded when you call allegro_init(). so if you change the encoding format after that, those strings will be in the wrong format, and things will not work properly. 💀

generally you should only call set_uformat() once, before allegro_init(), and then leave it on the same setting for the duration of your program. set it and forget it, that's the whole strategy. 🫶

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

the whole squad, in order, don't skip anyone:

🌸✨ and that's the page!! this came to you straight from Allegro, version 4.4.3, and it lives in the set_uformat(3alleg4) corner of the manual. go forth, call it once, before allegro_init(), and never touch it again. slay. 💖🦋🎀

📦 where this page comes from