al_build_shader(3alleg5)

💖 NAME 💖

al_build_shader — the Allegro 5 API glow-up moment where your shader actually becomes real ✨

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <allegro5/allegro.h>

bool al_build_shader(ALLEGRO_SHADER *shader)

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🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

okay bestie, listen up, because this one is mandatory. You literally cannot use your shader with al_use_shader(3alleg5) until you've done this. It's the vibe check your shader has to pass first 💅

Timing matters tho, so here's the tea: you call this after you've successfully attached your pixel and/or vertex shaders, using al_attach_shader_source(3alleg5) or al_attach_shader_source_file(3alleg5). Successfully attached, okay?? Attaching is the before pic, this is the after pic. 📸

It returns true on success and false on error — and if it flops, the error log gets updated so you're not just sitting there confused 😭. Grab that log with al_get_shader_log(3alleg5) and read what it's telling you. That's your group chat receipts, fr fr.

⚠️ Note, and this one is important: if you're using the ALLEGRO_PROGRAMMABLE_PIPELINE flag, then you must specify both a pixel and a vertex shader sources for anything to be rendered. Both. Not one. BOTH. Otherwise nothing shows up and you'll be staring at a blank window like 💀

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⭐ SINCE ⭐

5.1.6 — vintage but iconic 👑

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

• al_use_shader(3alleg5) — the thing you need this for, bestie
• al_get_shader_log(3alleg5) — where the drama gets written down when things go wrong

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and that's the whole page!! 💖 this was pulled straight from the Allegro reference manual, all about al_build_shader(3alleg5) — go forth and build that shader, you absolute main character 🫶✨🎀