al_init(3alleg5)

✨ al_init — Allegro 5 API ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the al_init(3alleg5) page 💖 this is from the Allegro 5 API and it's literally the little macro that gets your whole Allegro life STARTED. buckle up 🎀

---

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <allegro5/allegro.h>

#define al_init()    (al_install_system(ALLEGRO_VERSION_INT, atexit))

look at her. one line of macro. iconic. 💅

---

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so al_init is basically al_install_system(3alleg5)'s cooler, low-effort twin 🫶 she does the exact same thing, but she's a macro, so she:

• automatically passes in the version — that's ALLEGRO_VERSION_INT, no cap, you don't have to type it yourself
• uses the atexit function that's visible in the current binary, so you don't have to hand her a pointer either

it's giving "I did your homework for you" energy and honestly? obsessed. ⭐

Note: it is typically wrong to call al_init anywhere except the final game binary. 😭 In particular, do not call it inside a shared library unless you know what you're doing — like, genuinely know, not vibes-based know. In those cases, it is better to call al_install_system either with a NULL atexit_ptr, or with a pointer to atexit provided by the user of this shared library. periodt. 👑

---

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• al_install_system(3alleg5) — the non-macro bestie, if you need the extra control 💜

---

that's the whole page, you ate it, go call your init and slay 🔥

Allegro reference manual · al_init(3alleg5) — mwah, bye bestie, see you in the docs 💖🧚‍♀️