al_ref_cstr(3alleg5)

💖 al_ref_cstr — the Allegro 5 API, but make it cute 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the Allegro 5 reference manual, specifically the al_ref_cstr(3alleg5) page 🦋. this is the part where you learn how to point at a C string without copying it. no cap, it's lowkey iconic. 💅

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <allegro5/allegro.h>

const ALLEGRO_USTR *al_ref_cstr(ALLEGRO_USTR_INFO *info, const char *s)

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so basically, al_ref_cstr creates a string that references the storage of a C-style string. it's not out here doing its own thing — it's literally just vibing off the string you already have. 🫶

all the info about the string (like its size, bestie, the deets) gets stored in the structure that the info parameter points to. and here's the slay: the string will not have any other storage allocated of its own, so if you allocate the info structure on the stack, then no explicit "free" operation is required. not me saving you a whole cleanup step 😭👑

⚠️ the string is valid until the underlying C string disappears. after that? it's giving ghosted. 💀

Example, because we love a demonstration:

ALLEGRO_USTR_INFO info;
ALLEGRO_USTR *us = al_ref_cstr(&info, "my string");

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🎀 SEE ALSO 🎀

• al_ref_buffer(3alleg5)
• al_ref_ustr(3alleg5)

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and that's the whole page, bestie! 🌈 this was the Allegro reference manual for al_ref_cstr(3alleg5) — Allegro 5, version 3alleg5, periodt. ✨💜 go forth and reference some C strings responsibly, mwah 🎀🦋