Rendering Text with SDL_ttf

Mixing Fonts and Styles in Text

Can I mix different fonts and styles within the same text surface?

3D art representing computer programming

Mixing different fonts and styles within the same text surface is possible with SDL2 and SDL_ttf, but it requires a custom implementation. SDL_ttf doesn't provide a built-in method for rendering mixed-style text on a single surface. However, we can achieve this by rendering different parts of the text separately and then combining them. Here's a step-by-step approach:

Split the text into segments based on font/style changes.
Render each segment separately with its corresponding font/style.
Combine the rendered segments onto a single surface.

Here's an example implementation:

1#include <SDL.h>
2#include <SDL_ttf.h>
3
4#include <string>
5#include <vector>
6
7struct TextSegment {
8  std::string text;
9  TTF_Font* font;
10  SDL_Color color;
11};
12
13SDL_Surface* renderMixedText(
14  const std::vector<TextSegment>& segments) {
15  int totalWidth = 0;
16  int maxHeight = 0;
17
18  // Calculate total width and maximum height
19  for (const auto& segment : segments) {
20    int width, height;
21    TTF_SizeText(segment.font,
22                 segment.text.c_str(), &width,
23                 &height);
24    totalWidth += width;
25    maxHeight = std::max(maxHeight, height);
26  }
27
28  // Create a surface to hold all segments
29  SDL_Surface* combinedSurface =
30    SDL_CreateRGBSurface(0, totalWidth,
31                         maxHeight, 32, 0, 0, 0,
32                         0);
33
34  int xOffset = 0;
35  for (const auto& segment : segments) {
36    SDL_Surface* segmentSurface =
37      TTF_RenderText_Blended(
38        segment.font, segment.text.c_str(),
39        segment.color);
40    if (segmentSurface) {
41      SDL_Rect dstRect = {xOffset, 0, 0, 0};
42      SDL_BlitSurface(segmentSurface, nullptr,
43                      combinedSurface,
44                      &dstRect);
45      xOffset += segmentSurface->w;
46      SDL_FreeSurface(segmentSurface);
47    }
48  }
49
50  return combinedSurface;
51}
52
53// Usage
54TTF_Font* regularFont = TTF_OpenFont(
55  "regular.ttf", 24);
56TTF_Font* boldFont = TTF_OpenFont(
57  "bold.ttf", 24);
58TTF_Font* italicFont = TTF_OpenFont(
59  "italic.ttf", 24);
60
61std::vector<TextSegment> segments = {
62  {"Hello ", regularFont, {255, 255, 255, 255}},
63  {"bold ", boldFont, {255, 0, 0, 255}},
64  {"and ", regularFont, {255, 255, 255, 255}},
65  {"italic", italicFont, {0, 255, 0, 255}}};
66
67SDL_Surface* mixedTextSurface = renderMixedText(
68  segments);
69
70// Render mixedTextSurface to your screen
71SDL_BlitSurface(mixedTextSurface, nullptr,
72                screenSurface, &dstRect);
73
74// Clean up
75SDL_FreeSurface (mixedTextSurface);
76TTF_CloseFont (regularFont);
77TTF_CloseFont (boldFont);
78TTF_CloseFont (italicFont);

This approach allows for flexible mixing of fonts, styles, and colors within a single text surface. Remember to handle text alignment and wrapping if needed for more complex layouts.

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