Why hide utility windows?

Hiding utility windows instead of destroying them offers significant performance and usability benefits. Creating a window with SDL_CreateWindow() is a relatively expensive operation. It involves allocating memory, initializing GPU resources, and setting up the window’s interaction with the operating system.

Repeatedly creating and destroying a window for temporary UI elements, like tooltips or dropdown menus, can cause noticeable delays and degrade user experience.

By hiding a utility window with SDL_HideWindow() and later showing it with SDL_ShowWindow(), you avoid the overhead of repeatedly setting up the window. This approach also preserves the state of the window, such as its size, position, and contents, allowing for a smoother user experience.

Here’s an example of toggling a window’s visibility:

1SDL_Window* Window{
2  SDL_CreateWindow(
3    "Tooltip",
4    100, 100, 200, 100,
5    SDL_WINDOW_TOOLTIP | SDL_WINDOW_HIDDEN)
6};
7
8// Show the window
9SDL_ShowWindow(Window);
10
11// Hide the window
12SDL_HideWindow(Window);

Hiding windows is particularly useful for UI components that need to appear dynamically, such as tooltips or dropdown menus. The user perceives these windows as instantly appearing or disappearing, creating a seamless interaction.