Rendering Text with SDL_ttf

Mixing Fonts and Styles in Text

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

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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:

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

Here's an example implementation:

#include <SDL.h>
#include <SDL_ttf.h>

#include <string>
#include <vector>

struct TextSegment {
  std::string text;
  TTF_Font* font;
  SDL_Color color;
};

SDL_Surface* renderMixedText(
  const std::vector<TextSegment>& segments) {
  int totalWidth = 0;
  int maxHeight = 0;

  // Calculate total width and maximum height
  for (const auto& segment : segments) {
    int width, height;
    TTF_SizeText(segment.font,
                 segment.text.c_str(), &width,
                 &height);
    totalWidth += width;
    maxHeight = std::max(maxHeight, height);
  }

  // Create a surface to hold all segments
  SDL_Surface* combinedSurface =
    SDL_CreateRGBSurface(0, totalWidth,
                         maxHeight, 32, 0, 0, 0,
                         0);

  int xOffset = 0;
  for (const auto& segment : segments) {
    SDL_Surface* segmentSurface =
      TTF_RenderText_Blended(
        segment.font, segment.text.c_str(),
        segment.color);
    if (segmentSurface) {
      SDL_Rect dstRect = {xOffset, 0, 0, 0};
      SDL_BlitSurface(segmentSurface, nullptr,
                      combinedSurface,
                      &dstRect);
      xOffset += segmentSurface->w;
      SDL_FreeSurface(segmentSurface);
    }
  }

  return combinedSurface;
}

// Usage
TTF_Font* regularFont = TTF_OpenFont(
  "regular.ttf", 24);
TTF_Font* boldFont = TTF_OpenFont(
  "bold.ttf", 24);
TTF_Font* italicFont = TTF_OpenFont(
  "italic.ttf", 24);

std::vector<TextSegment> segments = {
  {"Hello ", regularFont, {255, 255, 255, 255}},
  {"bold ", boldFont, {255, 0, 0, 255}},
  {"and ", regularFont, {255, 255, 255, 255}},
  {"italic", italicFont, {0, 255, 0, 255}}};

SDL_Surface* mixedTextSurface = renderMixedText(
  segments);

// Render mixedTextSurface to your screen
SDL_BlitSurface(mixedTextSurface, nullptr,
                screenSurface, &dstRect);

// Clean up
SDL_FreeSurface (mixedTextSurface);
TTF_CloseFont (regularFont);
TTF_CloseFont (boldFont);
TTF_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.

Answers to questions are automatically generated and may not have been reviewed.

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