SDLInit

SDLInit is a term often used to refer to the initialization routine of the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) library. The official API function is SDL_Init, which initializes the SDL library and any requested subsystems. It takes a single parameter flags, a bitmask constructed from SDL_INIT_TIMER, SDL_INIT_AUDIO, SDL_INIT_VIDEO, SDL_INIT_JOYSTICK, SDL_INIT_HAPTIC, SDL_INIT_GAMECONTROLLER, SDL_INIT_EVENTS, SDL_INIT_SENSOR, or the convenience constant SDL_INIT_EVERYTHING to initialize all subsystems. SDL_Init returns 0 on success or a negative error code on failure. When it fails, the exact status of individual subsystems may vary; retrieve an error message with SDL_GetError.

If you want to initialize subsystems incrementally, use SDL_InitSubSystem to initialize a subset and SDL_WasInit to query which subsystems are currently active. On shutdown, call SDL_Quit to clean up all initialized subsystems, or SDL_QuitSubSystem to shut down a specific one.

Typical usage involves calling SDL_Init early in program startup, usually before creating windows or rendering contexts, and then creating the window, renderer, and audio devices as needed. When the program exits, SDL_Quit ensures resources are released. It is common to initialize video first if a window or rendering context is required, followed by other subsystems as needed.

Notes: SDL_Init is the standard entry point; SDLInit may appear in documentation as shorthand or in wrappers, but it is not the official function name in the SDL API. For fine-grained control, rely on SDL_InitSubSystem, SDL_WasInit, and SDL_QuitSubSystem to manage individual subsystems.