source: libcaca/trunk/doc/tutorial.dox @ 2835 Tweet

/* $Id: tutorial.dox 2824 2008-09-27 14:29:11Z sam $ */

/** \page libcaca-tutorial A libcaca tutorial

First, a working program, very simple, to check you can compile and run it:

\code

#include <caca.h>
#include <caca.h>

int main(void)
{
    /* Initialise libcaca */
    caca_canvas_t *cv; caca_display_t *dp; caca_event_t ev;
    dp = caca_create_display(NULL);
    if(!dp) return 1;
    cv = caca_get_canvas(dp);
    /* Set window title */
    caca_set_display_title(dp, "Hello!");
    /* Choose drawing colours */
    caca_set_color_ansi(cv, CACA_BLACK, CACA_WHITE);
    /* Draw a string at coordinates (0, 0) */
    caca_put_str(cv, 0, 0, "This is a message");
    /* Refresh display */
    caca_refresh_display(dp);
    /* Wait for a key press event */
    caca_get_event(dp, CACA_EVENT_KEY_PRESS, &ev, -1);
    /* Clean up library */
    caca_free_display(dp);

    return 0;
}

\endcode


What does it do ? (we skip variable definitions, guessing you have a brain) : 
- Create a caca canvas. A canvas is where everything happens. Writing characters, sprites, strings, images, everything. It is mandatory and is the reason of libcacas' beeing. Size is there a width of 0 pixels, and a height of 0 pixels. It'll be resized according to contents you put in it.

- Create a caca display. This is basically the window. Physically it can be a window (most of the displays), a console (ncurses, slang) or a real display (VGA). 

- Set the window name of our display (only available in windowed displays, does nothing otherwise). (so this is libcaca related)
 
- Set current colors to black background, and white foreground of our canvas (so this is libcaca related)

- Put a string "This is a message" with current colors in our libcaca canvas.

- Refresh our caca display, whish was firstly attached to our canvas

- Wait for an event of type "CACA_EVENT_KEY_PRESS", which seems obvious.

- Free display (release memory)

- Free canvas (release memory and close window if any)


You can then compile this code under UNIX-like systems with following command : (you'll need pkg-config and gcc)
\code
gcc `pkg-config --libs --cflags caca` example.c -o example
\endcode

*/