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AMCerasoli

Member #11,955

May 2010

Aww... I'm going to start over again... It's like there is always a better way to do it. >:( Now I'm using more C++ but It doesn't convince me. I wan to use a Resource Manager running on a different thread now, but I don't know if I'm able to do that. I want to be able to set up a little GUI. I'm almost done but it's failing.

I would love to be able to do something like:

al_draw_bitmap(ResM->bitmap("background"),0,0,0);

So the "bitmap" functions check if that bitmap is already loaded, and if isn't returns a transparent bitmap while loads it, then when it's loaded start returning the real bitmap... Something like that could be possible?, I think it's . The thing is that bitmap() would be checking if "background" is already downloaded all the time... But I don't think that takes too much time...

I don't want to use al_load_bitmap manually anymore.

PS: Sorry for being using The Depot as repository or something...

Edit: Damn, I always forget the memory bitmaps and fonts!... So I can't have a resoruce manager on another thread...

_Kronk_

Member #12,347

November 2010

That looks really nice!

AMCerasoli said:

I would love to be able to do something like:

al_draw_bitmap(ResM->bitmap("background"),0,0,0);

I don't want to use al_load_bitmap manually anymore.

You could always write a function wrapper for al_draw_bitmap() that would have those functionalities; it would check if that bmp is loaded and handle the if's/if not's. You probably knew that though.

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Trent Gamblin

Member #261

April 2000

For this std::map would work and would probably be performant enough.

std::map<std::string, ALLEGRO_BITMAP *> bmps;

ALLEGRO_BITMAP *get_bitmap(std::string name)
{
   if (bmps.count(name) == 0) {
      ALLEGRO_BITMAP *bmp = al_load_bitmap(name.c_str());
      bmps[name] = bmp;
   }

   return bmps[name];
}

Oscar Giner

Member #2,207

April 2002

It's not that important, but considering you need the bitmap you're looking for, better use map::find and do only one lookup, instead of map::count + a second lookup:

ALLEGRO_BITMAP *get_bitmap(std::string name)
{
   auto it = bmps.find(name);
   if (it == bmps.end())
      ALLEGRO_BITMAP *bmp = al_load_bitmap(name.c_str());
      bmps[name] = bmp;
      return bmp;
   }
   else
      return *it;
}

AMCerasoli said:

and if isn't returns a transparent bitmap while loads it

That's be quite more complex to do. You'd need to load the bitmap in another thread so the loading doesn't block you game.

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Trent Gamblin

Member #261

April 2000

For some reason I thought map::find added the key if it wasn't there, but apparently not.

Edgar Reynaldo

Major Reynaldo

May 2007

Oscar - you're returning a pair instead of an ALLEGRO_BITMAP* - you need to return it->second if it is found in the map.

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Member #2,749

September 2002

Trent Gamblin said:

For some reason I thought map::find added the key if it wasn't there, but apparently not.

map::operator[] adds the key if it isn't already there. That's probably what you were thinking of.

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AMCerasoli

Member #11,955

May 2010

Thank you Kronk.

_Kronk_ said:

You could always write a function wrapper for al_draw_bitmap() that would have those functionalities; it would check if that bmp is loaded and handle the if's/if not's. You probably knew that though.

Well, I haven't thought much about it. But I guess I'm going to need to do something like that. Or what Trent suggested.

Oscar Giner said:

That's be quite more complex to do. You'd need to load the bitmap in another thread so the loading doesn't block you game.

That is what I really wanted to do, but then I remembered that I can't load video bitmaps on anoth er thread. Having a resource manager on another thread would be a dream, but I have being reading that OpenGL doesn't allow you to do that. There seems to be some solutions, though.

Sorry for the late answer, I'm running out of time these days.

Neil Walker

Member #210

April 2000

If you're going to use the method of searching for bitmaps in a collection then returning the pointer, remember you should only destroy the bitmap once

I kind of did the same thing but allowed bitmaps to be referenced as items from a larger sprite sheet, and the same thing goes there, make sure you delete the sprite sheet bitmap last.

Neil.
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kenmasters1976

Member #8,794

July 2007

AMCerasoli said:

It's like there is always a better way to do it.

I know that feeling, AMCerasoli.

Anyway, it's looking good. Did you write your own GUI routines?.

AMCerasoli

Member #11,955

May 2010

kenmasters1976 said:

Did you write your own GUI routines?.

Hahaha my what?, you make it sounds so professional, yhea I have my own GUI runtines 8-) . No really I wrote it but it's very simple. Just a list of objects "Windows". Before drawing the windows I reverse the list order, and when I check its logic I send a pointer (in the initialization) to the objects which tells if no window is active, the press button event is sent to the first object (which is the top window for the user, after the list being reversed) and since no window is active the first one is going to be change the pointer to true, so the other ones are going to see that actually there is an active window and aren't going to get active... and bla bla bla... I haven't finish it yet, besides the background window it's always the same size, but it's fine for my game, so don't imagine a big GUI routines back there..

Neil Walker said:

If you're going to use the method of searching for bitmaps in a collection then returning the pointer, remember you should only destroy the bitmap once

Thank you, We'll see if I'm able to come up with something good

kenmasters1976

Member #8,794

July 2007

That sounds complicated enough, AMCerasoli. If it works and suits your needs, that's all you need; you don't have to make it professional or complicated.