Categorizing SDL Errors
Is there a way to categorize SDL errors and handle them differently based on their severity?
Yes, it's possible to categorize SDL errors and handle them differently based on their severity. While SDL doesn't provide built-in error categories, we can create our own system to categorize and handle errors based on their nature and severity. Here's how we can implement such a system:
Error Categories
First, let's define our error categories:
enum class ErrorCategory {
Critical, // Errors that prevent the game from
// running
Severe, // Errors that significantly impact
// functionality
Warning, // Issues that may affect gameplay
// but aren't showstoppers
Info // Non-critical information for
// debugging
};Error Handling Class
Now, let's create a class to handle our categorized errors:
#include <SDL.h>
#include <functional>
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <unordered_map>
class SDLErrorHandler {
public:
using ErrorCallback =
std::function<void(const std::string&)>;
static void SetErrorCallback(
ErrorCategory category,
ErrorCallback callback
) {
callbacks[category] = callback;
}
static void HandleError(
ErrorCategory category,
const std::string& operation
) {
const char* error = SDL_GetError();
if (*error != '\0') {
std::string errorMessage =
operation + " Error: " + error;
if (callbacks.count(category) > 0) {
callbacks[category](errorMessage);
} else {
DefaultErrorHandler(
category, errorMessage
);
}
SDL_ClearError();
}
}
private:
static void DefaultErrorHandler(
ErrorCategory category,
const std::string& message
) {
switch (category) {
case ErrorCategory::Critical:
std::cerr << "CRITICAL ERROR: "
<< message << '\n';
SDL_Quit();
exit(1);
case ErrorCategory::Severe:
std::cerr << "SEVERE ERROR: "
<< message << '\n';
break;
case ErrorCategory::Warning:
std::cerr << "WARNING: "
<< message << '\n';
break;
case ErrorCategory::Info:
std::cout << "INFO: "
<< message << '\n';
break;
}
}
static inline std::unordered_map<
ErrorCategory, ErrorCallback
> callbacks;
};Categorizing SDL Errors
Now, let's categorize some common SDL errors:
ErrorCategory CategorizeSDLError(
const std::string& error
) {
if (error.find("SDL_Init") !=
std::string::npos
) {
return ErrorCategory::Critical;
} else if (
error.find(
"SDL_CreateWindow"
) != std::string::npos
) {
return ErrorCategory::Critical;
} else if (
error.find(
"SDL_CreateRenderer"
) != std::string::npos
) {
return ErrorCategory::Severe;
} else if (
error.find(
"SDL_LoadBMP"
) != std::string::npos
) {
return ErrorCategory::Warning;
} else {
return ErrorCategory::Info;
}
}Using the Categorized Error Handler
Here's how we can use our categorized error handling system:
#include <SDL.h>
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
// Set custom handlers for different error
// categories
SDLErrorHandler::SetErrorCallback(
ErrorCategory::Critical,
[](const std::string& error) {
std::cerr
<< "Game-breaking error: "
<< error << '\n';
SDL_Quit();
exit(1);
});
SDLErrorHandler::SetErrorCallback(
ErrorCategory::Severe,
[](const std::string& error) {
std::cerr << "Severe error: "
<< error << '\n';
// Attempt to recover or gracefully
// degrade functionality
});
// Initialize SDL
if (SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO) < 0) {
SDLErrorHandler::HandleError(
ErrorCategory::Critical,
"SDL Initialization"
);
}
// Create window
SDL_Window* window = SDL_CreateWindow(
"SDL2 Game",
SDL_WINDOWPOS_UNDEFINED,
SDL_WINDOWPOS_UNDEFINED,
800, 600,
SDL_WINDOW_SHOWN
);
if (!window) {
SDLErrorHandler::HandleError(
ErrorCategory::Critical,
"Window Creation"
);
}
// Create renderer
SDL_Renderer* renderer = SDL_CreateRenderer(
window, -1, SDL_RENDERER_ACCELERATED);
if (!renderer) {
SDLErrorHandler::HandleError(
ErrorCategory::Severe,
"Renderer Creation"
);
}
// Game loop
bool quit = false;
SDL_Event e;
while (!quit) {
while (SDL_PollEvent(&e) != 0) {
if (e.type == SDL_QUIT) {
quit = true;
}
}
// Game logic and rendering...
// Check for any SDL errors that
// occurred during the frame
std::string error = SDL_GetError();
if (!error.empty()) {
ErrorCategory category =
CategorizeSDLError(error);
SDLErrorHandler::HandleError(
category, "Frame Processing");
}
}
SDL_DestroyRenderer(renderer);
SDL_DestroyWindow(window);
SDL_Quit();
return 0;
}This approach allows you to handle different types of SDL errors in ways that are appropriate to their severity. For example:
- Critical errors (like failing to initialize SDL) can immediately terminate the program.
- Severe errors (like failing to create a renderer) might attempt to fall back to software rendering.
- Warnings (like failing to load a texture) might use a placeholder texture and log the error.
- Info messages might only be logged in debug builds.
By categorizing errors this way, you can create a more robust error handling system that responds appropriately to different types of issues, improving both the stability and user experience of your SDL application.
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