Can SDL customize border colors?
Can I change the color of the border or title bar in SDL2?
SDL2 does not provide built-in functions to customize the color, style, or appearance of the border or title bar. The reason for this limitation lies in SDL's design philosophy: it abstracts away platform-specific details to provide a consistent API.
On most systems, window decorations (borders, title bars) are controlled by the operating system.
If you need a custom border or title bar, you must disable the system decorations using the SDL_WINDOW_BORDERLESS flag and draw your own window frame within the application:
#include <SDL.h>
int main() {
SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO);
SDL_Window* Window{SDL_CreateWindow(
"Custom Border",
SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
800, 600,
SDL_WINDOW_BORDERLESS
)};
SDL_Renderer* Renderer{SDL_CreateRenderer(
Window, -1, 0)};
// Render a custom border
SDL_SetRenderDrawColor(Renderer,
255, 0, 0, 255); // Red
SDL_Rect Border{0, 0, 800, 600};
SDL_RenderFillRect(Renderer, &Border);
SDL_SetRenderDrawColor(Renderer,
0, 0, 0, 255); // Black client area
SDL_Rect ClientArea{10, 10, 780, 580};
SDL_RenderFillRect(Renderer, &ClientArea);
SDL_RenderPresent(Renderer);
SDL_Delay(3000);
SDL_DestroyRenderer(Renderer);
SDL_DestroyWindow(Window);
SDL_Quit();
}Renders a red border with a black client area.For advanced UI frameworks, you may need to integrate with libraries like Dear ImGui or build custom styles using OpenGL or Vulkan.
Window Decorations and Borders
An introduction to managing SDL2 window decorations, borders, and client areas.