Dynamic Titles in SDL
Can I make the title reflect real-time data, like a countdown timer?
Yes, you can update the window title dynamically during runtime to reflect real-time data like a countdown timer. Use SDL_SetWindowTitle() inside your game or application's main loop to change the title.
In this example, we maintain a countdown timer in the title:
#include <SDL.h>
#include <string>
#include <chrono>
#include <thread>
int main() {
SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO);
SDL_Window* window = SDL_CreateWindow(
"Timer Example",
SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
800,
600,
SDL_WINDOW_SHOWN
);
for (int i = 10; i >= 0; --i) {
std::string title = "Time Remaining: "
+ std::to_string(i) + " seconds";
SDL_SetWindowTitle(window, title.c_str());
std::this_thread::sleep_for(
std::chrono::seconds(1));
}
SDL_DestroyWindow(window);
SDL_Quit();
}The title updates every second to show the countdown.Dynamic updates are useful for showing scores, FPS, or debugging data during development.
Window Titles
Learn how to set, get, and update window titles dynamically