Thread: hDC (newbie)

  1. #1
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    hDC (newbie)

    I'm completely confused over what this hDC thing is. In the OpenGL tutorials (http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial/gl5.html), it mentions them, but I don't quite understand what exactly it is. Could someone please explain it in a jargon-free way?

    Thanks!

    HGLRC wglCreateContext(HDC hDC);

  2. #2
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    You should've posted this in the Win32 section, but oh well.

    HDC is a handle to a device context.

    A device context is a Windows data structure containing information about the drawing attributes of a device such as a display or a printer. All drawing calls are made through a device-context object, which encapsulates the Windows APIs for drawing lines, shapes, and text. Device contexts allow device-independent drawing in Windows. Device contexts can be used to draw to the screen, to the printer, or to a metafile.


    Reference: MSDN April 2000


    Hopefully that clears it up for you.
    "...the results are undefined, and we all know what "undefined" means: it means it works during development, it works during testing, and it blows up in your most important customers' faces." --Scott Meyers

  3. #3
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    Oh, OK. I think I get it, thanks!

    Sorry about posting on the wrong board.

  4. #4
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    It is really like a handle to the video memory. MS Windows cares for the interface between your programm and your video card.

    example:

    case WM_PAINT:
    hdc = BeginPaint (hwnd, &ps);
    TextOut (hdc, 20, 20, "Ich bin ein Fenster.", 20);
    EndPaint (hwnd, &ps);
    return 0;

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