buffer_create

This function creates a new buffer and returns it.

The function allocates a portion of memory for the buffer, which can then be used to store different types of data (specified when you write to the buffer using the buffer_write, buffer_poke or buffer_fill function).

The following constants can be used to define the buffer type:

Apart from the buffer type, you will also have to set the byte alignment for the buffer. This value will vary depending on the data that you wish to store in the buffer, and in most cases a value of 1 is perfectly fine. However, be aware that for some operations a specific alignment is essential, and an incorrect alignment may cause errors (for further details on alignment see Buffers). The following is a general guide to show which values are most appropriate for each data type (when in doubt, use an alignment of 1):

• Strings should be aligned to 1 byte.
• Signed or unsigned 8bit integers can be aligned to any value, but note that for a fast buffer (see buffer_write) it must be aligned to 1.
• Signed or unsigned 16bit integers should be aligned to 2 bytes.
• Signed or unsigned 32bit integers should be aligned to 4 bytes.
• Floats of up to 16bits should be aligned to 2 bytes.
• Floats of up to 32bits should be aligned to 4 bytes.
• Floats of up to 64bits should be aligned to 8 bytes.

NOTE Byte alignment can be very important as the wrong choice may adversely affect performance.

IMPORTANT You cannot create buffers that are 2 Gibibytes (2,147,483,648 bytes) or larger.

Syntax:

buffer_create(size, type, alignment)

Returns:

Buffer

Example:

player_buffer = buffer_create(16384, buffer_fixed, 2);

The above code allocates 16384 bytes of memory to a buffer and returns the buffer, storing the reference to it in the variable player_buffer for future use. The buffer is aligned to a two byte boundary.