OPENGL/GLFW Notes/Guide

Compilation Instructions

g++ main.cpp -o opengl_app -lglfw -lGL -lGLEW -lX11 -lpthread -ldl

Table of Contents

1. Window Setup

Window Setup

#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main() {
    if (!glfwInit()) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to initialize GLFW\n");
        return -1;
    }

    GLFWwindow* window = glfwCreateWindow(800, 600, "GLFW Test", NULL, NULL);
    if (!window) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create window\n");
        glfwTerminate();
        return -1;
    }

    glfwMakeContextCurrent(window);

    while (!glfwWindowShouldClose(window)) {
        glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
        glfwSwapBuffers(window);
        glfwPollEvents();
    }

    glfwTerminate();
    return 0;
}

GLFW/glfw3.h -> Provides all GLFW functions for window/input management

iostream -> C++ standard I/O (used here for error messages)

glfwInit() -> Initializes GLFW library, returns true on success

800, 600 ->	Window width/height in pixels
"GLFW Test" ->	Window title bar text
NULL, NULL ->	[Monitor, Share] parameters (null = default)

glfwMakeContextCurrent() -> Binds OpenGL to this window

glfwWindowShouldClose() -> Checks for close requests (X button, etc.)
glClear() -> Clears color buffer to default (black)
glfwSwapBuffers() -> Swaps front/back buffers (double buffering)
glfwPollEvents() ->	Processes input events

glfwTerminate() -> Releases all GLFW resources