Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General

• What is SFML?
• On which platforms is SFML currently available?
• Which programming languages are supported by SFML?
• What dependencies does SFML have?
• What version of SFML should I use?
• Is there a complete list with all the changes from SFML 1.6 to SFML 2.x?
• Will/does SFML support 3D?
• I want to propose a new feature!
• Is using SFML a good way to learn to program (in C++)?
• Where can I ask questions?

Building and Using SFML

• How do I build SFML?
• Are there any nightly builds?
• How do I setup my development environment to work with SFML?
• What and how do I link to use SFML?
• How do I link SFML statically?

SFML Graphics

• What image formats does SFML support?
• Why do I get a white/black rectangle instead of my texture?
• What is the difference between sf::Image and sf::Texture?
• My FPS count drops when drawing a lot of sprites.
• Should I use VSync, window.setFramerateLimit or something else?
• Should I use one sprite or x sprites to draw x textures?
• What is the difference between LocalBounds and GlobalBounds?
• My FPS is very low when running my application.
• RenderTextures don't work on my computer!
• My animations/movements aren't smooth or exhibit stuttering!

SFML Audio

• What audio formats does SFML support?
• Why can't I hear any sound?

SFML Networking

• How do I create ?
• Should I use TCP or UDP sockets?
• Should I use blocking or non-blocking sockets? And how do selectors work?
• I can't connect to the other computer over the internet!

SFML Window

• How do I make my window transparent?
• What happened to getFrameTime()?
• Why doesn't setFramerateLimit() always set the frame rate to the specified limit?

SFML System

• Does SFML support Unicode?
• How do I convert from sf::String to and vice-versa?
• My program keeps crashing when I use threads!
• How do I use sf::Mutex?
• Why can't I store my sf::Thread in an STL container?
• Why doesn't sf::sleep sleep for the amount of time I want it to?

Programming in General

• What is RAII and why does it rock?
• Why shouldn't I manually manage my memory?
• What are smart pointers?
• Why shouldn't I use global variables?
• What should I use then instead of global variables?
• Why is the singleton pattern not a good one?

Troubleshooting

• General
  • I'm having trouble using SFML.
  • How do I make my IDE output verbose build information?
  • I keep getting "undefined reference to "!
  • Why can't I use SFML as a 64-bit library on my 64-bit system?
  • My computer crashes when I run my SFML program!
  • I found a bug!
  • What is minimal code?
  • And how can I easily obtain this minimal code?
• Code::Blocks
  • I'm getting linker errors.
• Visual Studio
  • My project crashes randomly, but I don't get any compiler or linker errors.
  • I keep getting fatal error LNK1112: module machine type 'XYZ' conflicts with target machine type 'ZYX'. Help!
• Windows
  • Why does a console attach itself to my project?
• Linux
  • (Debian) I can't compile the source code.
  • There is no titlebar visible and/or artifacts from windows are visible.

Licensing

• What license does SFML have?
• Can I use SFML in commercial applications?
• Can I link SFML statically?
• Can I use the code from the example directory?
• Do I have to pay any license fees or royalties?

Libraries for SFML (Community FAQ)

Miscellaneous (Community FAQ)