New features in version 3.0

CMake build system

GLFW now uses the CMake build system instead of the various makefiles and project files used by earlier versions. CMake is available for all platforms supported by GLFW, is present in most package systems and can generate makefiles and/or project files for most popular development environments.

For more information on how to use CMake, see the CMake manual.

Multi-window support

GLFW now supports the creation of multiple windows, each with their own OpenGL or OpenGL ES context, and all window functions now take a window handle. Event callbacks are now per-window and are provided with the handle of the window that received the event. The glfwMakeContextCurrent function has been added to select which context is current on a given thread.

Multi-monitor support

GLFW now explicitly supports multiple monitors. They can be enumerated with glfwGetMonitors, queried with glfwGetVideoModes, glfwGetMonitorPos, glfwGetMonitorName and glfwGetMonitorPhysicalSize, and specified at window creation to make the newly created window full screen on that specific monitor.

Unicode support

All string arguments to GLFW functions and all strings returned by GLFW now use the UTF-8 encoding. This includes the window title, error string, clipboard text, monitor and joystick names as well as the extension function arguments (as ASCII is a subset of UTF-8).

Clipboard text I/O

GLFW now supports reading and writing plain text to and from the system clipboard, with the glfwGetClipboardString and glfwSetClipboardString functions.

Gamma ramp support

GLFW now supports setting and reading back the gamma ramp of monitors, with the glfwGetGammaRamp and glfwSetGammaRamp functions. There is also glfwSetGamma, which generates a ramp from a gamma value and then sets it.

OpenGL ES support

GLFW now supports the creation of OpenGL ES contexts, by setting the GLFW_CLIENT_API window hint to GLFW_OPENGL_ES_API, where creation of such contexts are supported. Note that GLFW does not implement OpenGL ES, so your driver must provide support in a way usable by GLFW. Modern nVidia and Intel drivers support creation of OpenGL ES context using the GLX and WGL APIs, while AMD provides an EGL implementation instead.

(Experimental) EGL support

GLFW now has an experimental EGL context creation back end that can be selected through CMake options.

High-DPI support

GLFW now supports high-DPI monitors on both Windows and OS X, giving windows full resolution framebuffers where other UI elements are scaled up. To achieve this, glfwGetFramebufferSize and glfwSetFramebufferSizeCallback have been added. These work with pixels, while the rest of the GLFW API work with screen coordinates.

Error callback

GLFW now has an error callback, which can provide your application with much more detailed diagnostics than was previously possible. The callback is passed an error code and a description string.

Per-window user pointer

Each window now has a user-defined pointer, retrieved with glfwGetWindowUserPointer and set with glfwSetWindowUserPointer, to make it easier to integrate GLFW into C++ code.

Window iconification callback

Each window now has a callback for iconification and restoration events, which is set with glfwSetWindowIconifyCallback.

Window position callback

Each window now has a callback for position events, which is set with glfwSetWindowPosCallback.

Window position query

The position of a window can now be retrieved using glfwGetWindowPos.

Window focus callback

Each windows now has a callback for focus events, which is set with glfwSetWindowFocusCallback.

Cursor enter/leave callback

Each window now has a callback for when the mouse cursor enters or leaves its client area, which is set with glfwSetCursorEnterCallback.

Initial window title

The title of a window is now specified at creation time, as one of the arguments to glfwCreateWindow.

Hidden windows

Windows can now be hidden with glfwHideWindow, shown using glfwShowWindow and created initially hidden with the GLFW_VISIBLE window hint. This allows for off-screen rendering in a way compatible with most drivers, as well as moving a window to a specific position before showing it.

Undecorated windows

Windowed mode windows can now be created without decorations, i.e. things like a frame, a title bar, with the GLFW_DECORATED window hint. This allows for the creation of things like splash screens.

Modifier key bit masks

Modifier key bit mask parameters have been added to the mouse button and key callbacks.

Platform-specific scancodes

A scancode parameter has been added to the key callback. Keys that don't have a key token still get passed on with the key parameter set to GLFW_KEY_UNKNOWN. These scancodes will vary between machines and are intended to be used for key bindings.

Joystick names

The name of a joystick can now be retrieved using glfwGetJoystickName.

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