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# docs.GL

OpenGL 4
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# glGetString

## Name

glGetString — return a string describing the current GL connection

## C Specification

`const GLubyte* glGetString(` | GLenum | name`)`;

## Parameters

`name`

  Specifies a symbolic constant, one of `GL_VENDOR`, `GL_RENDERER`, `GL_VERSION`, `GL_SHADING_LANGUAGE_VERSION`, or `GL_EXTENSIONS`.

## Description

`glGetString` returns a pointer to a static string describing some aspect of the current GL connection. `name` can be one of the following:

`GL_VENDOR`

  Returns the company responsible for this GL implementation. This name does not change from release to release.

`GL_RENDERER`

  Returns the name of the renderer. This name is typically specific to a particular configuration of a hardware platform. It does not change from release to release.

`GL_VERSION`

  Returns a version or release number.

`GL_SHADING_LANGUAGE_VERSION`

  Returns a version or release number for the shading language.

`GL_EXTENSIONS`

  Returns a space-separated list of supported extensions to GL.

Because the GL does not include queries for the performance characteristics of an implementation, some applications are written to recognize known platforms and modify their GL usage based on known performance characteristics of these platforms. Strings `GL_VENDOR` and `GL_RENDERER` together uniquely specify a platform. They do not change from release to release and should be used by platform-recognition algorithms.

Some applications want to make use of features that are not part of the standard GL. These features may be implemented as extensions to the standard GL. The `GL_EXTENSIONS` string is a space-separated list of supported GL extensions. (Extension names never contain a space character.)

The `GL_VERSION` and `GL_SHADING_LANGUAGE_VERSION` strings begin with a version number. The version number uses one of these forms:

major_number.minor_number major_number.minor_number.release_number

Vendor-specific information may follow the version number. Its format depends on the implementation, but a space always separates the version number and the vendor-specific information.

All strings are null-terminated.

## Notes

If an error is generated, `glGetString` returns 0.

The client and server may support different versions or extensions. `glGetString` always returns a compatible version number or list of extensions. The release number always describes the server.

`GL_SHADING_LANGUAGE_VERSION` is available only if the GL version is 2.0 or greater.

## Errors

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if `name` is not an accepted value.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if `glGetString` is executed between the execution of glBegin and the corresponding execution of glEnd.

## Copyright

Copyright © 1991-2006 Silicon Graphics, Inc. This document is licensed under the SGI Free Software B License. For details, see https://web.archive.org/web/20171022161616/http://oss.sgi.com/projects/FreeB/.

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