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# docs.GL

OpenGL 4
OpenGL 3
OpenGL 2

# glGetPointerv

## Name

glGetPointerv — return the address of the specified pointer

## C Specification

`void glGetPointerv(` | GLenum | pname,
| GLvoid ** | params`)`;

## Parameters

`pname`

  Specifies the array or buffer pointer to be returned. Symbolic constants `GL_COLOR_ARRAY_POINTER`, `GL_EDGE_FLAG_ARRAY_POINTER`, `GL_FOG_COORD_ARRAY_POINTER`, `GL_FEEDBACK_BUFFER_POINTER`, `GL_INDEX_ARRAY_POINTER`, `GL_NORMAL_ARRAY_POINTER`, `GL_SECONDARY_COLOR_ARRAY_POINTER`, `GL_SELECTION_BUFFER_POINTER`, `GL_TEXTURE_COORD_ARRAY_POINTER`, or `GL_VERTEX_ARRAY_POINTER` are accepted.

`params`

  Returns the pointer value specified by `pname`.

## Description

`glGetPointerv` returns pointer information. `pname` is a symbolic constant indicating the pointer to be returned, and `params` is a pointer to a location in which to place the returned data.

For all `pname` arguments except `GL_FEEDBACK_BUFFER_POINTER` and `GL_SELECTION_BUFFER_POINTER`, if a non-zero named buffer object was bound to the `GL_ARRAY_BUFFER` target (see glBindBuffer) when the desired pointer was previously specified, the pointer returned is a byte offset into the buffer object's data store. Buffer objects are only available in OpenGL versions 1.5 and greater.

## Notes

`glGetPointerv` is available only if the GL version is 1.1 or greater.

`GL_FOG_COORD_ARRAY_POINTER` and `GL_SECONDARY_COLOR_ARRAY_POINTER` are available only if the GL version is 1.4 or greater.

The pointers are all client-side state.

The initial value for each pointer is 0.

For OpenGL versions 1.3 and greater, or when the `ARB_multitexture` extension is supported, querying the `GL_TEXTURE_COORD_ARRAY_POINTER` returns the value for the active client texture unit.

## Errors

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

## See Also

glBindBuffer, glClientActiveTexture, glColorPointer, glEdgeFlagPointer, glFogCoordPointer, glFeedbackBuffer, glGetVertexAttribPointerv, glIndexPointer, glNormalPointer, glSecondaryColorPointer, glSelectBuffer, glTexCoordPointer, glVertexAttribPointer, glVertexPointer

## 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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