---
name: "dtk_create_composite_shape"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "libdrawtk-dev"
version: "2.0-2.1"
release: "Debian 8 (Jessie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/dtk_create_composite_shape"
---

# dtk\_create\_composite\_shape(3)

Create or modify a shape holding other shapes

## NAME

dtk\_create\_composite\_shape - Create or modify a shape holding other shapes

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<drawtk.h\>**

**dtk\_hshape dtk\_create\_composite\_shape(dtk\_hshape** *shp***,**\
                                       **unsigned int** *num***,**\
                                       **const dtk\_hshape \****list***,**\
                                       **int** *free\_children***);**\

## DESCRIPTION

**dtk\_create\_composite\_shape**() creates a shape made of *num* different shapes specified by the array *list*. When [**dtk\_draw\_shape**(3)](/dtk_draw_shape/3.md) is called on the composite shape, all referenced shapes will be rendered in the order of *list*. The composite shape create its own copy of the shape list, so there is no need to keep the array pointed by *list* allocated after the function returns.

If *free\_children* is a non-zero value, the destruction of the composite shape will destroy the underlaying shapes. If *free\_children* is zero, destroying the composite shape will leave the referenced shapes untouched, so that *dtk\_destroy\_shape*() should be called for all individual shapes.

*shp* can be used to modify a previously created shape. If it is non-null, the handle will be used to modify the shape referenced by *shp*: no new shape is created and the returned value is ensured to be *shp* in case of success, *NULL* otherwise. If *shp* is *NULL*, the function will attempt to create a new shape.

## RETURN VALUE

In case of success the function returns the handle to the newly created or modified shape. If the *shp* argument is non-null, the handle returned is the same value. In case of error, *NULL* is returned.

## SEE ALSO

[**dtk\_destroy\_shape**(3)](/dtk_destroy_shape/3.md), [**dtk\_create\_shape**(3)](/dtk_create_shape/3.md)