---
name: "libcaca-migrating"
section: "3caca"
platform: "linux"
package: "libcaca"
version: "0.99.beta20-7"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/libcaca-migrating"
---

# libcaca-migrating(3caca)

Migrating from libcaca 0.x to the 1.0 API This section will guide you through the migration of a libcaca 0.x application to the latest API version.

## NAME

libcaca-migrating - Migrating from libcaca 0.x to the 1.0 API

This section will guide you through the migration of a *libcaca* 0.x application to the latest API version.

## Overview

The most important change in the 1.0 API of *libcaca* is the object-oriented design. See these two examples for a rough idea of what changed:

```
#include <caca.h>
/* libcaca program - 0.x API */
int main(void)
{
    /* Initialise libcaca */
    caca_init();
    /* Set window title */
    caca_set_window_title("Window");
    /* Choose drawing colours */
    caca_set_color(CACA_COLOR_BLACK,
                   CACA_COLOR_WHITE);
    /* Draw a string at (0, 0) */
    caca_putstr(0, 0, "Hello world!");
    /* Refresh display */
    caca_refresh();
    /* Wait for a key press event */
    caca_wait_event(CACA_EVENT_KEY_PRESS);
    /* Clean up library */
    caca_end();
    return 0;
}
```

```
#include <caca.h>
/* libcaca program - 1.0 API */
int main(void)
{
    /* Initialise libcaca */
    caca_canvas_t *cv;
    caca_display_t *dp;
    dp = caca_create_display(NULL);
    cv = caca_get_canvas(dp);
    /* Set window title */
    caca_set_display_title(dp, "Window");
    /* Choose drawing colours */
    caca_set_color_ansi(cv, CACA_BLACK,
                            CACA_WHITE);
    /* Draw a string at (0, 0) */
    caca_put_str(cv, 0, 0, "Hello world!");
    /* Refresh display */
    caca_refresh_display();
    /* Wait for a key press event */
    caca_get_event(dp, CACA_EVENT_KEY_PRESS,
                   NULL, -1);
    /* Clean up library */
    caca_free_display(dp);
    return 0;
}
```

Note the following important things:

- •

  Most functions now take an object handle as their first argument.

## Migration strategy

You have two ways to migrate your application to use *libcaca* 1.x:

- •

  Port your code using the function equivalence list. This is the preferred way because new functions are thread safe and offer much more features to both the programmer and the end user.

- •

  Use the legacy compatibility layer.

Using the compatibility layer is as easy as adding the following three lines:

```
#include <caca.h>
/* libcaca program - 0.x API */
...
```

```
#include <caca.h>
#ifdef CACA_API_VERSION_1
#   include <caca0.h>
#endif
/* libcaca program - 0.x API */
...
```

The modified code is guaranteed to build both with *libcaca* 0.x and *libcaca* 1.0.

## Function equivalence list

### Basic functions

- •

  **caca\_init()**: use **caca\_create\_canvas()** to create a *libcaca* canvas, followed by **caca\_create\_display()** to attach a *libcaca* display to it. Alternatively, **caca\_create\_display()** with a NULL argument will create a canvas automatically.

- •

  **caca\_set\_delay()**: use **caca\_set\_display\_time()**.

- •

  **caca\_get\_feature()**: deprecated.

- •

  **caca\_set\_feature()**: deprecated, see **caca\_set\_dither\_antialias()**, **caca\_set\_dither\_color()** and caca\_set\_dither\_mode() instead.

- •

  **caca\_get\_feature\_name()**: deprecated, see caca\_get\_dither\_mode\_list(), **caca\_get\_dither\_antialias\_list()** and **caca\_get\_dither\_color\_list()** instead.

- •

  **caca\_get\_rendertime()**: use **caca\_get\_display\_time()**.

- •

  **caca\_get\_width()**: use **caca\_get\_canvas\_width()**.

- •

  **caca\_get\_height()**: use **caca\_get\_canvas\_height()**.

- •

  **caca\_set\_window\_title()**: use **caca\_set\_display\_title()**.

- •

  **caca\_get\_window\_width()**: use **caca\_get\_display\_width()**.

- •

  **caca\_get\_window\_height()**: use **caca\_get\_display\_height()**.

- •

  **caca\_refresh()**: use **caca\_refresh\_display()**.

- •

  **caca\_end()**: use **caca\_free\_display()** to detach the *libcaca* display, followed by **caca\_free\_canvas()** to free the underlying *libcaca* canvas. Alternatively, if the canvas was created by **caca\_create\_display()**, it will be automatically destroyed by **caca\_free\_display()**.

### Event handling

- •

  **caca\_get\_event(): unchanged, but the event information retrieval changed a lot.**

- •

  **caca\_wait\_event(): use caca\_get\_event() with a** timeout **argument of -1.**

- •

  **caca\_get\_mouse\_x(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_get\_mouse\_y(): unchanged.**

### Character printing

- •

  **caca\_set\_color(): use caca\_set\_color\_ansi() or caca\_set\_color\_argb().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_fg\_color(): use caca\_get\_attr().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_bg\_color(): use caca\_get\_attr().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_color\_name(): this function is now deprecated due to major uselessness.**

- •

  **caca\_putchar(): use caca\_put\_char().**

- •

  **caca\_putstr(): use caca\_put\_str().**

- •

  **caca\_printf(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_clear(): use caca\_clear\_canvas().**

### Primitives drawing

**These functions are almost unchanged, except for Unicode support and the fact that they now act on a given canvas.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_line(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_polyline(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_thin\_line(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_thin\_polyline(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_circle(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_ellipse(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_thin\_ellipse(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_fill\_ellipse(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_box(): unchanged, but the argument meaning changed (width and height instead of corner coordinates).**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_thin\_box(): use caca\_draw\_thin\_box() or caca\_draw\_cp437\_box(), also the argument meaning changed (width and height instead of corner coordinates).**

- •

  **caca\_fill\_box(): unchanged, but the argument meaning changed (width and height instead of corner coordinates).**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_triangle(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_thin\_triangle(): unchanged.**

- •

  **caca\_fill\_triangle(): unchanged.**

### Mathematical functions

- •

  **caca\_rand(): unchanged, but the second argument is different, make sure you take that into account.**

- •

  **caca\_sqrt(): this function is now deprecated, use your system's sqrt() call instead.**

### Sprite handling

**The newly introduced canvases can have several frames. Sprites are hence completely deprecated.**

- •

  **caca\_load\_sprite(): use caca\_import\_file().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_sprite\_frames(): use caca\_get\_frame\_count().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_sprite\_width(): use caca\_get\_canvas\_width().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_sprite\_height(): use caca\_get\_canvas\_height().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_sprite\_dx(): use caca\_get\_canvas\_handle\_x().**

- •

  **caca\_get\_sprite\_dy(): use caca\_get\_canvas\_handle\_y().**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_sprite(): use caca\_set\_frame() and caca\_blit().**

- •

  **caca\_free\_sprite(): use caca\_free\_canvas().**

### Bitmap handling

**Bitmaps have been renamed to dithers, because these objects do not in fact store any pixels, they just have information on how bitmaps will be dithered.**

- •

  **caca\_create\_bitmap(): use caca\_create\_dither().**

- •

  **caca\_set\_bitmap\_palette(): use caca\_set\_dither\_palette().**

- •

  **caca\_draw\_bitmap(): use caca\_dither\_bitmap().**

- •

  **caca\_free\_bitmap(): use caca\_free\_dither().**

## Compilation

**The** caca-config **utility is deprecated in favour of the standard** pkg-config **interface:**

```
gcc -c foobar.c -o foobar.o `pkg-config --cflags caca`
gcc foobar.o -o foobar `pkg-config --libs caca`
```

caca-config **is still provided as a convenience tool but may be removed in the future.**