I'm rookie at C++ and I have simple questions

Posted:
Mar 16, 2003 @ 9:32pm
by BIGBEN
Hello! I’m a starting programmer from Russia and I need help. I’m rookie at C++. And I have a simple questions, I am dealing with #-((
Can I load/unload pictures with Pocket Frog during the game? If yes, how can I do this (please write an example).
What is faster to load jpg or gif?
How can I reload an array to be bigger, saving the previous numbers and adding a new?
How can I load data from a *.txt file and pictures from a main memory.
Greetings from Russia.

Posted:
Mar 18, 2003 @ 9:42pm
by BIGBEN
ok then, what can STL do ? how does it save me time ???

Posted:
Mar 18, 2003 @ 10:16pm
by Conan
reading Fzammetti & Thiery's posts I just have to ask the obvious question, what can STL do for me? I don't know anything about it other than the PF connection.
How can STL save me time writing a game? What pre-written code can I use from STL and where do I find out in plain English what's possible. ( I mean something understandable not written by Unix/C++ geeks who delight in making simple things confusting )

Posted:
Mar 18, 2003 @ 10:23pm
by BIGBEN
8) At third time: Thanks for answering! 8)

Posted:
Mar 18, 2003 @ 10:26pm
by fzammetti
STL, or Standard Template Library, is a C++ library that provides a set of easily composable C++ container classes and generic algorithms (template functions).
The container classes include vectors, lists, deques, sets, multisets, maps, multimaps, stacks, queues and priority queues.
The generic algorithms include a broad range of fundamental algorithms for the most common kinds of data manipulations, such as searching, sorting, merging, copying, and transforming.
The most important difference between STL and all other C++ container class libraries is that most STL algorithms are generic: they work on a variety of containers and even on ordinary C++ arrays. A key factor in the library design is the consistent use of iterators, which generalize C++ pointers, as intermediaries between algorithms and containers. A precise classification of iterators into five categories is the basis for determining which algorithms can be used with which containers, and is the main guide to extension of the library to include new algorithms that work with STL containers, or new containers to which many STL generic algorithms can be applied.
Take a peak at for more in-depth information (yes, I just copied all of the above from that site!)
To boil it down simply, it's really just another library with functions and structures that tend to get used a lot in programming (maybe more so in games). The nice thing about STL is that it is designed from the ground-up to be cross-platform (I guess that's really the point actually) so your code that makes use of it's functionality should be identical across all platforms.
Thierry has certainly more experience with it than me, so hopefully he'll elaborate a bit (and correct anything I'm wrong about of course!)
Links don't work

Posted:
Mar 19, 2003 @ 9:41am
by Conan
The links are wrong or down so I will look for the site......... Nope, no links on Google work though the tutorials are there. I will try later