TTF_OpenFont() returns NULL

Question

Here are the facts: I am using codeblocks on Ubuntu. I have installed SDL and SDL_ttf and have included and linked them successfully. I want to render text to the screen of the font, FreeSerif.

Here is the problem: When the program gets to the line, TTF_OpenFont("FreeSerif.ttf,20"), it returns NULL, which would then cause a segfault if passed to the TTF_RenderText_Solid function. I have added the font file to the project and it still did not work.

Here is the code:
TTF_Init();

TTF_Font *font = TTF_OpenFont("FreeSerif.ttf",20); //This returns NULL 

if(!font){printf("Unable to open font");exit(1);} //The program exits here

I am having the same problem but I am using Qt Creator on MacOSX. — Martin Delille, May 07 '13 at 08:59
Did you try `TTF_GetError()`? It may say more about the opening error. — Dmytro Sirenko, May 07 '13 at 09:18

score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered May 07 '13 at 09:52

11

I've had the same problem and it seems to be a path error, TTF_GetError() throw this :

Couldn't open Arial.ttf

You should set your font with absolute path and not a relative one. For me, it was

/Library/Fonts/Arial.ttf

instead of :

Arial.ttf

answered May 07 '13 at 09:52

Thomas Ayoub

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Also, it may be copied in the current directory of the executable. – Dmytro Sirenko May 07 '13 at 09:53
Sure, but depending on codeblocks (that I don't like at all but that's not the point) settings, the directory of the executable could be hard to determinate, that's why I think that an absolute path may help in diagnostic – Thomas Ayoub May 07 '13 at 09:59

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered May 10 '13 at 08:20

You must specify the full path name. That, or you must be certain sure that the file is in the current directory for your program (which is not the same as the executable's directory).

So use this instead:

TTF_Font *font = TTF_OpenFont("/path/to/FreeSerif.ttf",20);

score 3 · Answer 3 · edited Sep 27 '15 at 23:21

3

// load font.ttf at size 20 into font

TTF_Font *font;

font=TTF_OpenFont("font.ttf", 20);

if(!font) {
    printf("TTF_OpenFont: %s\n", TTF_GetError());
   // handle error
}

font.ttf path not found it return NULL value

if(!font) not check null value and TTF_GetError() It returns the last error.

edited Sep 27 '15 at 23:21

Zizouz212

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answered May 08 '13 at 13:30

kunalg

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TTF_OpenFont() returns NULL

3 Answers3

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