The Be Book Screen Saver Screen Saver Index

Screen Saver Add-ons

Declared in:  be/add-ons/screen_saver/ScreenSaver.h
Library: ScreenSaver preferences application
more...


A screen saver add-on embodies a single screen saver module. Each module is represented by a BScreenSaver object. To create this object, the add-on implements and exports the function instantiate_screen_saver(). The screen saver system calls the instantiate_screen_saver() function when it's time to create and run the add-on's screen saver module.


Building and Installing your Add-on

When you build your add-on, you need to link against the ScreenSaver preferences application. To do this you...

You install your screen saver add-ons in the Screen Savers directory in B_USER_ADDONS_DIRECTORY; you may need to create the Screen Savers directory first. (See find_directory() in the Storage Kit if you're not familiar with the B_USER_ADDONS_DIRECTORY constant.)

There's also a Screen Savers directory in B_BEOS_ADDONS_DIRECTORY. This is reserved for screen savers that come with BeOS. Don't put your screen savers in this directory.


Global Functions


instantiate_screen_saver()


BScreenSaver *instantiate_screen_saver(BMessage *msg, image_id image)

instantiate_screen_saver() must be implemented to create an instance of your BScreenSaver-derived class and return it as a BScreenSaver pointer. msg contains the state provided by a previous saver run (via the SaveState() function). image is the image_id of the add-on. You usually just pass these arguments straight into your BScreenSaver subclass' constructor, like this:

#include <add-ons/screen_saver/ScreenSaver.h>

class SpiffySaver : public BScreenSaver
{
public:
   SpiffySaver( BMessage *msg, image_id image );
...
};

BScreenSaver *instantiate_screen_saver(BMessage *msg, image_id image)
{
   return new SpiffySaver(msg, id);
}

The screen saver system handles bad object allocations for you. This means you don't have to catch bad_alloc exceptions in your own code. (If the system is that low on resources, the user has other things to worry about.)


The Be Book Screen Saver Screen Saver Index

The Be Book,
...in lovely HTML...
for BeOS Release 5.

Copyright © 2000 Be, Inc. All rights reserved..