Native Development

[kizkasen]

Does changing SCREEN_PROPERTY_USAGE and/or SCREEN_PROPERTY_BUFFER_SIZE require buffers to be destroyed and recreated?

[kizkasen]

From EB, Technical Lead for Graphics:

Changing the buffer size usually means new buffers, but the old ones don't have to be destroyed. Otherwise, you would get a flash on the screen (no buffers means the window can't be visible). After changing the usage or size you simply have to query the render buffers and you will get new handles. The old buffers are kept until you post content on one of the new buffers. Afterwards the old buffers are reaped automatically. You don't have to destroy them explicitly. 

The cases where changing the usage doesn't require new buffers:

* new usage has fewer bits than old usage 

* new usage only has read/write as extra bits

The cases where changing the buffer size doesn't require new buffers:

* new width is old height and new height is old width and usage had rotation bit set

[BGmot]

I am a bit confused - have you answered your own question? How come EB tells RIM how to use API?

[kizkasen]

Please be assured that this reply is from RIM, EB being our Technical Lead for Graphics here at RIM. I have just copied an exchange between him and me here instead of summarizing it for you; very sorry for that and the confusion this has caused.

[BGmot]

Oh, then great! Thank you very much! -)

[rcmaniac25 · Accepted solution]

Sweet. Thanks for answering my tweet. That's interesting. There wasn't anything that indicated that I would ever have to rebuild the buffers. So everything is handled under the hood?

[rcmaniac25]

An additional question on this, I mentioned usage and buffer size. What about SCREEN_PROPERTY_FORMAT? Is that covered under the same "after changing the property, it will be applied when the buffers are retrieved"?

[kizkasen]

Yes, SCREEN_PROPERTY_FORMAT is also covered under the same "after changing the property, it will be applied when the buffers are retrieved".