###### (This is the legacy documentation for SDL2, the previous stable version; [SDL3](https://wiki.libsdl.org/SDL3/) is the current stable version.)
# SDL_RWread

Read from a data source.

## Header File

Defined in [SDL_rwops.h](https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL/blob/SDL2/include/SDL_rwops.h)

## Syntax

```c
size_t SDL_RWread(SDL_RWops *context,
                  void *ptr, size_t size,
                  size_t maxnum);
```

## Function Parameters

|                          |             |                                                   |
| ------------------------ | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| [SDL_RWops](SDL_RWops) * | **context** | a pointer to an [SDL_RWops](SDL_RWops) structure. |
| void *                   | **ptr**     | a pointer to a buffer to read data into.          |
| size_t                   | **size**    | the size of each object to read, in bytes.        |
| size_t                   | **maxnum**  | the maximum number of objects to be read.         |

## Return Value

(size_t) Returns the number of objects read, or 0 at error or end of file;
call [SDL_GetError](SDL_GetError)() for more information.

## Remarks

This function reads up to `maxnum` objects each of size `size` from the
data source to the area pointed at by `ptr`. This function may read less
objects than requested. It will return zero when there has been an error or
the data stream is completely read.

[SDL_RWread](SDL_RWread)() is actually a function wrapper that calls the
[SDL_RWops](SDL_RWops)'s `read` method appropriately, to simplify
application development.

Prior to SDL 2.0.10, this function was a macro.

## Version

This function is available since SDL 2.0.10.

## See Also

- [SDL_RWclose](SDL_RWclose)
- [SDL_RWFromConstMem](SDL_RWFromConstMem)
- [SDL_RWFromFile](SDL_RWFromFile)
- [SDL_RWFromFP](SDL_RWFromFP)
- [SDL_RWFromMem](SDL_RWFromMem)
- [SDL_RWseek](SDL_RWseek)
- [SDL_RWwrite](SDL_RWwrite)

----
[CategoryAPI](CategoryAPI), [CategoryAPIFunction](CategoryAPIFunction), [CategoryRWOPS](CategoryRWOPS)