====== (This is the documentation for SDL3, which is under heavy development and the API is changing! [https://wiki.libsdl.org/SDL2/ SDL2] is the current stable version!) ======
= SDL_Vulkan_LoadLibrary =

Dynamically load the Vulkan loader library.

== Syntax ==

<syntaxhighlight lang='c'>
int SDL_Vulkan_LoadLibrary(const char *path);
</syntaxhighlight>

== Function Parameters ==

{|
|'''path'''
|The platform dependent Vulkan loader library name or NULL
|}

== Return Value ==

Returns 0 on success or -1 if the library couldn't be loaded; call
[[SDL_GetError]]() for more information.

== Remarks ==

This should be called after initializing the video driver, but before
creating any Vulkan windows. If no Vulkan loader library is loaded, the
default library will be loaded upon creation of the first Vulkan window.

It is fairly common for Vulkan applications to link with libvulkan instead
of explicitly loading it at run time. This will work with SDL provided the
application links to a dynamic library and both it and SDL use the same
search path.

If you specify a non-NULL <code>path</code>, an application should retrieve
all of the Vulkan functions it uses from the dynamic library using
[[SDL_Vulkan_GetVkGetInstanceProcAddr]] unless you can guarantee
<code>path</code> points to the same vulkan loader library the application
linked to.

On Apple devices, if <code>path</code> is NULL, SDL will attempt to find
the <code>vkGetInstanceProcAddr</code> address within all the Mach-O images
of the current process. This is because it is fairly common for Vulkan
applications to link with libvulkan (and historically MoltenVK was provided
as a static library). If it is not found, on macOS, SDL will attempt to
load <code>vulkan.framework/vulkan</code>, <code>libvulkan.1.dylib</code>,
<code>MoltenVK.framework/MoltenVK</code>, and
<code>libMoltenVK.dylib</code>, in that order. On iOS, SDL will attempt to
load <code>libMoltenVK.dylib</code>. Applications using a dynamic framework
or .dylib must ensure it is included in its application bundle.

On non-Apple devices, application linking with a static libvulkan is not
supported. Either do not link to the Vulkan loader or link to a dynamic
library version.

== Version ==

This function is available since SDL 3.0.0.

== Related Functions ==

:[[SDL_Vulkan_GetVkInstanceProcAddr]]
:[[SDL_Vulkan_UnloadLibrary]]

----
[[CategoryAPI]], [[CategoryVulkan]]