nshader_reader.h

Deserialization of .nshader binary files to runtime objects.

Purpose

Loads pre-compiled shader packages at runtime. Parses the binary format, validates magic/version, and reconstructs nshader_t with all backends and metadata.

API

// Load from memory buffer
nshader_t* nshader_read_from_memory(const void* buffer, size_t size);

// Load from open file handle
nshader_t* nshader_read_from_file(FILE* file);

// Load from filesystem path
nshader_t* nshader_read_from_path(const char* filepath);

// Free shader and all associated memory
void nshader_destroy(nshader_t* shader);

All functions return NULL on failure (invalid format, missing file, allocation failure).

Memory Ownership

nshader_destroy() frees:

• The nshader_t structure
• All stage metadata (bindings, entry point strings)
• All compiled blobs for all backends

Do not hold pointers to nshader_info_t, nshader_blob_t, or binding arrays after calling nshader_destroy().

Example

// Runtime loading
nshader_t* shader = nshader_read_from_path("assets/shaders/sprite.nshader");
if (!shader) {
    // Handle error - file not found or corrupt
    return false;
}

const nshader_info_t* info = nshader_get_info(shader);
// Use shader...

nshader_destroy(shader);

Design Notes

• File format is little-endian, platform-independent
• Validates NSHADER_MAGIC and NSHADER_VERSION on load
• Memory is allocated via nshader_malloc; integrates with custom allocators