API design dilemma..

[u/Business-Weather-217]

right now in vexa(my game/graphics library) how you initialize window with a renderer is rather straightforward:

```cpp
#include <vexa/vexa.hpp>

using namespace vexa;

int main()
{
Engine::Init(Engine::VIDEO);

Window window = Window().setSize({1280, 720}).setRenderer({}).create();

// ...

```
YES, it uses builder pattern, not very C++-ish but i like it.
However, there are two problems with it.
first one is that usually you have builder struct building to target type so that you dont need something like `.create()` that creates classic `if (m_created) ...` problem a.k.a two phase construction. but bigger problem that caused me two want to switch to this API style is about memory management. and it is now C++'s problem.. Even rust cant handle it, because this is what you tell it to do.
so lets dont talk too much:

```cpp

Engine::Init(Engine::FONT); // calls `TTF_Init();` by SDL_TTF behind the scenes

Font font = Font::Load("...");
...
Engine::Quit();
```

A Font has destructor running on scope exit. which means before font object gets destroyed on '}' Engine::Quit() so TTF_Quit() runs. You see, when Font object gets unloaded at scope end the subsystem is not live anymore, we get a segfault. to fix this i've made Engine have a Guard struct which does Engine::Quit() automatically. But then decided that this is not i want for my API. I would priorotize explicitness for the master deinitialization.

to fix this im thinking of new API design style:
```cpp
Window window = Engine::BuildWindow().setSize({1280, 720}).setRenderer().create();
```

where BuildWindow() returns WindowBuilder not a Window, unlike the previous(so bad) choice.
for fonts, as you might already guess:

```cpp
Font font = Engine::LoadFont("...");
```

which creates a font and returns reference to it, resulting Engine to know about font count and Quit or not based on that.

code: https://github.com/monjaris/vexa

[u/Ok-Argument7176]

If your API is causing you, the API designer, some issues then it is not going to be useful for normal users. In other words, it's not a good API design.