MSDN Documentation > Windows > Graphics > GDI > Reference > GDI Functions > SelectObject

SelectObject Function (GDI)

The SelectObject function selects an object into the specified device context (DC). The object could be a bitmap, brush, font, palette, or region.

Syntax

HGDIOBJ SelectObject(
  HDC hdc,
  HGDIOBJ hgdiobj
);

Parameters

Parameter	Description
`hdc`	A handle to the device context.
`hgdiobj`	A handle to the object (bitmap, brush, font, palette, or region) to be selected into the DC.

Return Value

If the function succeeds, the return value is a handle to the object that was previously selected into the specified device context. If the object that was previously selected into the DC was a region, the return value is of type HRGN. If the function fails, the return value is NULL.

Remarks

When you no longer need the object, you should select it back into the DC by calling SelectObject with the handle returned by the initial call to SelectObject. Failure to do so can lead to GDI resource leaks.
You can select only one instance of a given type of object (bitmap, brush, font, palette, or region) into a DC at a time.
Calling SelectObject with a palette handle selects that palette into the device context. The calling application must use the RealizePalette function to realize the palette in the device context.
If the specified object is a bitmap, it must be a DDB (device-dependent bitmap).

Note

The handle returned by SelectObject can be HGDI_ERROR if the selection fails.

Important

Always delete GDI objects that you create when you no longer need them, using functions like DeleteObject or DeleteDC. Do not delete an object that is currently selected into a device context.

Example


// Assume hdc is a valid device context handle and hNewFont is a handle to a font

// Save the old font handle
HGDIOBJ hOldFont = SelectObject(hdc, hNewFont);

// ... Perform drawing operations with the new font ...

// Select the old font back into the DC
if (hOldFont != NULL && hOldFont != HGDI_ERROR) {
    SelectObject(hdc, hOldFont);
}

// Delete the new font (if you created it)
// DeleteObject(hNewFont);

Requirements

	Description
Minimum supported client	Windows 2000 Professional
Minimum supported server	Windows 2000 Server
Header	wingdi.h (include Windows.h)
Library	Gdi32.lib
DLL	Gdi32.dll