---
title: "showText(string:length:)"
framework: coregraphics
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "coregraphics/cgcontext/showtext(string:length:)"
---

# showText(string:length:)

Displays a character array at the current text position, a point specified by the current text matrix.

## Declaration

```swift
func showText(string: UnsafePointer<CChar>, length: Int)
```

## Parameters

- `string`: An array of characters to draw.
- `length`: The length of the array specified in the bytes parameter.

## Discussion

Discussion Core Graphics uses font data provided by the system to map each byte of the array through the encoding vector of the current font to obtain the glyph to display. Note that the font must have been set using selectFont(name:size:textEncoding:). Don’t use CGContextShowText in conjunction with setFont(_:).

## See Also

### Related Documentation

- [showGlyphsAtPoint(x:y:glyphs:count:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/showglyphsatpoint(x:y:glyphs:count:).md)
- [showGlyphs(g:count:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/showglyphs(g:count:).md)
- [showGlyphsWithAdvances(glyphs:advances:count:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/showglyphswithadvances(glyphs:advances:count:).md)

### Drawing Text

- [textMatrix](coregraphics/cgcontext/textmatrix.md)
- [textPosition](coregraphics/cgcontext/textposition.md)
- [selectFont(name:size:textEncoding:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/selectfont(name:size:textencoding:).md)
- [setCharacterSpacing(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setcharacterspacing(_:).md)
- [setFont(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setfont(_:).md)
- [setFontSize(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setfontsize(_:).md)
- [setTextDrawingMode(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/settextdrawingmode(_:).md)
- [setAllowsFontSmoothing(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setallowsfontsmoothing(_:).md)
- [setAllowsFontSubpixelPositioning(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setallowsfontsubpixelpositioning(_:).md)
- [setAllowsFontSubpixelQuantization(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setallowsfontsubpixelquantization(_:).md)
- [setShouldSmoothFonts(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setshouldsmoothfonts(_:).md)
- [setShouldSubpixelPositionFonts(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setshouldsubpixelpositionfonts(_:).md)
- [setShouldSubpixelQuantizeFonts(_:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/setshouldsubpixelquantizefonts(_:).md)
- [showGlyphs(g:count:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/showglyphs(g:count:).md)
- [showGlyphs(_:at:)](coregraphics/cgcontext/showglyphs(_:at:).md)