glBindTexture
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## Name

glBindTexture — bind a named texture to a texturing target

## C Specification

`void `glBindTexture`` | `(` | `GLenum `target`, GLuint `texture`);`

## Python Specification

``glBindTexture`` | `(` | ``target`, `texture`) → `None``

## Parameters

`target`
  Specifies the target to which the texture is bound. Must be either `GL_TEXTURE_1D`, `GL_TEXTURE_2D`, or `GL_TEXTURE_3D`.
`texture`
  Specifies the name of a texture.

## Description

`glBindTexture` lets you create or use a named texture. Calling `glBindTexture` with

`target` set to `GL_TEXTURE_1D`, `GL_TEXTURE_2D`, `GL_TEXTURE_3D` and `texture` set to the name of the newtexture binds the texture name to the target. When a texture is bound to a target, the previous binding for that target is automatically broken.

Texture names are unsigned integers. The value zero is reserved to represent the default texture for each texture target. Texture names and the corresponding texture contents are local to the shared display-list space (see glXCreateContext) of the current GL rendering context; two rendering contexts share texture names only if they also share display lists.

You may use `glGenTextures` to generate a set of new texture names.

When a texture is first bound, it assumes the dimensionality of its target: A texture first bound to `GL_TEXTURE_1D` becomes one-dimensional, and a texture first bound to `GL_TEXTURE_2D` becomes two-dimensional, and a texture first bound to `GL_TEXTURE_3D` becomes a three-dimensional texture. The state of a one-dimensional texture immediately after it is first bound is equivalent to the state of the default `GL_TEXTURE_1D` at GL initialization, and similarly for two-, and three-dimensional textures.

While a texture is bound, GL operations on the target to which it is bound affect the bound texture, and queries of the target to which it is bound return state from the bound texture. If texture mapping of the dimensionality of the target to which a texture is bound is active, the bound texture is used. In effect, the texture targets become aliases for the textures currently bound to them, and the texture name zero refers to the default textures that were bound to them at initialization.

A texture binding created with `glBindTexture` remains active until a different texture is bound to the same target, or until the bound texture is deleted with `glDeleteTextures`.

Once created, a named texture may be re-bound to the target of the matching dimensionality as often as needed. It is usually much faster to use `glBindTexture` to bind an existing named texture to one of the texture targets than it is to reload the texture image using `glTexImage1D`, `glTexImage2D`, or `glTexImage3D`. For additional control over performance, use `glPrioritizeTextures`.

`glBindTexture` is included in display lists.

## Notes

`glBindTexture` is available only if the GL version is 1.1 or greater.

## Errors

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if `target` is not one of the allowable values.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if `texture` has a dimensionality that doesn't match that of `target`.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if `glBindTexture` is executed between the execution of `glBegin` and the corresponding execution of `glEnd`.

## Associated Gets

`glGet` with argument `GL_TEXTURE_BINDING_1D`

`glGet` with argument `GL_TEXTURE_BINDING_2D`

`glGet` with argument `GL_TEXTURE_BINDING_3D`

## See Also

glAreTexturesResident, glDeleteTextures, glGenTextures, glGet, glGetTexParameter, glIsTexture, glPrioritizeTextures, glTexImage1D, glTexImage2D, glTexParameter

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