Display lists are groups of GL commands that have been stored for subsequent execution. Display lists are created with
glNewList. All subsequent commands are placed in the display list, in the order issued, until glEndList is called.glNewList has two arguments. The first argument, list, is a positive integer that becomes the unique name for the display list. Names can be created and reserved with glGenLists and tested for uniqueness with glIsList. The second argument, mode, is a symbolic constant that can assume one of two values:
GL_COMPILE
Commands are merely compiled.
GL_COMPILE_AND_EXECUTE
Commands are executed as they are compiled into the display list.
Certain commands are not compiled into the display list but are executed immediately, regardless of the display-list mode. These commands are glAreTexturesResident, glColorPointer, glDeleteLists, glDeleteTextures, glDisableClientState, glEdgeFlagPointer, glEnableClientState, glFeedbackBuffer, glFinish, glFlush, glGenLists, glGenTextures, glIndexPointer, glInterleavedArrays, glIsEnabled, glIsList, glIsTexture, glNormalPointer, glPopClientAttrib, glPixelStore, glPushClientAttrib, glReadPixels, glRenderMode, glSelectBuffer, glTexCoordPointer, glVertexPointer, and all of the glGet commands.
Similarly, glTexImage1D, glTexImage2D, and glTexImage3D are executed immediately and not compiled into the display list when their first argument is GL_PROXY_TEXTURE_1D, GL_PROXY_TEXTURE_1D, or GL_PROXY_TEXTURE_3D, respectively.
When the GL_ARB_imaging extension is supported, glHistogram executes immediately when its argument is GL_PROXY_HISTOGRAM. Similarly, glColorTable executes immediately when its first argument is glPROXY_COLOR_TABLE, glPROXY_POST_CONVOLUTION_COLOR_TABLE, or glPROXY_POST_COLOR_MATRIX_COLOR_TABLE.
When the GL_ARB_multitexture extension is supported, glClientActiveTextureARB is not compiled into display lists, but executed immediately.
When glEndList is encountered, the display-list definition is completed by associating the list with the unique name list (specified in the glNewList command). If a display list with name list already exists, it is replaced only when glEndList is called.