# clearCanvas

[Built-ins](README.md)

Canonical ID: `graphics.clear`. Nederlands: `wisScherm`.

Starts a fresh immediate 2D scene frame with the chosen background and discards retained sprites. It hides a displayed 3D frame without deleting the canonical 3D world; draw3D can show that world again. A separately retained image background may remain on hosts implementing image media. Call this before the shapes of a new 2D animation frame.

## Signature

```text
clearCanvas(color)
```

## Arguments

| Parameter | Type | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| `color` | Text | Nonempty; use portable English/Dutch names or #RGB/#RRGGBB. |

## Return value

`None`.

## Example

```pliro
# language: en
clearCanvas("wit")
circle(320, 180, 40, "blue")
```

A blue circle on white. Color data accepts both languages in either syntax locale.

## Notes and common mistakes

Use the function name for your source language. Its [canonical ID](../concepts/canonical-identity.md) is a shared documentation label; you do not type that ID as a call. Giving your own variable or function the same name can hide the built-in. Supply the documented [arguments](../concepts/parameters-and-arguments.md) and value types. Pliro reports mismatches when checking can detect them, or when the call runs.

A **host** is the app or environment running your program. To see a drawing, it needs a **renderer**, the part that draws on screen. The [command-line](../concepts/command-line.md) command `pliro run` shows text but does not draw these graphics. The [host support table](../guides/hosts.md) explains which effects work in the IDE, browser, native app, and phone preview. A native build reports an unsupported capability instead of leaving it out.

2D uses a 640 × 360 scene with a top-left origin, +X right and +Y down. Both English and Dutch portable color names work in either syntax locale, as do #RGB and #RRGGBB. Other nonempty 2D color text is host-dependent.

## Related entries

[rectangle](rectangle.md) · [circle](circle.md) · [drawLine](drawLine.md) · [drawText](drawText.md) · [Programming guides](../guides/graphics.md) · [Host support](../guides/hosts.md) · [Calls and arguments](../syntax/calls.md)