ID Number: Q80281
3.00 3.10
WINDOWS
Summary:
SYMPTOMS
An application is unable to load some of its resources, while other
resources load properly.
CAUSE
Several small compiled resource (RES) files have been combined
using the MS-DOS command "COPY /b".
RESOLUTION
Use the #include directive to combine the files at the source
level.
More Information:
The Resource Compiler that was shipped with the Microsoft Windows
Software Development Kit (SDK) versions 2.x ca not handle large
resource files because of inherent memory limitations. To work around
these limitations, it is recommended that programmers compile the
resources into small RES files, and combine these files using the
MS-DOS COPY /b command.
The Resource Compiler shipped with version 3.x of the Windows SDK has
been enhanced to handle resource files much larger than its Windows
2.x counterpart. The format of the compiled resource files in Windows
3.x does not support concatenation of RES files.
If an application has a large number of resources, even the version
3.x Resource Compiler can run out of memory. If this occurs, modify
the design of the application to use a resource-only dynamic-link
library (DLL). The following three steps outline the required process
to perform this type of functionality:
1. Use the Resource Compiler to create a resource-only DLL that
contains some of the application's resources. See the note below
regarding resource-only DLLs under Windows 3.x.
2. In the application, load the resource library using the
LoadLibrary function.
3. Use the LoadBitmap, LoadMenu, and so forth, functions to load
resources from the DLL as required.
Under Windows 3.x, resource-only DLLs require a Windows exit procedure
(WEP). The WEP must be exported in the DEF file and the export must
have the RESIDENTNAME attribute. Place the code for the WEP into a
FIXED code segment. The source code for a WEP follows:
int far pascal WEP(int NotUsed)
{
return 1;
}
The "far" and "pascal" declarators are in lowercase to avoid having to
include the WINDOWS.H header file.
Additional reference words: 3.00 3.10 3.x SR# G911121-147 dialog icon
menu bitmap cursor font rcdata stringtable