By default, RC adds the compiled resources to the specified executable file. Sometimes you might want to first compile the resources and then add them to the executable file in separate steps. This can be useful because resource files typically change little after initial development. You can save time by compiling your application's resources separately and then adding the compiled .RES file to your executable file each time you recompile the .EXE file.
You can use the /r option to compile the resources separately without adding them to the executable file. When you use this option, RC compiles the .RC file and creates a compiled resource (.RES) file.
For example, the following command reads the resource-definition file SAMPLE.RC and creates the compiled resource file SAMPLE.RES:
rc -r sample.rcIn this case, RC does not add SAMPLE.RES to the executable file.