Windows-Format Metafiles

Windows-format metafiles are limited in their capabilities and should rarely be used — the Windows-format functions are supported to maintain backward compatibility with applications that were written to run as 16 bit Windows-based applications. Instead, you should use the enhanced-format functions.

A Windows-format metafile is used by 16-bit Windows-based applications. The format consists of a header and an array of metafile records.

The following are the limitations of this format.

• A Windows-format metafile is application and device dependent. Changes in the application's mapping modes or the device resolution affect the appearance of metafiles created in this format.
• A Windows-format metafile does not contain a comprehensive header that describes the original picture dimensions, the resolution of the device on which the picture was created, an optional text description, or an optional palette.
• A Windows-format metafile does not support the new curve, path, and transformation functions.
• Some Windows-format metafile records cannot be scaled.
• The metafile device context associated with a Windows-format metafile cannot be queried (that is, an application cannot retrieve device-resolution data, font metrics, and so on).

To convert a Windows-format metafile to an enhanced-format metafile, call the GetMetaFileBitsEx function to retrieve the data from the Windows-format metafile and then call the SetWinMetaFileBits function to convert this data into an enhanced-format metafile. To convert an enhanced-format record into a Windows-format record, call the GetWinMetaFileBits function.