SAMPLE: Using DLLs to Share Menus and Other Resources

 Last reviewed: February 15, 1996
Article ID: Q11352
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows versions 3.1 and 3.0

SUMMARY

It is possible to create a dynamic-link library (DLL) of shared resources for use in multiple applications. An example of this can be found in the Microsoft Software Library.

Download ICONLIB.EXE, a self-extracting file, from the Microsoft Software Library (MSL) on the following services:

  • Microsoft Download Service (MSDL) 

          Dial (206) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
      Download ICONLIB.EXE (size: 23361 bytes)
  • Internet (anonymous FTP) 

          ftp ftp.microsoft.com
      Change to the \SOFTLIB\MSLFILES directory
      Get ICONLIB.EXE (size: 23361 bytes)

MORE INFORMATION

Resources may be loaded from Windows DLLs as well as from Windows applications. The module handle returned by the GetModuleHandle() function may be used as an "instance handle" for finding, loading, and locking resources.

The technique illustrated in this example is the use of a DLL as the repository of all shared icons, menus, dialog boxes, and so on.

Some resources are machine dependent and must be transformed before being passed to an application. Normally, an application gets a default procedure during task startup, which transforms any machine-dependent resources. Libraries are not tasks and thus do not get a default procedure. The application must install a transformation procedure for a library if it wants to access machine-dependent resources in the DLL.

Additional reference words: 3.00 3.10 softlib ICONLIB
KBCategory: kbprg kbfile
KBSubcategory: KrDll

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Last reviewed: February 15, 1996
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