Resources in Windows applications appear as a variety of elements. These elements range from text-based menus, to dialog box displays combining graphic and text elements, to purely graphic elements that include bitmaps, cursors, and icons. Each individual application may use many or all of these elements. For example, an application might include multiple menus and dialog boxes, dozens of bitmaps, and assortments of cursors representing different operations or modes.
In theory, resource elements can be created as part of an application’s conventional executable code. Under DOS, this was essentially what was required. Windows, however, provides a different structural approach for executables. The approach used by Windows permits resources to be appended to an application’s executable without being embedded within the operational portion of the program.
This chapter provides an overview of the application resources offered by Windows 98. These topics are then discussed in detail in the following chapters. In Chapter 12, we’ll finish up by discussing two versions of an application that uses all the techniques covered in Part 2: the FileView1 and FileView2 demos.