Using Resources

Resources are objects that are used within an application, but they are defined outside an application. They are added to the executable file when the application is linked. The Windows CE operating system (OS) resources include menus, keyboard accelerators, dialog boxes, carets, cursors, icons, bitmaps, string-table entries, message-table entries, timers, and user-defined data. The Windows CE–based platform that is targeted determines available resources.

Resource files have an .rc extension. Text-based resources, such as menus, can be created by using a text editor. Resources such as icons are generated by using a resource editor. Resources created by using a resource editor must be referenced in the .rc file associated with your application. Resource files contain a special resource language, or script, that must be compiled by a resource compiler. The resource compiler converts the .rc file into a resource (.res) file, and then it links the file to the application.

Regardless of how a resource is compiled, you must load resources into memory before you can use them. The FindResource function finds a resource in a module and returns a handle to the binary resource data. The LoadResource function uses the resource handle returned by FindResource to load the resource into memory. After you load a resource by using LoadResource, Windows CE automatically unloads and reloads the resource as memory conditions and application execution require. Thus, you need not explicitly unload a resource that you no longer need.

To find and load any type of resource in one call, use the FindResource and LoadResource functions; use these functions only if you must access the binary resource data for subsequent function calls. The following table shows the resource-specific functions you can use.

Before terminating, an application should release the memory that is occupied by accelerator tables, bitmaps, cursors, icons, and menus. The following table shows the functions an application can use to do this.