Teach Yourself Borland C++ in 14 Days - portal

342 Day 9
■ Dialog boxes
■ Icons
■ Menus
■ Data tables
■ String tables
■ Version information
■ User-defined specialty resources (sound files and AVI files, for example)
Resources are generally contained in a resource script file (a text file with an .rc extension),
which is compiled by a resource compiler and then bound to the application’s .exe file during
the link phase.
Resources are usually thought of as being bound to the executable file. Some resources, such
as bitmaps, string tables, and wave files, can be placed in external files (.bmp, .txt, and .wav),
or they can be bound to the .exe and contained within the application file. You can opt to
do it either way. Placing resources in the .exe file has two main advantages:
■ The resources can be accessed more quickly because it takes less time to locate a
resource in the executable file than it does to load it from a disk file.
■ The program file and resources can be contained in a single unit (the .exe file)
without the need for a lot of supporting files.
The downside to this approach is that your .exe will be slightly larger. The program file won’t
be any larger than the combined external resource files plus the executable, but the extra size
could result in slightly longer load times for the program.
Your exact needs will determine whether you decide to keep your resources in external files
or have your resources bound to the .exe. The important thing to remember is that you can
do it either way (or even both ways in the same program).
A traditional Windows program will almost always contain at least one dialog box and an
icon. A C++Builder application, however, is a little different. First, there are no true dialog
boxes in a C++Builder application, so there are no dialog box resources per se
(C++Builder forms are stored as resources, but they are RCDATA resources and not dialog box
resources). A C++Builder application does have a traditional icon resource, though. C++Builder
takes care of creating the resource file for the icon for you when you create the application.
Similarly, when you choose bitmaps for speed buttons, Image components, or BitBtn
components, C++Builder includes the bitmap file you chose as part of the form’s resource.
The form and all its resources are then bound to the program file when the application is built.
It’s all more or less handled for you automatically.
There are times, however, when you will want to implement resources aside from the normal
C++Builder processes. For instance, if you want to do animation, you will have to have a series