What is a Resource File?

A resource file may contain a collection of icons, menus, dialog boxes, strings tables, user-defined binary data and other types of items.

Once compiled into a suitable format, a resource file can be embedded directly into an executable or DLL file, producing a single EXE or DLL containing both code and resources. At run-time, the application can use the resource items in the embedded file. The process of creating a resource is straightforward, and is similar to compiling a PowerBASIC program.

While resource files are still supported, usage of the #RESOURCE metastatement simplifies adding resources to your program or DLL. With the #RESOURCE metastatement you can add resource data inline, right in your basic source code. There is no need to create a resource file, compile it, and then link it into your source. All this done automatically when you use the #RESOURCE metastatement.

The following sections describe the (manual) techniques involved in compiling resource scripts into a usable format, and describe the Resource Script.

See Also

Resource Editors

Resource Compiling

Resource Scripts

Converting a .RC to a .RES

#RESOURCE metastatement

RESOURCE$ function