Resource file question

[BOB MECHLER]

I have a standard Resource file for all the programs in our package. I now have a bitmap for a custom program for one customer only that I don't want to store on disk but also don't want to put in the package wide resource file. If I start with the generic resource file, I'm sure I can add this bitmap but then I'll have to keep track of it forever as a stepchild of the generic one.

Question. Is it possible to have a second resource file in a PB program. If not, what other way besides binbas is there to store it protected in the exe and call it out as necessary as you would a bitmap from a resource file.

Thanks,

Bob Mechler

[BOB MECHLER]

I see in the doc where you must limit to one PBR per module but that a second resource file can be in a dll. Does this allow it to be called the same was as if it was in the original exe?

Bob Mechler

[Michael Mattias]

Depends on HOW you are loading the bitmap resource.

Using DDT syntax (GRAPHIC BITMAP LOAD), no you can't load from a module resource other than current module.

Using WinAPI syntax (LoadImage()), you can load from any module to which you have obtained a handle.

Of course, were you to store that BMP file in a resource as a "raw" resource....

100  CUSTOMER   "customer_bmp_file.bmp"

Then, if you found that DLL file in a designated folder, and that DLL contains the desired resource, you could extract that data, save it to a *.BMP" file and then use GRAPHIC BITMAP LOAD "filename" in your program.

MCM

[BOB MECHLER]

A standard resource file bitmap that appears on certain screens I'm loading this way from the package wide resource file

%WM_INITDIALOG
...
            hBmp = LoadImage(GetModuleHandle(""), "#1028", %IMAGE_BITMAP, x, y, %LR_DEFAULTCOLOR)
...
%WM_ERASEBKGND
          ' Select the bitmap into a memory DC and transfer it to the dialog
          hBmpDC = CreateCompatibleDC(CBWPARAM)
          SelectObject hBmpDC, hBmp
          BitBlt CBWPARAM, 0, 0, x, y, hBmpDC, 0, 0, %SRCCOPY
          DeleteDC hBmpDC

I'm guessing the GetModuleHandle("") part would need to be replaced by the handle to the DLL, am I correct? That is to get a bitmap from a custom dll.

Bob Mechler

[Michael Mattias]

See your WinAPI doc for the 'hInstance' parameter of LoadImage() for the answer.

[BOB MECHLER]

Ok, I've got success using a second resource file in a DLL. I basically just grabbed the module handle of the DLL by returning it from a function in the DLL and then used it to load the image into the object reference in the exe. As a test I used SRCCOPY and bitblt to make it the dialog background.

Now since I'm using ddoc as the print engine I want to temp save it to disk as a bitmap, use it and delete it when the program finishes placing the bitmap on the printed output. Ddoc's command to Add a Graphic takes a file. I know it's a round-about way but I don't want to leave the bmp as a file for security purposes.

How do a I do a Load Image and then use the object reference to write the bitmap to a disk file so Ddoc can load and then immediately delete it.

I know it sounds crazy but the bmp is a signature.

Bob Mechler

[Michael Mattias]

basically just grabbed the module handle of the DLL by returning it from a function in the DLL

Don't look for GetModuleHandle() in your doc, it will depress you to know you didn't need to EXPORT a function with that handle.

I also have done a lot of stuff with ddoc images. Since I never could master saving a BITMAP resource to disk as a BMP file, I used the technique I described above: saving the entire BMP file as a user-defined resource, extracting to a temp file, and doing all image loads from that temp disk file.

Extraction is easy.. see the ResourceAsString function in the demo at User-Defined Resource Demo January 26 2003

[BOB MECHLER]

Here is my .rc
chksig BITMAP SPNGSIG.BMP

I can't tell from your example what goes where. I don't know didly squat how to use your example because I barely know how to set up a resource file like you did. My failing.

I'm assuming the w$ can be saved as a binary file with a *.bmp extention and work.

Thanks,

Bob Mechler

[Michael Mattias]

>I'm assuming the w$ can be saved as a binary file with a *.bmp extention and work.

NOt when it's a BITMAP resource.

You'd need to use an RCDATA or USER-DEFINED resource

// filename.rc
chksig   MYBITMAP Spngsig.BMP

Get and load and use...

  W$ = ResourceAsSTRING ( filename, type, name) [ or whatever those options are] 
  hFile = FREEFILE 
  OPEN "tempfile.bmp" for BINARY AS hFile
  PUT$ hFile, W$
  CLOSE hFile 

   hBmp = LoadImage ( "tempfile.bmp"  [other options]) 
   yadda yadda yadda
  ...
   KILL "tempfile.bmp"    ' be nice by cleaning up.

MCM

[BOB MECHLER]

The bitmap saved is 12 bytes shorter in length than the one used to create the resource and if I click it, it says no preview available. Reading other posts, it might need some header information.

BITMAPFILEHEADER and BITMAPINFOHEADER is what I'm seeing. I'll fill in that information and pre-pend it to the raw bitmap stuff and see if I get a valid bitmap.

Thanks,

Bob Mechler

[BOB MECHLER]

Using PB 8 it became a simple matter, but I need some feedback on whether I'm doing everything I need to.

#COMPILE EXE
#DIM ALL
#RESOURCE "SPNGSIG.PBR"
FUNCTION PBMAIN () AS LONG
  DIM nFile&,nWidth&,nHeight&,hBmp???,x&,y&,hWin???
  nFile& = FREEFILE
  OPEN "SPNGSIG.BMP" FOR BINARY AS nFile& 'This information can be hardcoded for the custom program
    GET #nFile&, 19, nWidth&
   GET #nFile&, 23, nHeight&
  CLOSE nFile&
  GRAPHIC WINDOW "sig", 0,0,0,0 TO hWin??? 'so it won't show
  GRAPHIC BITMAP LOAD "chksig", nWidth&, nHeight& TO hBmp??? 'chksig is the resource identifier
  ' I found I could also just divide the width and height parameters by 2 or 3 to get a smaller version or change them to whatever I need that's reasonable.
  GRAPHIC ATTACH hBmp???,hWin???
  GRAPHIC SAVE "oSPNGSIG.BMP"
  GRAPHIC BITMAP END
END FUNCTION

It produces an identical bitmap file when saved. Once it's attached to the ddoc document, I then immediately delete it.

Bob Mechler