How to use MSDN Macros

[Gary Beene]

Macros are listed in many of the MSDN topics, but I'm unable to find how I might access the MSDN-listed macros in PB. I can't even find the MSDN section that defines macros, much less gives the source code that makes up the macros.

I managed to find one comment that the MSDN macros are similar to PB macros - at-compile substitutions.

But I'm unable to find the source code listings for MSDN macros.

Does anyone have experience with MSDN macros, and is there a way to (easily?) port them into PB?

[José Roca]

You don't "access" C macros. They are inline code. You need to translate them to equivalent PB code, e.g.:

#define Static_SetIcon(hwndCtl, hIcon)          ((HICON)(UINT_PTR)SNDMSG((hwndCtl), STM_SETICON, (WPARAM)(HICON)(hIcon), 0L))

Can be translated as:

MACRO Static_SetIcon(hwndCtl, hIcon) = SendMessage hwndCtl, %STM_SETICON, hIcon, 0

or as:

SUB Static_SetIcon (BYVAL hwndCtl AS DWORD, BYVAL hIcon AS DWORD)
   SendMessage hwndCtl, %STM_SETICON, hIcon, 0
END SUB

But I'm unable to find the source code listings for MSDN macros.

They are scattered through the Windows SDK C headers.

[Gary Beene]

Jose,

The "scattering" seems to be the fact of life when it comes to information on Windows programming.

This tongue-twister comes to mind:
The good thing about this learning (PB/SDK programming) exercise is that the more I know, the more I know where the things are that I want to know. At the same time, I'm getting better at knowing the difference between what there is to know and what I need to know. You know?

Thanks for the help!

[jcfuller]

Then the more you know, you discover several ways to do the same thing and there in comes the rub. Which method to choose!

James

[Michael Mattias]

FWIW, a lot of those macros you see in "C" language interpretations/implementations of the Windows API are there to take advantage of/comply with the "inline data variable casting" feature/requirement of C.

PB does not have inline casting (except for maybe the enhanced PEEK and POKE), so there is no need for macros to do that.