Resource (Windows)

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In Microsoft Windows, resources are read-only data embedded in EXE or DLL files.

The Windows API provides for easy access to all applications' resources.

[edit] Types

Each resource has a type and a name, both being either numeric identifiers or strings.

Windows has a set of predefined resource types:

Cursor and animated cursor
Icon
Bitmap
Dialog box template
Font
HTML document
String and message template
Version data

The programmer can also define custom data types in resources.

[edit] Usage

The icon that Windows displays for a program file is actually the first icon resource in its EXE file. If the EXE file has no icon resources, a standard icon is displayed.

The version resource for EXE and DLL files is displayed in the Version tab of their property pages.

Resources always have a language attached to them and Windows will automatically use the most fitting language if possible. This allows for programs adapting their language to the locale of the user.

Editors are available that can modify resources embedded in EXE or DLL files. These are typically used to translate all strings of an application to another language, or to modify its icons and bitmaps accordingly.

[edit] Resource Software

Name	License	Price	x64 Support	Vista MUI Aware	RES/RC Support	Resource Update	In-place editing
Anolis Resourcer	GPL	Free	Yes	Yes	RES only	Yes	No
DeDe	Freeware	Free	No	No	No	No	No
GoRC	Freeware	Free	Yes	N/A	Compiler	N/A	N/A
MultiExtractor	Shareware	$20 to $70	No	No	No	No	No
Visual Studio	Proprietary software	$249 to $10,717.99	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
ResEdit	Freeware	Free	No		Yes	Yes	Yes
Resource Builder	Shareware	$59USD	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
Resource Hacker	Freeware	Free	No	No	RES only	Yes	No
Resource Tuner	Shareware	$39.99 to $79.99	No		Yes	Yes	No
Resource Tuner Console	Shareware	$199.99USD	Yes			Yes	N/A
Restorator	Shareware	$80USD	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
XN Resource Editor	Shared Source	Free	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes