Quick question about winAPI resource files & icons

Tutorial: Using Resources

The above tutorial has some very nice explanations and I feel pretty good with the content it taught me; however, one thing I'm not too clear on is:

1) What are these integers representing? E.g:

Code:

---

#define IDI_ICON 101

---

What does the int 101 stand for?

2) What actually goes within a resource file? Like in the tutorial, it's example was: resource.h - however, it never actually seemed to talk about that file itself and what actually gets put in it.

Thanks,
Justin

"...What does the int 101 stand for?..."

Resources are represented by integers, and you define an integer with an easily readable value

Code:

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//resource file *rc
MY_APPLICATION_ICON ICON "my_application_icon.ico"

//definitions file
#define MY_APPLICATION_ICON 101

//whatever where you need in application code
LoadIcon(hInstance, MAKEINTRESOURCE(MY_APPLICATION_ICON));

---

Is easier and more understandable to use MY_APPLICATION_ICON as reference to my application icon that a 101 value. That value is arbitrary (it can be 4567 as well if you want), just do not repeat it by identifing resources.

The trick I do is (i.ex.): knowing that I usually won't load more that 100 objects of each resource type (BITMAP, ICON, etc..), just use the range from 100-199 for icons, 200-299 to bitmaps, and so on.

Hope that helps
Niara

"...What actually goes within a resource file?..."

Well, on the resource files goes the resources :)

Heres a sample from both files:

Code:

---

//definitions.h
#define ARBITRARY_IMAGE_ID 100
#define QUIT_MENU_BUTTON 200

---

Code:

---

//resource.rc
#include <windows.h>
#include "definitions.h"

ARBITRARY_IMAGE_ID BITMAP "image.bmp"

//can mix with menu templates
menu MENU
BEGIN
    POPUP "&File"
    BEGIN
        MENUITEM "&Quit", QUIT_MENU_BUTTON
    END
END

---

Niara

Thanks! I really appreciate the replies, and definitely understand it a bit more. Thanks. :)