Thread: Stuck and looking for help

I am learning about GUIs and using a tutorial to create a menu bar on a window. While compiling I am receiving the error "error LNK1107: invalid or corrupt file: cannot read at 0x104" for my resource.rc file.

I included the code below for the file. Could you please help me determine what I am missing or doing wrong? I also have a resource.h and Window.cpp file if that code is needed as well.

Code:

#include "resource.h"


IDR_MENU MENU
BEGIN
	POPUP "&File"
		BEGIN
			MENUITEM "E&xit", ID_FILE_EXIT
		END
	POPUP "&Stuff"
		BEGIN
			MENUITEM "&Go", ID_STUFF_GO
			MENUITEM "G&o somewhere else", 0 , GRAYED
		END
END


IDI_ICON ICON "menu_one.ico"

Is - is this actually C++?

The only thing I recognize is the include statement lol.

Is this just like nothing but macros?

I believe this is the part that builds the items on the menu bar. I am actually a little confused as to why the tutorial mentions to define the items in a header file with numbers then create this resource file so it would help if someone could explain that too. Maybe it will help if I add the other two files.

resource.h file

Code:

#define IDR_MENU 101
#define IDI_ICON 201


#define ID_FILE_EXIT 9001
#define ID_STUFF_GO 9002

Window.cpp file

Code:

#include <Windows.h>
#include "resource.h"


const char window[] = "myWindow";


LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND winHandle, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam){
	switch (msg){
	case WM_LBUTTONDOWN:
		MessageBox(winHandle, "Surpise", "Secret Window", MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
		break;
	case WM_CLOSE:
		DestroyWindow(winHandle);
		break;
	case WM_DESTROY:
		PostQuitMessage(0);
		break;
	default:
		return DefWindowProc(winHandle, msg, wParam, lParam);
	}
	return 0;
}


int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow){
	WNDCLASSEX wnd;
	HWND winHandle;
	MSG Msg;


	wnd.cbSize = sizeof(WNDCLASSEX);
	wnd.style = 0;
	wnd.lpfnWndProc = WndProc;
	wnd.cbClsExtra = 0;
	wnd.cbWndExtra = 0;
	wnd.hInstance = hInstance;
	wnd.hIcon = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_SHIELD);
	wnd.hCursor = LoadCursor(NULL, IDC_HAND);
	//wnd.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH)(COLOR_WINDOW + 1);
	wnd.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH)(COLOR_BTNSHADOW + 1);
	wnd.lpszMenuName = NULL;
	wnd.lpszClassName = window;
	wnd.hIconSm = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_QUESTION);
	wnd.lpszMenuName = MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDR_MENU);
	wnd.hIcon = LoadIcon(GetModuleHandle(NULL), MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDI_ICON));
	wnd.hIconSm = (HICON)LoadImage(GetModuleHandle(NULL), MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDI_ICON), IMAGE_ICON, 16, 16, 0);


	if (!RegisterClassEx(&wnd)){
		MessageBox(NULL, "Window Registration Failed!", "Error!", MB_ICONEXCLAMATION | MB_OK);
		return 0;
	}


	winHandle = CreateWindowEx(
		WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE,
		window,
		"WindBag",
		WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW,
		CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT, 720, 360,
		NULL, NULL, hInstance, NULL
		);


	if (winHandle == NULL){
		MessageBox(NULL, "Window Creation Failed!", "Error!", MB_ICONEXCLAMATION | MB_OK);
		return 0;
	}


	ShowWindow(winHandle, nCmdShow);
	UpdateWindow(winHandle);


	while (GetMessage(&Msg, NULL, 0, 0) > 0){
		TranslateMessage(&Msg);
		DispatchMessage(&Msg);
	}
	return Msg.wParam;
}

You haven't told us how you're compiling.
You need to use rc to comile the .rc file into a .res file, which is then linked with the executable.

Alternatively, there could be a hidden bad character in the .rc file. You might try retyping it.

Thank you algorism. Your post helped me figure out what I needed to do. I was using Visual Studio 2013 and I thought it would compile the .rc file, just like it does with the header and cpp files. I did some research and located rc.exe and compiled the .rc file into a .res file in the command line. I ran the program again and it worked!

Command line compiling is great and its my favorite method but in most IDEs for Windows that I know of, if you include the *.rc file in the project with the other files, i.e., *.h, *.cpp files, the IDE will automagically compile and link the *.rc file into the exe for you.