Best resource editor

[frose]

Hi,

what is the best resource editor?

Here is a list of all alternatives I've found:

Borland Workshop
ResEdit: (free) - http://www.resedit.net/
PellesC (free) - http://www.smorgasbordet.com/pellesc/
VSX (Microsoft) free - http://forums.fivetechsoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=9572
Resource Builder ( SiComponents ) (45 €) - http://www.sicomponents.com/
Visual FiveWin

Perhaps Visual FiveWin is the best choice, but it is still in beta stage?

[ukoenig]

Hello Frank,

I tested all solutions,
Some month ago, I changed to Resource-builder ( also I have been a beta-tester for version 3.0 ).
The new version offers futures, You don't find in the other products like 24 Bit image import and more.
You can download resource builder ( 30 days trial ), to find out by yourself.
ResEd is ok, but the RC-file seems not to be compatible with borland workshop.
After saving, the source changes and it is not easy, to get it working again with workshop.

Regards
Uwe

[frose]

Hello Uwe,

thank you for your recommendation.

I've downloaded RB and tried the sample testxbr3.prg/rc.

The first impression is good, but what happens if you want to generate more dynamically code, e. g.:
- store the initial windows size <nHeight> and <nWidth> in an ini file, or
- enable/disable controls in a dialog, depending of a user role, or
- localize your app for more than one language, or
- generate data driven menus, browses and dialogs, or ...

To be honest, I never worked with resource files before and I'm a new unexperienced FWH user, so maybe I don't understand the concept of rc files?

[hua]

Hi Frank,
What you're wanting to do is manipulate controls during runtime and you can do that via code irregardless whether they were created via source code or using resources. Of course if you use a resource editor you'll save a lot of time because you can visually confirm the layout of dialogs are as what you have in mind. Those controls can still be changed during runtime.

For example to disable and enable controls you can use oCtrl:disable()/oCtrl:enable().

To hide them, oCtrl:hide(), oCtrl:show(). To resize them, oCtrl:move() and so on.

I recommend you to start by reading Fivewin's Programmers Guide which is normally in \fwh\manual\fwprog.hlp and James's excellect article An Introduction to Fivewin.

Later dive into \fwh\samples for examples on how to do things.

HTH

[Antonio Linares]

Frank,

I send you by email a FiveWin german manual.

Though it is for FiveWin for Clipper, it covers lots of areas -including resources- that will help you to learn and understand FiveWin

[frose]

Antonio,

got it!

Many thanks

[frose]

hua,

thanks for this explanation, thinking that I understand the lession: design controls (objects like menus, toolbars, browse, dialogs, ...) with initially values by using a resource editor, later you can manipulate these objects (the initially values) as you (the developer) like.

I have already read Jame's articles:
- Introduction to FiveWin
- Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming Using FiveWin: Part I
- Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming Using FiveWin: Part II
so the principle of OOP is clear, but I missed the correlation to the resource editor.

Many thanks to James, he has done an excellent work.

But what about IDE's like VFW or VxH? Are these apps replacement products for resource editors perhaps with additionally features, or what?

[Antonio Linares]

Frank,

Resources management is a standard Windows feature: you can store your GUI dialogs and GDI objects (bitmaps, cursors, icons, etc.) inside RC files (ascii files) and those resources get embedded inside your EXE (or DLL) and you can instantiate those objects from your application at runtime, and once instantiated, you can modify them, etc.

From Visual Basic on, Microsoft and other companies started to use non standard ways of storing resources, thus breaking the overall compatibility that the original RC files provided. There was a standard model for all applications. Now this no longer applies.

With FiveWin we decided, since early versions, to keep using the standard Windows resources, as that lets us use lots of different resources editors, tools, etc. that are based on the original and standard Windows resources.

In example: you can not use a Visual Basic form from a C++ application, neither from other development environments. But you can use a standard RC file with C++, FiveWin, etc. Its a standard

[frose]

Antonio,

so do you recommend to stay with this standard?

And what about IDE's like VFW or VxH and this standard?

[frose]

Antonio,

found this: http://forums.fivetechsupport.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14950&p=77247&hilit=resource#p77244

So its quite clear now!

Thanks for the assistance

[Antonio Linares]

Frank,

> so do you recommend to stay with this standard?

yes, of course. It will give you the freedom to also use other development platforms and tools that are based on standard resources.

> And what about IDE's like VFW or VxH and this standard?

They don't use standard resources files. So each tool is uncompatible with the others. We prefer to use open standards