FindResourceEx

The FindResourceEx function determines the location of the resource with the specified type, name, and language in the specified module.

HRSRC FindResourceEx(
  HMODULE hModule, // resource-module handle
  LPCTSTR lpType,  // pointer to resource type
  LPCTSTR lpName,  // pointer to resource name
  WORD wLanguage   // resource language
);
 

Parameters

hModule

Handle to the module whose executable file contains the resource. If this parameter is NULL, the function searches the module used to create the current process.

lpType

Pointer to a null-terminated string specifying the type name of the resource. For more information, see the Remarks section. For standard resource types, this parameter can be one of the following values:

Value	Meaning
RT_ACCELERATOR	Accelerator table
RT_ANICURSOR	Animated cursor
RT_ANIICON	Animated icon
RT_BITMAP	Bitmap resource
RT_CURSOR	Hardware-dependent cursor resource
RT_DIALOG	Dialog box
RT_FONT	Font resource
RT_FONTDIR	Font directory resource
RT_GROUP_CURSOR	Hardware-independent cursor resource
RT_GROUP_ICON	Hardware-independent icon resource
RT_HTML	HTML document
RT_ICON	Hardware-dependent icon resource
RT_MENU	Menu resource
RT_MESSAGETABLE	Message-table entry
RT_RCDATA	Application-defined resource (raw data)
RT_STRING	String-table entry
RT_VERSION	Version resource

lpName

Pointer to a null-terminated string specifying the name of the resource. For more information, see the Remarks section.

wLanguage

Specifies the language of the resource. If this parameter is MAKELANGID(LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_NEUTRAL), the current language associated with the calling thread is used.

To specify a language other than the current language, use the MAKELANGID macro to create this parameter. For more information, see MAKELANGID.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is a handle to the specified resource's info block. To obtain a handle to the resource, pass this handle to the LoadResource function.

If the function fails, the return value is NULL. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

If the high-word of the lpType or lpName parameter is zero, the low-word specifies the integer identifier of the type or name of the given resource. Otherwise, those parameters are pointers to null-terminated strings. If the first character of the string is a pound sign (#), the remaining characters represent a decimal number that specifies the integer identifier of the resource's name or type. For example, the string "#258" represents the integer identifier 258.

Applications should reduce the amount of memory required for the resources by referring to them by integer identifier instead of by name.

When you are finished using an accelerator table, bitmap, cursor, icon, or menu, you can release its associated memory by calling one of the functions in the following table.

The system automatically deletes these resources when the process that created them terminates, however, calling the appropriate function saves memory and decreases the size of the process's working set.

An application can use FindResourceEx to find any type of resource, but this function should be used only if the application must access the binary resource data when making subsequent calls to the LoadLibrary and LockResource functions.

To use a resource immediately, an application should use the following resource-specific functions to find and load the resources in one call:

For example, an application can use the LoadIcon function to load an icon for display on the screen. However, the application should use FindResourceEx and LoadResource if it is loading the icon to copy its data to another application.

String resources are stored in sections of up to 16 strings per section. The strings in each section are stored as a sequence of counted (not null-terminated) Unicode strings. The LoadString function will extract the string resource from its corresponding section.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 3.1 or later.
  Windows: Requires Windows 95 or later.
  Windows CE: Unsupported.
  Header: Declared in winbase.h.
  Import Library: Use kernel32.lib.
  Unicode: Implemented as Unicode and ANSI versions on Windows and Windows NT.

See Also

Resources Overview, Resource Functions, FormatMessage, LoadAccelerators, LoadBitmap, LoadCursor, LoadIcon, LoadMenu, LoadString, LoadResource, MAKELANGID