FindResource

The FindResource function determines the location of a resource with the specified type and name in the specified module.

HRSRC FindResource(
  HMODULE hModule, // module handle
  LPCTSTR lpName,  // pointer to resource name
  LPCTSTR lpType   // pointer to resource type
);
 

Parameters

hModule

Handle to the module whose executable file contains the resource.

A value of NULL specifies the module handle associated with the image file that the operating system used to create the current process.

lpName

Specifies the name of the resource. For more information, see the Remarks section.

lpType

Specifies the resource type. 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

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-order word of the lpName or lpType parameter is zero, the low-order word specifies the integer identifier of the name or type of the given resource. Otherwise, those parameters are long 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.

An application 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 FindResource 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 LoadLibrary and LockResource.

To use a resource immediately, an application should use one of 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 FindResource 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.

Windows CE: The hModule parameter cannot be a NULL handle.

The lpName parameter does not support the resource ID zero — that is, FindResource(h, 0 ,t) will not work as expected.

You cannot pass the RT_ANICURSOR or RT_ANIICON values in the lpType parameter.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 3.1 or later.
  Windows: Requires Windows 95 or later.
  Windows CE: Requires version 1.0 or later.
  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, FindResourceEx, FormatMessage, LoadAccelerators, LoadBitmap, LoadCursor, LoadIcon, LoadMenu, LoadResource, LoadString, LockResource, SizeofResource