Using dialog resources

This section contains a concise guide on how to use the %di (Use dialog resources) format code. It assumes that you are already familiar with format windows and the winio@ function.

In this section:

• Using dialog resources
• What you need
• Getting started
• How %di works
• The %di format in detail
• How to use %di with menus
• Resource components for format codes
• Notes

The format code %di enables you to use a dialog resource created with a resource editor such as that provided by Microsoft Visual Studio. A dialog is designed visually and saved in the form of a .rc resource script and a .h header file. The script can be used in a WINAPP statement or as FTN95 RESOURCES and the header file is converted to Fortran and used as a INCLUDE file in the program. A utility called fParam.exe provides this conversion.

In ClearWin+, a dialog resource provides the following:

1. the caption for the window,
2. the initial font,
3. the dimensions of the dialog and the position of all controls,
4. all static text,
5. all bitmaps and icons (as references to other items in the resource script).

%di takes one integer argument which is a dialog indentifier in the resource script. It also modifies the use of a subset of ClearWin+ formats such as %rd (Edit Integer), %rb (Radio Button (or Check box)) and %ls (List Box (or Combo Box)). These appear after %di and each one takes an additional integer argument which is the identifier of a control in the script. This additional argument is always the first argument for the format code. The subset of ClearWin+ formats is listed under Resource components.