How do you create dialog boxes in win32

[Fjdd]

I use visual c++ compiler 2008 express edition, because express edition doesn't support resources is it possible to make a win32 dialog box in express edition, if so how might I create one?
Thank you for reading

[mmcdonald]

Is this not viable?

public:
   void theFunction()
   {
      MessageBox::Show("This is a sexy message", MessageBoxButtons::OKCancel,
         MessageBoxIcon::Asterisk);
   }

Or am I well off... I could be (I'm a total C++ novice)

[Ancient Dragon]

You need to get a resource editor.

If you want to create it manually, here is a popular tutorial.

[Fjdd]

To do it manually would I have to make a purchase?

[Moschops]

Does mmcdonald's code above not work for you?

Here's a minimal, complete messagebox example that works on Win32. Does it work for you?

#include <windows.h>

INT WINAPI wWinMain(HINSTANCE hInst,
            HINSTANCE hPrevInst,
            LPWSTR lpCmdLine,
            INT nShowCmd)

{
    int nResult=MessageBox(NULL,
            "An example of Cancel,Retry,Continue",
            "Hello Message Box!",
            MB_ICONERROR|MB_ABORTRETRYIGNORE);

    return 0;
}

[Fjdd]

I would like a dialog box not a message box, thanks for the rep

[Moschops]

http://www.functionx.com/win32/Lesson04.htm

There are many examples on the web. You just have to look.

[Fjdd]

This is what I'm having trouble with, I don't know how to open a .rc file, thanks for the reply :)

[Ancient Dragon]

didn't you read the tutorial I provided???

To do it manually would I have to make a purchase?

No.

[Fjdd]

Express edition isn't able to open .rc files so will I have to buy vc++ professional to have acsess to this feature? Thanks for the reply.

[Moschops]

.rc files are plain text files. You can open them with any text editor. For example, notepad. They're just plain text. In the last link I gave, the plain text .rc file contains this:

#include "Resource.h"

IDD_DLGFIRST DIALOG 260, 200, 188, 95
STYLE DS_MODALFRAME | WS_POPUP | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU
CAPTION "Win32 Programming"
FONT 8, "MS Shell Dlg"
BEGIN
    DEFPUSHBUTTON   "OK", IDOK, 130, 10, 50, 14
END

It's just plain text.

[Fjdd]

So did you have to add an .rc extension or could it be just .txt?

[Fjdd]

??:)

[Moschops]

This is a big topic. Start here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa381042(v=vs.85).aspx

Unless you really, really, really want to do all this yourself using Win32 commands, think about using a widget toolkit instead.

[Fjdd]

I have followed WinProg dialog box tutorial, and I'm getting this error:
error C2065: 'AboutDlgProc' : undeclared identifier
Here is the code:

Main.cpp:

#include <windows.h>
#include "resource.h"
const char g_szClassName[] = "myWindowClass";



LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
    switch(msg)
    {
    HDC hdc;
    PAINTSTRUCT ps;
    RECT rect;
    HMENU hMenu;
    HMENU ShMenu;
    case WM_CLOSE:
            DestroyWindow(hwnd);
        break;
    case WM_CREATE:
        hMenu = CreateMenu();
ShMenu = CreatePopupMenu();
AppendMenu(ShMenu,MF_STRING|MF_POPUP,ID_HELP_ABOUT,"&About");
AppendMenu(hMenu,MF_STRING|MF_POPUP,(UINT)ShMenu,"&Help");
SetMenu(hwnd,hMenu);
break;

            SetMenu(hwnd,hMenu);
        break;
    case WM_COMMAND:
    switch(LOWORD(wParam))
    {
        case ID_HELP_ABOUT:
        {
            int ret = DialogBox(GetModuleHandle(NULL), 
                MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_ABOUT), hwnd, AboutDlgProc);
            if(ret == IDOK){
                MessageBox(hwnd, "Dialog exited with IDOK.", "Notice",
                    MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
            }
            else if(ret == IDCANCEL){
                MessageBox(hwnd, "Dialog exited with IDCANCEL.", "Notice",
                    MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
            }
            else if(ret == -1){
                MessageBox(hwnd, "Dialog failed!", "Error",
                    MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
            }
        }
        break;
        // Other menu commands...
    }
break;
    case WM_PAINT:
            hdc = BeginPaint(hwnd, &ps);
            GetClientRect(hwnd,&rect);

            EndPaint(hwnd,&ps);
            return 0;

    case WM_DESTROY:
            PostQuitMessage(0);
        break;
        default:
            return DefWindowProc(hwnd, msg, wParam, lParam);
    }
    return 0;
}
BOOL CALLBACK AboutDlgProc(HWND hwnd, UINT Message, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
    switch(Message)
    {
        case WM_INITDIALOG:

        return TRUE;
        case WM_COMMAND:
            switch(LOWORD(wParam))
            {
                case IDOK:
                    EndDialog(hwnd, IDOK);
                break;
                case IDCANCEL:
                    EndDialog(hwnd, IDCANCEL);
                break;
            }
        break;
        default:
            return FALSE;
    }
    return TRUE;
}
int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,
    LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow)
{
    WNDCLASSEX wc;
    HWND hwnd;
    MSG Msg;


    wc.cbSize        = sizeof(WNDCLASSEX);
    wc.style         = 0;
    wc.lpfnWndProc   = WndProc;
    wc.cbClsExtra    = 0;
    wc.cbWndExtra    = 0;
    wc.hInstance     = hInstance;
    wc.hIcon         = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_APPLICATION);
    wc.hCursor       = LoadCursor(NULL, IDC_ARROW);
    wc.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH)(COLOR_WINDOW+1);
    wc.lpszMenuName  = NULL;
    wc.lpszClassName = g_szClassName;
    wc.hIconSm       = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_APPLICATION);

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


    hwnd = CreateWindowEx(
        WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE,
        g_szClassName,
        "Draw Test",
        WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW,
        CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT, 1000, 700,
        NULL, NULL, hInstance, NULL);

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

    ShowWindow(hwnd, nCmdShow);
    UpdateWindow(hwnd);


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

.rc File:

#include <windows.h>
#include "resource.h"
IDD_ABOUT DIALOG DISCARDABLE  0, 0, 239, 66
STYLE DS_MODALFRAME | WS_POPUP | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU
CAPTION "My About Box"
FONT 8, "MS Sans Serif"
BEGIN
    DEFPUSHBUTTON   "&OK",IDOK,174,18,50,14
    PUSHBUTTON      "&Cancel",IDCANCEL,174,35,50,14
    GROUPBOX        "About this program...",IDC_STATIC,7,7,225,52
    CTEXT           "An example program showing how to use Dialog Boxes\r\n\r\nby theForger",
                    IDC_STATIC,16,18,144,33
END

resource.h:

#define ID_HELP_ABOUT 101
#define IDD_ABOUT 102

Thankyou for the Help, and thank you for reading :)

[Moschops]

AboutDlgProc is something you are trying to pass into a function on line 35. However ,at that point the compiler has never heard of it because you do not create it until line 68. In C++, if you want to use something, the compiler must know it exists before you try to use it.

[Fjdd]

I have fixed that problem by moving AboutDialogProc to the top but now ret = -1 and I'm getting dialog failed messsage box.
thanks for the reply :)

[Fjdd]

?? :)

[Fjdd]

Is my question too difficult?

[Fjdd]

I've done it, Thanks to everyone on this thread.