From:	"Shawn" <NRLax27 AT aol DOT com>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
References:	<82jmt5$15u$1 AT tron DOT sci DOT fi>
Subject:	Re: NEEDING HELP TO START WINDOWS PROGRAMMING
Date:	Wed, 8 Dec 1999 01:00:18 -0500
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Organization:	University of Massachusetts, Amherst
To:	djgpp AT Delorie DOT com
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Reply-To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com

> "stefan fröberg" wrote:
>Hello to everyone !
>
>Few days back I decided to start learning Windows programming.
>I found that I needed package called RSXNTDJ (really awfull name... :=))
before I could start to make any code.
>
>However, for me the stuff in this package raised more questions than
answered.
>
>So, if I don't want to use the RSXNTDJ then what are the minimum steps
required for writing code that calls the >WIN32 API and GUI?

    You make calls to the Win32 API, not it's GUI.

>Do I have to modify (aarghh!) the GCC source code so that the compiler
could understand the
>DLLs or is there a way to change the GDI32.DLL, KERNEL32.DLL, etc.. to the
library format that the GCC >understands ?

    Nope.  The gcc.exe that comes with DJGPP compiles programs that for all
intents and purposes don't even know that Windows is running.  The .exe file
format is different for Windows than for DOS, and DJGPP outputs DOS format
.exe files.  You need a c compiler (such as RSXNTDJ) that is capeable of
creating Windows .exe files.
    All .dll files are pre-compiled code, and are in the .dll file format.
You cannot convert these libraries into any other format.  FYI, the compiler
doesn't understand .dll format.  You link to a .dll file either at the link
stage through a stub library that calls the .dll, or dynamically in your
program.  Either way, the compiler has no understanding of the .dll file
format.

>Are these the steps needed for making working program that uses the WIN32
API and GUI ?
>
>My code (.c or .cc) + header files(.h) + libraries (.dll or .a ?) +
definitions(.def ?)??? + resources(.rc ?)??? = >compelete program (.exe)

    Actually you only need a subset of these depending on what you are
programming.  The only real requirement for a Windows program is a .c file
with a WinMain() function.  Any Windows program that does much will have
most, if not all of the files you mentioned above.

>Also what are the .DEF and .RC files ?

    A .def file allows you to export your functions and assign them ordinal
numbers.  This is how you "see" functions inside a .dll library, the author
has exported them in his .def file when he compiled the libraray.  .Def
files also serve as a point where you can name your application, assign a
stub program that will be attached to your finished program and run if
someone tries to run the .exe in DOS without Windows, assign attributes to
the code and data, as well as specify heap and stack size.
    A .rc file contains the resources that your program will use.  This
includes icons, strings, dialogs, pictures, etc.  If you are just learning
Windows programming, you are probably better off looking for a tool to help
you create .rc files, because creating dialog definitions in .rc sytnax is
not the most intuitive way to do things :)

>The libraries that the DJGPP uses are static, right ?

    Yes.

>Meaning that when you start multiple copies of the same program in windows.
>you also make multiple copies of the same library functions and they stay
in memory, right ?

    Every program that is linked to a static library will have a copy of the
functions that it uses from that library in memory when it is loaded.  This
means that common functions like printf() will most likely be in memory
several times if many programs are run, but an obscure function may be only
used by one program, and thus only one copy of its code will be in memory.

>If there are plans to make a new version of the DJGPP package then I would
suggest that the compiler should be >modified so that it can compile code
that uses the WIN32 API & GUI and in the FAQ there should be an entry >that
describes the basic steps needed to make Win programs.

    Hope that was some help.  Good luck with your programming!

-Shawn

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