How to change application name at run-time?

Hi,
I know that I can change MFC application name by cahnging IDR_MAINFRAME/AFX_IDS_APP_TITLE.
But I need to change that value in run-time.

Any ideas?

SetWindowText() ?

Hi,
thanks for the quick reply.

SetWindowText() only change the title of the window.
But the application title is used in numerous cases, e.g. message box title.

MSDN documentation says about CWinApp member m_pszAppName:
"...The application name can come from the parameter passed to the CWinApp constructor, or, if not specified, to the resource string with the identifier of AFX_IDS_APP_TITLE. If the application name is not found in the resource, it comes from the .exe filename of the program."

I want to create from my code several flavours of executables and base the application name on compilation switch. Therefore:
The 2nd. option (resource file) is not helpfull.
The 3rd. option (take it from the executable name) will make the difference but usually not that friendly.

The 1st. option maybe the key - to give CWinApp constructor the exect name. BUT... How do I insert code vefore calling CWinApp constructor???

Fourth alternative is to set that member in CWinApp::InitInstance() but the CWinApp destructor is releasing that pointer. causes crush in run-time.

put this in the InitInstance of your app before the return TRUE:

Code:

---

        //First free the string allocated by MFC at CWinApp startup.
        //The string is allocated before InitInstance is called.
        free((void*)m_pszAppName);
        //Change the name of the application file.
        //The CWinApp destructor will free the memory.
        m_pszAppName = _tcsdup(_T("MyApp's New Name"));
        AfxMessageBox("test");

---

Hi,
Thanks, it worked.

Is there a way to change resource file values in run time: like IDR_MAINFRAME?

Its actually the same problem: the main window title is generate from the first string, the open dialog filter parameter is generated from the fourth string, etc. And it all application name oriented.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Haim B
Hi,
Thanks, it worked.

Is there a way to change resource file values in run time: like IDR_MAINFRAME?

Its actually the same problem: the main window title is generate from the first string, the open dialog filter parameter is generated from the fourth string, etc. And it all application name oriented.

---

basically .rc files are like any other files, so I think you could try the following.
open the .rc files and search for the section:

Code:

---

STRINGTABLE PRELOAD DISCARDABLE
BEGIN
    IDR_MAINFRAME          "FormTest\n\nFormTe\n\n\nFormTest.Document\nFormTe Document"
END

---

Then try to change here the string, save and close the .rc file.
I'm not sure that this will work however.

Hi,

The change should be at run-time. There is no meaning to .rc file at run-time.
Maybe MFC saves this string values at certain place that can be modified.

Quote:

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Maybe MFC saves this string values at certain place that can be modified.

---

i'm sorry, but that i don't know...

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Haim B
Is there a way to change resource file values in run time: like IDR_MAINFRAME?

---

Changing the resources during execution is not supported. Microsoft says that if you do that and if it works there is no guarantee it will always work.

Hi Sam,
Thanks for your reply.
I'm dealing with a concept our company call (and maybe well-known as) private lebeling:
Our customers want to 'label' an application we do as their own. For example, if Microsoft and Intel are both our customers, the only difference between their applications will be the application name and icon (anything else?).
One way to do it is that each customer will send me his application name and icon and I'll recompile the code. Can take a lot of resources from us as a company.
Other way is that the application will use an .ini file at run-time. But .ini file can be deleted by their customers.
Is there a third and better way?

There are also the version resources. Are you familiar with those? There is a lot more that can go into the version resources and your customers will appreciate the ability to get that information into the exe also.

I think what you should do is to use the version resource data to generate the application name. That is just the beginning, though. You can also write an "About" box that gets it's data from the version resource data. An "About" box typically has copyright information, which can be supplied in the version resource data.

You don't need to recompile the entire application. If you can use the version resource data for all data that changes, then you only need to recompile the resources and then re-link. The icon can also be updated in the resources, but not the version resources.

You don't even need to do that. There is a Windows API for updating resource data in a exe file without even re-linking and there are various utilities written that use it. It works only for NT/2000/XP but I assume that is not a problem. I am not familiar with a particular utility but there are many available. Your company might need to pay a few dollars for a utility but hopefully it will be worth it.

Hi Sam,
thanks for your reply. I'll check this solution.
If you know of a good start point for version resource overview, it will make this thread a 5 star thread :-)

For creating version resources, just use the resource editor. If there is not an existing version resource then add one. I did not say anything because it is so easy.

To read version resources, there are ample articles and samples in the CodeGuru articles.

Hi,
I found the following:
http://www.codeguru.com/files/FileVersionInfo.html

OK,
After 2 fantastic weeks in beautifull Italy, I'm getting back to buisness.

I have several questions regarding version information resource:

1. Can I have multiple version info resources for the same project? If yes, how can I select between them in compile time/runtime?

2. I understood that there is fixed part (with numerical values) and dynamic part (with strings) that can include one or more blocks - what is the relation between those two parts (e.g. in both parts we have file version)? Can I have in the dynamic part two blocks with the same language and code page?

My motivation is to give our clients, different companies, the possibility to market our product as if it was their product. I thought of two options:
A. different version information resource for each company OR
B. different dynamic block for each company in the same version information resource

I would be happy to hear your thoughts on this.

There are many ways to do this.

Would it work to use macros (#defines) that are set to the variable information? I am not sure but that would be easy enough to try.

Also, note that the ".rc2" file is provided for you to use as you need to. Perhaps the version information could be put there and generated or something like that.

Hi Sam,
thanks for your reply.

I've seen somewhere in MSDN the following: "... The Windows standard is to have only one version resource, named VS_VERSION_INFO...".
It seems to me that using different version information resource for each company is the solution.

The only question remains is how do I automate building the application when new release comes? The manual way is to set the first company version information resource to VS_VERSION_INFO and compile, then goes to second compnay and give it the VS_VERSION_INFO ID and compile for it too, etc.
We compile our products through batch files, so we will probably run the batch file as many as the number of our clients: the question is how do we switch the version information resource automaticly.

Enviornment variable is an idea but how can I pick the right version information resource in the code?