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                The Resource Compiler MESSAGETABLE Statement
 
MESSAGETABLE [load-option] [mem-option]
BEGIN
string-id string-definition
    .
    .
    .
END
 
The MESSAGETABLE statement creates one or more string resources for an
application. A string resource is a null-terminated character string that
has a unique string identifier. A string resource can be loaded from the
executable file when needed by using the DosGetResource or DosGetResource2
function with the RT_MESSAGE resource type.
 
You can provide any number of MESSAGETABLE statements in a
resource-definition file. The compiler treats all the strings from the
various MESSAGETABLE statements as if they belonged to a single statement.
This means that no two strings in a resource-definition file can have the
same string identifier.
 
Although the MESSAGETABLE and STRINGTABLE statements are nearly identical,
most applications use the STRINGTABLE statement instead of the MESSAGETABLE
statement to create string resources.
 
Field              Description
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
load-option        Specifies when the system loads the resource from the
                   executable file into memory. This value must be one of
                   the following:
 
                   Value       Meaning
                   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
                   PRELOAD     System loads the resource when the
                               application starts.
 
                   LOADONCALL  System loads the resource when the
                               application calls the DosGetResource or
                               DosGetResource2 function. This is the default
                               value.
 
mem-option         Specifies how the system manages the resource when it is
                   in memory. This value must be one or more of the
                   following:
 
                   Value        Meaning
                   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
                   FIXED        System keeps the resource at a fixed memory
                                location.
 
                   MOVEABLE     System moves the resource as necessary to
                                compact memory.
 
                   DISCARDABLE  System discards the resource if it is no
                                longer needed.
 
                   The default setting is MOVEABLE and DISCARDABLE.
 
string-id          Specifies the character-string identifier. This value
                   must be an integer in the range 0 through 65,535, or a
                   simple expression that evaluates to a value in that
                   range. The value can be specified in decimal or
                   hexadecimal notation. Each string identifier in a
                   resource-definition file must be unique.
 
string-definition  Specifies a character string. This field must contain
                   zero or more characters enclosed in double quotation
                   marks. Character values must be in the range 1 through
                   255. If a double quotation mark is required in the
                   string, you must provide the double quotation mark
                   twice.
 
Comments
 
You can continue a string on multiple lines by terminating the line with a
backslash (\) or by terminating the line with a double quotation mark (")
and then starting the next line with a double quotation mark.
 
Example
 
This example creates two string resources whose string identifiers are 1 and
2.
 
MESSAGETABLE
BEGIN
    1 "Filename not found"
    2 "Cannot open file for reading"
END
 
See Also
 
DosGetResource, DosGetResource2, STRINGTABLE
 
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