Setting program icon without resources using the WIN32 API

Question

I am working with the express version of Visual Studio. Therefore, using functions calls to MAKEINTRESOURCE are out of the question. I am tryting to set the application icon by overriding the getAdditionalClassInfo function.

WNDCLASSW *Robot::getAdditionalClassInfo(void) const {
    WNDCLASSW *wc = Window::getAdditionalClassInfo();
    HANDLE hIcon = LoadImage(NULL, L"imagepath/image.png", 32, 32, LR_LOADFROMFILE);

    wc->hIcon = .....;
    return wc;
}

Does anyone know how I can set this icon WITHOUT using a resource?

Answer 1

My suggestion, if you'd like to use PNGs, and be able to change the icon, is to use FreeImage to load it. Then you can use FreeImage to convert it to a standard HBITMAP fairly easily.

If you're fine with using an actual icon file, you can do the following once the window has been created:

HANDLE hIcon = LoadImage(0, _T("imagepath/image.ico"), IMAGE_ICON, 0, 0, LR_DEFAULTSIZE | LR_LOADFROMFILE);
if (hIcon) {
    //Change both icons to the same icon handle.
    SendMessage(hwnd, WM_SETICON, ICON_SMALL, hIcon);
    SendMessage(hwnd, WM_SETICON, ICON_BIG, hIcon);

    //This will ensure that the application icon gets changed too.
    SendMessage(GetWindow(hwnd, GW_OWNER), WM_SETICON, ICON_SMALL, hIcon);
    SendMessage(GetWindow(hwnd, GW_OWNER), WM_SETICON, ICON_BIG, hIcon);
}

You can likely call the similar function from within your getAdditionalClassInfo and setting it to the hIcon.