I've added an icon resource to my program. Unfortunately, it's a 16x16 icon meant as a visual aid on a button, and now it's set as the executable's main icon. Obviously, this looks terrible.
Is it possible to add a resource while retaining the EXE's icon as the Windows default?
I'm using Visual Studio 2010, if that helps.
It looks like your 16x16 icon is the only icon resource in your application, or the one with the smallest identifier. In that case, both Explorer (for its file lists) and the window manager (for the window's title bar) will default to that icon.
You should add another icon to your application, with an id less than the id of your 16x16 icon, so it will become the default icon. If you want to use the default application icon, you can get it from the Visual Studio Image Library.
You can do it manually. You can add an identifier in resource.h, rc file and then use it by calling required function with parameter MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDENTFIER) to make the cast from id to image.
One option would be to put your icons in a separate module, i.e. a DLL. This would stop the system using them for application icons and avoid the need to add your own copy of the default system application icon.
Related
I need to set title.ico as my application icon and shortcut.ico as my desktop shortcut. Is there any way to do it in a Qt application itself while building?
Whenever the user right-clicks on my application and clicks on sendto->desktop(create shortcut), the shortcut should have shortcut.ico. But now it's always displaying title.ico.
I checked WinApi IShell_link but it didn't help.
I am also a beginner, but turns out this is possible. See this thread: https://forum.qt.io/topic/45324/taskbar-icon-different-from-the-icon-of-the-window/8
Hope I understood you right. Enjoy!
Edit 2018-03-13:
Create your icon in diffrent sizes (e.g. 16px, 32px, ...) as an .ico (while on Windows), for further information visit: http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/appicon.html
Call QWindow::setIcon() (http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qwindow.html#setIcon)
Profit. The icon should now be visible in the greater resolution in the taskbar, while the smaller one is choosen for the app window.
In a MFC windows application, the right icon is shown in the taskbar if I run the .exe file created through a release/debug build. However it doesn't show and only loads windows default icon if the application gets installed on the machine.
What is the reason behind this latter behaviour?
Maybe your icon resources aren't available in all sizes? I.e. the 16 px is used for the task bar, but there is a default one for the bigger size that is used for the shortcut.
I was wondering if there was a way to change the default icon that VS2012 makes when I compile my app. Just for those wondering, I am trying to change the .exe program's icon, not the window icon at the top left of the window and on the start menu. I already know how to do that. I have been Google-ing this for ever and it always shows up how to change the window icon, not the actual file's icon. Thanks in advance!!!
EDIT: This is what I want to do...
I want to replace this...
with this...
]
Thanks, hope this clarifies.
Adding icon to executable
Tested for VS2012 Express
Create a icon.rc file next to your .vcxproj file and fill it with the following text:
// Icon Resource Definition
#define MAIN_ICON 102
MAIN_ICON ICON "your_icon.ico"
Then add the following to your .vcxproj file anywhere within the Project tag:
<ItemGroup>
<ResourceCompile Include="icon.rc">
</ResourceCompile>
</ItemGroup>
Additional options
If you want you may forward definitions to your icon.rc file like so:
<ItemGroup>
<ResourceCompile Include="icon.rc">
<AdditionalOptions Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">/D_DEBUG %(AdditionalOptions)</AdditionalOptions>
</ResourceCompile>
</ItemGroup>
Notice the /D_DEBUG definition, which defines _DEBUG for your resource file. Then within your icon.rc file check for definitions normally:
#define MAIN_ICON 102
#if defined(_DEBUG)
MAIN_ICON ICON "debug_icon.ico"
#else
MAIN_ICON ICON "release_icon.ico"
#endif
Add an icon in the resource section of you C++ project. This icon will be shown as an Application icon for your executable. [Note: make sure you are in the Resource View window, not the Solution Explorer window. Then right-click on the rc folder to Add Resource...]
I have tried this with Win32 Console Application and it shows the icon in the Explorer as Application Icon. This should work with other types of applications also.
Also note that while adding the icon you need to add different size images for the Icon like 16*16, 32*32. These different icon images will be used by Windows Explorer to display Application Icon in different View Modes(Small Icons, Medium Icons, Larget Icons, Extra Large icons etc.)
This is not really how it works. The size of the icon of your program as displayed by Windows isn't determined by you, the user selects it. It is a user preference, very simple to change on later Windows versions by just rolling the mouse scroll button on the desktop. And an icon doesn't have just a single size, it is capable of storing multiple images. Windows picks the one that fits best. And the one you get when starting a new project is just a stock one that's stored in the project template. You can change it by tinkering with the project template .zip file but that's kinda pointless, you want to give your program a custom icon that personalizes it.
Best thing to do is to steal, beg or borrow one, making a good looking icon is an art. Lots of web sites where you can download free ones. If you want to take a shot at creating your own then that's supported as well. Simply double-click the project's .rc file to open the resource view, open the Icon node and double-click the default icon to open the icon editor. You add a new size with Image + New Image Type. Plenty of freeware icon editors available as well.
If its a Win32 application then you can add a resource to your project and then put the icon in there. Then you can assign the icon to your application by sending the WM_SETICON method. For MFC applications, resources are already present and there is a nominated icon resource that you can just change.
You can also load it directly from an external file as suggested here:
Setting program icon without resources using the WIN32 API
I would recommend the resource route though. Resources get embedded in your executable and it is the recommended way to do this sort of thing in Win32 and MFC.
I am trying to change the icon of the application, and I have changed it and the project builds completely fine.
But when the application starts, I still see the default icon on the taskbar. On the otherhand, when I click on About, I can see the new Icon.
What am I missing?
You need to make sure that the resource ID of your icon is the lowest of all the icons in your resources. Windows will display the icon with the lowest ID.
In C++, is there anyway to let the user chose the icon of the app? For example, Winamp lets you select which icon you wish to use from a list of icons in it's preferences. How is it done?
There is the icon that you see in explorer. This is a resource in your executable. You could change that, but I wouldn't advise you too. Virus scanners can get nervous if executables are modified, and in Windows Vista you will not even be allowed to write in the Program Files folder.
But the icon that is displayed on the task bar or in the system tray can be changed. This is actually the icon of your application window and it can be set by sending a WM_SETICON message.
And there are shortcuts. They can be changed too, and in a shortcut you can specify which icon should be used.
I found a discussion on changing icons that has information about the first two options.
For Visual Studio 2010 in an MFC dialog based app
A. In the resource view, rightclick Icon folder and add icon. Give it an ID like IDI_MYICON. Leave it as is or draw something nice.
B. Go to OnInitDialog. Add the following two lines of code:
HICON hMyIcon = LoadIcon( AfxGetInstanceHandle(), MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDI_MYICON) );
SetIcon( hMyIcon, FALSE ); // FALSE == use as small icon
You can read about these functions in the help to understand what is happening.
This sets the icon as icon for the sysmenu (topleft) and in the taskbar. This is however not automatically reflected in all situations. E.g. for a systray icon you need to explicitly specify the icon again in the call to Shell_NotifyIcon().