Beginning Resource Files in Visual Basic

Installing and Configuring the VB 6 Resource Editor

Visual Basic 6.0 ships with a powerful, but often overlooked, add‑in that lets developers keep all of their graphics, sounds, and strings in a single, easy‑to‑manage file. The add‑in is called the VB 6 Resource Editor. Getting it up and running is the first step toward a cleaner, more maintainable project.

Start by launching the VB 6 IDE. From the main menu choose Add‑Ins, then Add‑In Manager. In the dialog that appears, scroll until you locate the entry labeled VB 6 Resource Editor. Select the checkbox in the Loaded/Unloaded column to activate it. If you plan to work with resources frequently, also tick Load on Startup. Finally, click OK. With the add‑in loaded, the IDE will show a new command under the Projects menu called Add New Resource File. This menu item will be available every time you open VB 6, so you never have to re‑enable the add‑in again.

Before you create any resources, it’s a good idea to save your project. Choose File → Save Project. Pick a folder that will house both your project files and any associated resource files. Naming the project now sets the tone for the rest of your development cycle, making it easier to remember what the files represent.

With the project saved, the next step is to add a fresh resource file. From the main menu, select Project → Add New Resource File. A small dialog will prompt you for a name. Pick something descriptive, such as MyAppResources.res, and click Open. A confirmation dialog will appear; choose Yes to create the file.

Once the resource file is added, look at the Project window. Near the top right, you’ll see a node labeled Related Documents. Expand it to reveal the newly created MyAppResources.res. Double‑click the file to launch the Resource Editor. Hovering over the toolbar buttons will show tooltips that explain each function; the interface is straightforward once you get the hang of it.

At this point, you might wonder what a “resource file” actually is. In simple terms, it’s a repository - a permanent storage location that holds binary data such as images, sounds, and strings. Think of it as a library that keeps all the assets your application needs in one place, rather than scattered across the file system. The Resource Editor is the tool that lets you curate that library.

To keep your workflow efficient, make sure you understand how the Resource Editor identifies each item. Whenever you add an asset, the editor assigns it a numeric ID. For icons, the IDs will be shown in the Icons table; for strings, you’ll see a Name ID column. These IDs are critical when you reference resources from code, so it pays to keep them organized. When you finish the initial configuration, you can close the Resource Editor; the changes are saved automatically to the .res file you created.

By this point, you have a project with a resource file ready to hold your assets. The next step is to populate that file with actual graphics and sounds, then learn how to pull them into your forms and controls. The VB 6 Resource Editor gives you a single source of truth for every visual and auditory element your application uses, which simplifies updates and reduces the risk of missing files during deployment.

Managing Resources with the VB 6 Resource Editor

With the foundation in place, it’s time to explore how to add assets to your resource file and use them in your user interface. Start by inserting two icons that represent the common actions you’ll need in your application: Start and Stop. Click the Icon button on the Resource Editor toolbar, then navigate to the folder where Windows stores its default icons. On many systems, that folder is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Graphics\Icons. Pick an icon that looks like a green play button for Start and a red stop sign for Stop. When you import each icon, the editor will automatically generate numeric IDs - by default, for the first icon and for the second. If you need to rename the IDs for clarity, right‑click the icon and choose Properties to edit the Name ID field.

Now that the icons live in the resource file, it’s time to display them on a form. Drag a CommandButton onto the form designer and adjust its Style property to 1 - Graphical. Without this setting, the button will ignore any image you assign. Set the button’s Height and Width to so it has enough space to show the icon clearly. In the Properties window, find Picture and click the ellipsis (…) button. From the dialog, choose the icon you imported earlier. If you need the icon to appear on a different button, you can simply assign the same icon ID from the resource file to another button.

Next, write code that loads the icon from the resource file at runtime. Open the code window for the form and paste the following snippet:

Press F5 to run the application. Click the button a few times; the icon should appear and disappear as expected. The key point is that the icon is pulled from the .res file, not from a file path on disk. This eliminates the need to ship separate image files with your executable, simplifying deployment and reducing the chance of missing files.

Beyond images, you can embed other media types. For example, to include an AVI video or a WAV sound, use LoadResData to read the binary data from the resource file and then feed it to the appropriate control or playback component. For strings that you want to display in message boxes or status bars, LoadResString retrieves the text by its ID. This technique is especially handy for localization: you can keep all language strings in the same resource file and switch between them by loading a different set of IDs.

Imagine you’re building an application with several forms, each containing a “Start” button. You initially set the button’s icon to a simple green square. Later, you discover a more polished car icon that better matches the theme of your app. Rather than opening every form and editing each button, you can simply replace the image with ID in the resource file and recompile. All buttons that reference that ID will automatically show the new icon. The same logic applies to sound clips and text: change the resource, recompile, and the entire application reflects the update without touching the code.

When you’re ready to ship your application, remember that the resource file is compiled into the executable. You do not need to distribute the .res file separately; everything your program requires is embedded in the binary. This approach reduces the number of files your users need to manage and protects your assets from accidental deletion or tampering.

To summarize, the VB 6 Resource Editor turns a collection of disparate media files into a single, manageable package. By assigning numeric IDs, embedding the resources, and referencing them in code with LoadResPicture, LoadResData, and LoadResString, you gain full control over your application's look and feel from a central location. This methodology keeps your projects tidy, eases updates, and makes deployment a breeze. Happy coding!