Which Windows Resource Editor do you use?
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/08/13
In the past, I used the XN Resource Editor, but it hasn’t been maintained for a while.
Which resource editor do you use?
Based on a few links I found, I will be trying these:
- IcoFX – The Professional Icon Editor (commercial, still being maintained).
- ResEdit Resource Editor – free resource editor for Win32 (freeware, changelog).
- Resource Hacker (older than Resource Hacker, but newer than XN Resource Editor, see Version History).
–jeroen
PS: More comments in this G+ thread.
via:
- Vista and up: CardGames.dll (was: Delphi – back in 1996 – CARDS.DLL component wrapper in Delphi 1 and 2!) « The Wiert Corner – irregular stream of stuff.
- XN Resource Editor.
- delphi – Modifying a string in resource of an exe – Stack Overflow.
- Resource Editor for Windows Applications to replace Icon , open source, quick and simple – Super User.
- visual studio – Free resource editor for Windows .rc files? – Stack Overflow.
Edit 20221225: poll results so far
[Wayback/Archive] Windows Resouce Editor – Results (poll 7139042)
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
Edwin Yip said
I use this one: http://melander.dk/reseditor/ from the maintainer of the drag and drop component suite.
Lars Fosdal said
Generally speaking, the only custom stuff I put in the resources, is icons. IcoFx is awesome for creating multisized icons which work well on all Windows versions.
The rest usually goes through .rc files.
For bitmap editing – Paint.net.
http://fred-ahrens.de/downloads/icofxsetup.exe
http://www.getpaint.net/
bugcheck said
It matters if you’d like to edit or view resources in their native format.
The PE or RES format might not have changed but many resource types have been introduced or changed. E.g XP introduced the manifest resource and Vista changed (or rather extended) the icon format.
Most of the older editors choke on png compressed icons or fail to handle the alpha of 32 bit bitmaps.
jpluimers said
Of course I love to be able to edit resources in their native format (:
But a resource editor that allows to insert native files without full editing capabilities would do fine.
Which resource editors to you use?
bugcheck said
Um… I use my own res editor (hint: public release hasn’t been updated since 2011).
Ps. Pls delete my first comment (#7) as it’s a dupe. I seem to be having some trouble posting here. This is the second time I write this comment.
David Heffernan said
That’s a fair point re PNG compressed .ico files
lhengen said
I use the one included with EMBT’s Rad Studio…the complete solution for professional developers ;-) QC#61170…only 6 years old.
David Heffernan said
And anyway, why does it matter that resource editors have not been updated recently. The PE resource format has been stable for 15-20 years. What are the updates going to bring?
Eric Fleming Bonilha said
I really like Resource Builder from SiComponents
Bruce McGee said
I don’t edit resources often, but I really like the resource editor from Anders Melander for viewing them. Unfortunately, the last update was in 2011.
http://melander.dk/reseditor/
Radek Červinka said
http://melander.dk/reseditor/
David Heffernan said
IcoFx is an icon designer not a resource editor.