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.\"
.IX Title "WINDMC 1"
.TH WINDMC 1 2025-07-27 binutils-2.45 "GNU Development Tools"
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.nh
.SH NAME
windmc \- generates Windows message resources
.SH SYNOPSIS
.IX Header "SYNOPSIS"
windmc [options] input\-file
.SH DESCRIPTION
.IX Header "DESCRIPTION"
\&\fBwindmc\fR reads message definitions from an input file (.mc) and
translate them into a set of output files.  The output files may be of
four kinds:
.ie n .IP """h""" 4
.el .IP \f(CWh\fR 4
.IX Item "h"
A C header file containing the message definitions.
.ie n .IP """rc""" 4
.el .IP \f(CWrc\fR 4
.IX Item "rc"
A resource file compilable by the \fBwindres\fR tool.
.ie n .IP """bin""" 4
.el .IP \f(CWbin\fR 4
.IX Item "bin"
One or more binary files containing the resource data for a specific
message language.
.ie n .IP """dbg""" 4
.el .IP \f(CWdbg\fR 4
.IX Item "dbg"
A C include file that maps message id\*(Aqs to their symbolic name.
.PP
The exact description of these different formats is available in
documentation from Microsoft.
.PP
When \fBwindmc\fR converts from the \f(CW\*(C`mc\*(C'\fR format to the \f(CW\*(C`bin\*(C'\fR
format, \f(CW\*(C`rc\*(C'\fR, \f(CW\*(C`h\*(C'\fR, and optional \f(CW\*(C`dbg\*(C'\fR it is acting like the
Windows Message Compiler.
.SH OPTIONS
.IX Header "OPTIONS"
.IP \fB\-a\fR 4
.IX Item "-a"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-ascii_in\fR 4
.IX Item "--ascii_in"
.PD
Specifies that the input file specified is ASCII. This is the default
behaviour.
.IP \fB\-A\fR 4
.IX Item "-A"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-ascii_out\fR 4
.IX Item "--ascii_out"
.PD
Specifies that messages in the output \f(CW\*(C`bin\*(C'\fR files should be in ASCII
format.
.IP \fB\-b\fR 4
.IX Item "-b"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-binprefix\fR 4
.IX Item "--binprefix"
.PD
Specifies that \f(CW\*(C`bin\*(C'\fR filenames should have to be prefixed by the
basename of the source file.
.IP \fB\-c\fR 4
.IX Item "-c"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-customflag\fR 4
.IX Item "--customflag"
.PD
Sets the customer bit in all message id\*(Aqs.
.IP "\fB\-C\fR \fIcodepage\fR" 4
.IX Item "-C codepage"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-codepage_in\fR \fIcodepage\fR" 4
.IX Item "--codepage_in codepage"
.PD
Sets the default codepage to be used to convert input file to UTF16. The
default is ocdepage 1252.
.IP \fB\-d\fR 4
.IX Item "-d"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-decimal_values\fR 4
.IX Item "--decimal_values"
.PD
Outputs the constants in the header file in decimal. Default is using
hexadecimal output.
.IP "\fB\-e\fR \fIext\fR" 4
.IX Item "-e ext"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-extension\fR \fIext\fR" 4
.IX Item "--extension ext"
.PD
The extension for the header file. The default is .h extension.
.IP "\fB\-F\fR \fItarget\fR" 4
.IX Item "-F target"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-target\fR \fItarget\fR" 4
.IX Item "--target target"
.PD
Specify the BFD format to use for a bin file as output.  This
is a BFD target name; you can use the \fB\-\-help\fR option to see a list
of supported targets.  Normally \fBwindmc\fR will use the default
format, which is the first one listed by the \fB\-\-help\fR option.
.IP "\fB\-h\fR \fIpath\fR" 4
.IX Item "-h path"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-headerdir\fR \fIpath\fR" 4
.IX Item "--headerdir path"
.PD
The target directory of the generated header file. The default is the
current directory.
.IP \fB\-H\fR 4
.IX Item "-H"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-help\fR 4
.IX Item "--help"
.PD
Displays a list of command\-line options and then exits.
.IP "\fB\-m\fR \fIcharacters\fR" 4
.IX Item "-m characters"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-maxlength\fR \fIcharacters\fR" 4
.IX Item "--maxlength characters"
.PD
Instructs \fBwindmc\fR to generate a warning if the length
of any message exceeds the number specified.
.IP \fB\-n\fR 4
.IX Item "-n"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-nullterminate\fR 4
.IX Item "--nullterminate"
.PD
Terminate message text in \f(CW\*(C`bin\*(C'\fR files by zero. By default they are
terminated by CR/LF.
.IP \fB\-o\fR 4
.IX Item "-o"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-hresult_use\fR 4
.IX Item "--hresult_use"
.PD
Not yet implemented. Instructs \f(CW\*(C`windmc\*(C'\fR to generate an OLE2 header
file, using HRESULT definitions. Status codes are used if the flag is not
specified.
.IP "\fB\-O\fR \fIcodepage\fR" 4
.IX Item "-O codepage"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-codepage_out\fR \fIcodepage\fR" 4
.IX Item "--codepage_out codepage"
.PD
Sets the default codepage to be used to output text files. The default
is ocdepage 1252.
.IP "\fB\-r\fR \fIpath\fR" 4
.IX Item "-r path"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-rcdir\fR \fIpath\fR" 4
.IX Item "--rcdir path"
.PD
The target directory for the generated \f(CW\*(C`rc\*(C'\fR script and the generated
\&\f(CW\*(C`bin\*(C'\fR files that the resource compiler script includes. The default
is the current directory.
.IP \fB\-u\fR 4
.IX Item "-u"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-unicode_in\fR 4
.IX Item "--unicode_in"
.PD
Specifies that the input file is UTF16.
.IP \fB\-U\fR 4
.IX Item "-U"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-unicode_out\fR 4
.IX Item "--unicode_out"
.PD
Specifies that messages in the output \f(CW\*(C`bin\*(C'\fR file should be in UTF16
format. This is the default behaviour.
.IP \fB\-v\fR 4
.IX Item "-v"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-verbose\fR 4
.IX Item "--verbose"
.PD
Enable verbose mode.
.IP \fB\-V\fR 4
.IX Item "-V"
.PD 0
.IP \fB\-\-version\fR 4
.IX Item "--version"
.PD
Prints the version number for \fBwindmc\fR.
.IP "\fB\-x\fR \fIpath\fR" 4
.IX Item "-x path"
.PD 0
.IP "\fB\-\-xdgb\fR \fIpath\fR" 4
.IX Item "--xdgb path"
.PD
The path of the \f(CW\*(C`dbg\*(C'\fR C include file that maps message id\*(Aqs to the
symbolic name. No such file is generated without specifying the switch.
.IP \fB@\fR\fIfile\fR 4
.IX Item "@file"
Read command\-line options from \fIfile\fR.  The options read are
inserted in place of the original @\fIfile\fR option.  If \fIfile\fR
does not exist, or cannot be read, then the option will be treated
literally, and not removed.
.Sp
Options in \fIfile\fR are separated by whitespace.  A whitespace
character may be included in an option by surrounding the entire
option in either single or double quotes.  Any character (including a
backslash) may be included by prefixing the character to be included
with a backslash.  The \fIfile\fR may itself contain additional
@\fIfile\fR options; any such options will be processed recursively.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.IX Header "SEE ALSO"
the Info entries for \fIbinutils\fR.
.SH COPYRIGHT
.IX Header "COPYRIGHT"
Copyright (c) 1991\-2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
.PP
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, with no Front\-Cover Texts, and with no
Back\-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the
section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

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