Windows API help and general Windows information

[donkey]

There are many times you might have a question and the reply is a cryptic one word response like "IsIconic". Generally the person has just pointed you towards the Windows API function that you need. Also there are many questions that are asked that can easily be researched by skimming through the API reference or the summary documents that accompany it. Not that we mean to discourage you from asking here, but don't be surprised if occasionally you get an RTFM and a link ;)

The Windows API is huge to say the least, incorporating thousands of API functions and 10s of thousands of messages. No single person can be expected to retain all of this information and luckily no-one is expected to. Microsoft has been kind enough with Win32 to provide free references (unlike Win16). The smallest of these is the Win32.HLP file, it is roughly 8 MB and is available for download from Borland's FTP :

ftp://ftpc.borland.com/pub/delphi/techpubs/delphi2/win32.zip

More extensive versions of Win32.HLP are available from lcc:

http://mingw.org/docs.shtml#win32api

Beyond that there is the MSDN library, the library is available by paid subsrcription from Microsoft. If you cannot afford a local copy of MSDN, it is available as an online reference free of charge:

http://www.msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp

Local copies of the Platform SDK are always free to download from Microsoft and contain the most up-to-date information about Windows and the API (requires IE6+ if you wish to download individual components)

http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/platformsdk/sdkupdate/default.htm?p=/msdownload/platformsdk/sdkupdate/home.htm

[hutch--]

I already have the link at http://www.website.masmforum.com/reference.htm

Acess the forum web site from the link at the top right corner of the forum front page under NEWS BOX.

edit: updated the link to the new website URL -donkey