Delphi 2009 Application using Large Icons for Vista

Question

I want to use Vista Large Icon feature in my Delphi 2009 application, but I can only embed the normal 32x32 icon in my application. How can I make application have many sizes of Icons?

Thanks

Answer 1

Go download IcoFX. It's free and handles multiple sizes/colour depths AND proper alpha blending. Use that to create your ICO file, then add the ICO to your project. Can't give you a blow-by-blow of the steps for loading the ICO in 2009, because I'm stuck using Delphi 7...

If it's any consolation, Visual Studio has taken eons to get anywhere near decent icon editing too.

Hey, who remembers the Borland Resource Workshop ?

Answer 2

I would use a icon editor such as AWIcons which allows you to create an icon that contains many different formats. Windows will then decide, based on the current view and color depth, which icon to use.

Once you have created your SINGLE icon with many different embedded formats, just link it like you would your 32x32 icon. It might look funny in the IDE, but when you run the program it will look correctly.

Answer 3

Get a decent stock of icons, or make your own. I use an the icon library from Icon Experience - your pay, but all icon sizes 16x16 up to 256 x 256 are provided in ICO and PNG formats. I then use Icon Sushi to work with my own icons. Delphi 7 and 2009 both have limitations working with large icons, so I've moved to using PNG icons using the PNG components library. This gives you a TPNGImageList that just works where the Vista cacheing and other problems make using TImageList only really good for 16x16 and 32x32 sizes. I've also ported PNGComponents to D2009 where it works fine. Brian

Answer 4

I can only embed the normal 32x32 icon in my application

From my experience, Delphi 2009 lets you use any icon. I've used extra large Vista icons too, and it worked.

Answer 5

Solution:

There is a BETTER AND EASY way to add high resolution icons in your Delphi 7 application. It doesn't involve hacking your exe file: http://thesunstroke.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-add-high-resolution-icons-to.html

Answer 6

If your are wanting some free software to create icons then you can probably use GIMP. My very first video tutorial was using GIMP to create icons - it's available here.

Answer 7

Configure the project to use the Microsoft resource compiler.

Answer 8

Once you are done building your project, add all the needed icons your project needs at the post-build step with the resource editor as described here: http://www.heaventools.com/rtconsole-sample-script-guide.htm