(C) Incompatible pointer type [LPCWSTR] - c

Question

I am receiving incompatible pointer type everywhere when I am trying to work with unicode LPCWSTR types.
I am completely stuck no matter what I do, tried to search for a answer lots of times and still no hope!
My code:
#include <tchar.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <windows.h>
#include "Mouse.h"
#include "Keyboard.h"
//#define APP_WindowClassName "MOUSE_CLICKER"
//#define APP_WindowTitle "Mouse Clicker"
LRESULT CALLBACK app_WindowProcedure (HWND hwnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) {
switch (uMsg) {
case WM_DESTROY:
PostQuitMessage(0);
break;
default:
return DefWindowProcW(hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
}
return 0;
}
int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow) { // Arg1 - A handle to the current instance of the application, Arg 2 - ???, Arg 3 - Arguments, Arg 4 - Controls how the window is to be shown.
WNDCLASSEXW main_WindowClass = { };
main_WindowClass.cbSize = sizeof(WNDCLASSEXA);
main_WindowClass.cbClsExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.cbWndExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.hInstance = hInstance;
main_WindowClass.lpfnWndProc = app_WindowProcedure;
main_WindowClass.lpszClassName = TEXT("MOUSE_CLICKER");
main_WindowClass.lpszMenuName = NULL;
main_WindowClass.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH) (TEXT(COLOR_BACKGROUND));
main_WindowClass.hCursor = LoadCursorW (NULL, TEXT(IDC_ARROW));
main_WindowClass.hIcon = LoadIconW(NULL, TEXT(IDI_APPLICATION));
main_WindowClass.hIconSm = LoadIconW(NULL, TEXT(IDI_APPLICATION));
main_WindowClass.style = CS_DBLCLKS;
//CS_HREDRAW | CS_VREDRAW a
if (RegisterClassExW(&main_WindowClass) == 0) {
printf ("[CRITICAL] main_WindowClass cannot be registered!");
return -1;
}
HWND main_WindowHandle = CreateWindowExW (0, TEXT("MOUSE_CLICKER"), TEXT("MouseClicker"), WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW, 0, 0, 800, 600, NULL, NULL, hInstance, NULL);
if (main_WindowHandle == NULL) {
return -1;
}
ShowWindow(main_WindowHandle, nCmdShow);
printf("Unicode: %d", IsWindowUnicode(main_WindowHandle));
MSG ProcessingMessage;
while (GetMessage(&ProcessingMessage, NULL, 0, 0)) {
TranslateMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
DispatchMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
}
return ProcessingMessage.wParam;
}
My build log picture link:
PS: I am a beginner in C (still learning) and understandable descriptive information on what I am doing wrong would be nice.
PS2: To avoid confusion this is pure C, NOT C++.
Solution code:
#if defined(UNICODE) && !defined(_UNICODE)
#define _UNICODE
#elif defined(_UNICODE) && !defined(UNICODE)
#define UNICODE
#endif
#include <tchar.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <tchar.h>
#include "Mouse.h"
#include "Keyboard.h"
LRESULT CALLBACK app_WindowProcedure (HWND hwnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) {
switch (uMsg) {
case WM_DESTROY:
PostQuitMessage(0);
break;
default:
return DefWindowProcW(hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
}
return 0;
}
int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow) { // Arg1 - A handle to the current instance of the application, Arg 2 - ???, Arg 3 - Arguments, Arg 4 - Controls how the window is to be shown.
WNDCLASSEXW main_WindowClass = { };
main_WindowClass.cbSize = sizeof(WNDCLASSEXA);
main_WindowClass.cbClsExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.cbWndExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.hInstance = hInstance;
main_WindowClass.lpfnWndProc = app_WindowProcedure;
main_WindowClass.lpszClassName = L"MOUSE_CLICKER";
main_WindowClass.lpszMenuName = NULL;
main_WindowClass.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH) (COLOR_BACKGROUND);
main_WindowClass.hCursor = LoadCursorW (NULL, (LPCWSTR) IDC_ARROW);
main_WindowClass.hIcon = LoadIconW(NULL, (LPCWSTR) IDI_APPLICATION);
main_WindowClass.hIconSm = LoadIconW(NULL, (LPCWSTR) IDI_APPLICATION);
main_WindowClass.style = CS_DBLCLKS;
//CS_HREDRAW | CS_VREDRAW a
if (RegisterClassExW(&main_WindowClass) == 0) {
printf ("[CRITICAL] main_WindowClass cannot be registered!");
return -1;
}
HWND main_WindowHandle = CreateWindowExW (0, L"MOUSE_CLICKER", L"MouseClicker", WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW, 0, 0, 800, 600, NULL, NULL, hInstance, NULL);
if (main_WindowHandle == NULL) {
return -1;
}
ShowWindow(main_WindowHandle, nCmdShow);
printf("Unicode: %d", IsWindowUnicode(main_WindowHandle));
MSG ProcessingMessage;
while (GetMessage(&ProcessingMessage, NULL, 0, 0)) {
TranslateMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
DispatchMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
}
return ProcessingMessage.wParam;
}

Answer 1

Define UNICODE in your project.
Based on whether UNICODE is defined, TEXT expands to either LPSTR or LPWSTR. You are explicitly calling *W versions of WinAPI functions but pass LPSTR instead of LPWSTR. Prefixing string literal with L should work actually. Maybe you used it as L("foo") - it won't work this way. You need to use L"foo".
Overall, if you use TEXT, you should use WinAPI functions without suffixes, so that code will compile both with and without UNICODE defined. If you explicitly use *W functions, use L"" strings.

Answer 2

There are several approaches you can take to get this to work; since you're already going down the path of using Generic-Text Mappings in Tchar.h, let's continue on that route.
Here is the main body of your program, revised to run as Unicode when your project is set to build Unicode.
(A side "benefit", if you would call it that, is that you can run your application as an ASCII application as well just by changing the character set of the project.)
LRESULT CALLBACK app_WindowProcedure(HWND hwnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) {
switch (uMsg) {
case WM_DESTROY:
PostQuitMessage(0);
break;
default:
return DefWindowProc(hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
}
return 0;
}
int WINAPI _tWinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPTSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow) { // Arg1 - A handle to the current instance of the application, Arg 2 - ???, Arg 3 - Arguments, Arg 4 - Controls how the window is to be shown.
WNDCLASSEX main_WindowClass = {};
main_WindowClass.cbSize = sizeof(WNDCLASSEX);
main_WindowClass.cbClsExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.cbWndExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.hInstance = hInstance;
main_WindowClass.lpfnWndProc = app_WindowProcedure;
main_WindowClass.lpszClassName = TEXT("MOUSE_CLICKER");
main_WindowClass.lpszMenuName = NULL;
main_WindowClass.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH)(COLOR_BACKGROUND);
main_WindowClass.hCursor = LoadCursor(NULL, IDC_ARROW);
main_WindowClass.hIcon = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_APPLICATION);
main_WindowClass.hIconSm = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_APPLICATION);
main_WindowClass.style = CS_DBLCLKS;
//CS_HREDRAW | CS_VREDRAW a
if (RegisterClassEx(&main_WindowClass) == 0) {
_tprintf(TEXT("[CRITICAL] main_WindowClass cannot be registered!"));
return -1;
}
HWND main_WindowHandle = CreateWindowEx(0, TEXT("MOUSE_CLICKER"), TEXT("MouseClicker"), WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW, 0, 0, 800, 600, NULL, NULL, hInstance, NULL);
if (main_WindowHandle == NULL) {
return -1;
}
ShowWindow(main_WindowHandle, nCmdShow);
_tprintf(TEXT("Unicode: %d"), IsWindowUnicode(main_WindowHandle));
MSG ProcessingMessage;
while (GetMessage(&ProcessingMessage, NULL, 0, 0)) {
TranslateMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
DispatchMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
}
return ProcessingMessage.wParam;
}
Note that Unicode-specific function calls were replaced with their generic counterparts (e.g., DefWindowProcW() is now DefWindowProc(); RegisterClassExW() is now RegisterClassEx(); printf() is now _tprintf(), and so on). All text is wrapped in the TEXT() macro.
An alternative approach, as you worked in part, is to make all API calls the ...W versions for Unicode functions, and to hard-code text using the L prefix to use Unicode text.
A good rule of thumb is to try to pick one technique or another, and apply it consistently and across the board.

Answer 3

This should work
#include <tchar.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <windows.h>
#include "Mouse.h"
#include "Keyboard.h"
//#define APP_WindowClassName "MOUSE_CLICKER"
//#define APP_WindowTitle "Mouse Clicker"
LRESULT CALLBACK app_WindowProcedure(HWND hwnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) {
switch (uMsg) {
case WM_DESTROY:
PostQuitMessage(0);
break;
default:
return DefWindowProcW(hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
}
return 0;
}
int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow) { // Arg1 - A handle to the current instance of the application, Arg 2 - ???, Arg 3 - Arguments, Arg 4 - Controls how the window is to be shown.
WNDCLASSEXW main_WindowClass = *((WNDCLASSEXW*)malloc(sizeof(WNDCLASSEXW)));
main_WindowClass.cbSize = sizeof(WNDCLASSEXA);
main_WindowClass.cbClsExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.cbWndExtra = 0;
main_WindowClass.hInstance = hInstance;
main_WindowClass.lpfnWndProc = app_WindowProcedure;
main_WindowClass.lpszClassName = L"MOUSE_CLICKER";
main_WindowClass.lpszMenuName = NULL;
main_WindowClass.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH)(COLOR_BACKGROUND);
main_WindowClass.hCursor = LoadCursorW(NULL, (LPWSTR)IDC_ARROW);
main_WindowClass.hIcon = LoadIconW(NULL, (LPWSTR)IDI_APPLICATION);
main_WindowClass.hIconSm = LoadIconW(NULL, (LPWSTR)IDI_APPLICATION);
main_WindowClass.style = CS_DBLCLKS;
//CS_HREDRAW | CS_VREDRAW a
if (RegisterClassExW(&main_WindowClass) == 0) {
printf("[CRITICAL] main_WindowClass cannot be registered!");
return -1;
}
HWND main_WindowHandle = CreateWindowExW(0, L"MOUSE_CLICKER", L"MouseClicker", WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW, 0, 0, 800, 600, NULL, NULL, hInstance, NULL);
if (main_WindowHandle == NULL) {
return -1;
}
ShowWindow(main_WindowHandle, nCmdShow);
printf("Unicode: %d", IsWindowUnicode(main_WindowHandle));
MSG ProcessingMessage;
while (GetMessage(&ProcessingMessage, NULL, 0, 0)) {
TranslateMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
DispatchMessage(&ProcessingMessage);
}
return ProcessingMessage.wParam;
}