PB Manifest Resource Generator (PerMonitorV2)

A small PureBasic tool that generates a Windows RT_MANIFEST resource as:

• resource.rc
• manifest.bin

The manifest enables:

• Per-Monitor DPI Aware v2 (PerMonitorV2) with fallback to PerMonitor
• optional Modern Theme support (Common-Controls v6)
• optional requestedExecutionLevel (asInvoker / requireAdministrator)

The output is intended to be embedded into your PureBasic EXE by adding the generated resource.rc to Compiler Options → Resources in the PureBasic IDE.

Why this exists

PureBasic’s built-in DPI option is limited to the IDE’s provided settings. If you need PerMonitorV2 via manifest, this tool generates a proper RT_MANIFEST resource that the PureBasic IDE can compile and link into the executable as part of the normal build.

Output

The tool writes files into a target folder (default: resources/windows/manifest/):

• resource.rc
  Contains 1 24 "manifest.bin" → Resource ID 1, resource type 24 (RT_MANIFEST)
• manifest.bin
  The manifest XML payload (ASCII file containing UTF-8 XML header)

Notes: The generator can still run before builds to update output when settings change.

Requirements

• Windows
• PureBasic IDE (for easiest automation)
• PureBasic compiler (ships with the IDE)

Usage

PureBasic IDE

You can run the generator automatically before building your EXE:

1. Compile the generator once to an EXE (example output): tools\GenerateManifestResource.exe (location is up to you)

2. In the PureBasic IDE:

   • Tools → Configure Tools…
   • Add a new tool:
     • Command-line: path to GenerateManifestResource.exe
     • Arguments:
       • (optional) <outputDir> to override the default output folder
       • (optional) <dpiMode> to control DPI awareness: pmv2 | system | off
       • Examples:
         • (default output, PerMonitorV2): (leave empty)
         • (default output, System aware): system
         • (custom output, PerMonitorV2): resources\windows\manifest\ pmv2
         • (custom output, System aware): resources\windows\manifest\ system
     • Trigger: Before create Executable
     • Enable Wait until tool quits

Now every build will regenerate the manifest resource before the final executable is created.

Embed into your application

In your application project:

1. Open Compiler Options
2. Go to Resources
3. Add: resources\windows\manifest\resource.rc
4. Compile your application

Important: avoid duplicate manifests

When embedding a custom RT_MANIFEST via resource.rc (type 24, id 1), PureBasic must not add its own manifest. Otherwise the linker fails with a duplicate MANIFEST resource error.

Disable in Compiler Options:

• ✅ Enable XP skin support (must be OFF)
• ✅ Enable DPI Aware Executable (must be OFF)

the generated manifest manifest.bin already contains:

• Common-Controls v6 (modern theme support)
• PerMonitorV2 DPI awareness (+ fallback)

Note:
the tool also checks if xpskin="0" and dpiaware="0"

Configuration

Edit constants near the top of GenerateManifestResource.pb:

• #ENABLE_MODERN_THEME_SUPPORT
• #DEFAULT_DPI_MODE$ (default DPI-Mode)
• #REQUEST_EXECUTION_LEVEL$ ("asInvoker", "requireAdministrator", or empty to omit)
• #OUT_REL_DIR$ (repo-relative output directory)

DPI configuration emitted (PerMonitorV2)

The generated manifest includes:

• <dpiAwareness>PerMonitorV2, PerMonitor</dpiAwareness> or <dpiAwareness>System</dpiAwareness>
• <dpiAware>true/pm</dpiAware> as fallback for older systems