I think the code is pretty much self explanatory and I commented it to some degree, so there's not much to say. To close the black window just hit ESCAPE.

The only one thing that isn't that quite right is the fact that you have to code the line numbers by hand and so if you change anything above previously coded numbers, you'll have to do them again... oh well!

To assemble get the MASM32 package from: {http://www.pbq.com.au/home/hutch/}

--8<---------------------------------------------------------------------------

; SKELETON.ASM
; Win32 AppFatalExit Skeleton
; by Chili for APJ #8
; August 11, 2000

;############################################################################# ; Compiler Options
;#############################################################################

title Win32 AppFatalExit Skeleton

.386
.model flat, stdcall ; 32-bit memory model option casemap :none ; case sensitive

;############################################################################# ; Includes
;#############################################################################

;// Include Files
include \masm32\include\windows.inc include \masm32\include\gdi32.inc
include \masm32\include\user32.inc
include \masm32\include\kernel32.inc include \masm32\include\comctl32.inc include \masm32\include\comdlg32.inc include \masm32\include\shell32.inc

;// Libraries
includelib \masm32\lib\gdi32.lib
includelib \masm32\lib\user32.lib
includelib \masm32\lib\kernel32.lib includelib \masm32\lib\comctl32.lib includelib \masm32\lib\comdlg32.lib includelib \masm32\lib\shell32.lib

;############################################################################# ; Equates
;#############################################################################

;// Basic
NULL equ 0
FALSE equ 0
TRUE equ 1

;############################################################################# ; Local Prototypes
;#############################################################################

;// Main Program Procedures.

    WinMain         PROTO   :DWORD, :DWORD, :DWORD, :DWORD
WndProc         PROTO   :DWORD, :DWORD, :DWORD, :DWORD

AppFatalExit PROTO :DWORD, :DWORD

;############################################################################# ; Local Macros
;#############################################################################

;// Return a value in EAX.

return MACRO arg

        IFNB <arg>
mov     eax, arg
ENDIF
ret

ENDM

;// Memory-to-memory MOV.

m2m MACRO m1:REQ, m2:REQ

        push    m2
pop     m1

ENDM

;// Memory copy.

mcopy MACRO destination:REQ, source:REQ

        cld
lea     esi, source
lea     edi, destination
mov     ecx, sizeof source

rep movsb
ENDM

;// Insert zero terminated string into code section.

szText MACRO name:REQ, text:VARARG

        LOCAL   lbl
jmp     lbl
name    db  text, 0
lbl:

ENDM

;// Insert zero terminated string into .data section.

dszText MACRO name:REQ, text:VARARG .data

name db text, 0
.code
ENDM

;// Return in EBX the ASCII size of a DWORD value

dwsize MACRO value:REQ

        xor     ebx, ebx
mov     eax, value
.if eax == 0
inc     ebx
.else
mov     ecx, 10
.while eax > 0
xor     edx, edx
div     ecx
inc     ebx
.endw
.endif

ENDM

;############################################################################# ; Initialized Data Section
;#############################################################################

.data

;############################################################################# ; Uninitialized Data Section
;#############################################################################

.data?

;############################################################################# ; Constants Section
;#############################################################################

.const

;############################################################################# ; Code Section
;#############################################################################

.code

;============================================================================== ; Beginning of executable code
;============================================================================== start proc

;// Do some base initialization for the WinMain function and upon its ;// ending, terminate process.

LOCAL hModule :DWORD

;// Get handle to current instance.

invoke GetModuleHandle, NULL
.IF eax == NULL

        dszText szGetModuleHandle_157, "GetModuleHandle, ln #157"
invoke  AppFatalExit, addr szGetModuleHandle_157,
sizeof szGetModuleHandle_157
.ENDIF
mov     hModule, eax

;// Get pointer to the command-line string for the current process.

invoke GetCommandLine

;// Call initial entry point for a Win32-based application.

invoke WinMain, hModule, NULL, eax, SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED

;// End process and all its threads.

invoke ExitProcess, eax

start endp

;============================================================================== ; WinMain Function (Called by the system as the initial entry point for a ; Win32-based application) ;==============================================================================

WinMain proc    hInstance       :DWORD, ;// handle to current instance
hPrevInstance   :DWORD, ;// handle to previous instance
lpCmdLine       :DWORD, ;// pointer to command line
nCmdShow        :DWORD  ;// show state of window

;// Perform initialization, create and display a main window and enter a ;// message retrieval-and-dispatch loop.

LOCAL wc :WNDCLASSEX
LOCAL hwndMain :DWORD
LOCAL msg :MSG

;// Register the window class for the main window.

    mov     wc.cbSize, sizeof WNDCLASSEX
mov     wc.style, CS_OWNDC
mov     wc.lpfnWndProc, offset MainWndProc
mov     wc.cbClsExtra, 0
mov     wc.cbWndExtra, 0
m2m     wc.hInstance, hInstance

invoke LoadIcon, NULL, IDI_APPLICATION .if eax == NULL

        dszText szLoadIcon_203, "LoadIcon, ln #203"
invoke  AppFatalExit, addr szLoadIcon_203, sizeof szLoadIcon_203
.endif
mov     wc.hIcon, eax

invoke LoadCursor, NULL, IDC_ARROW .if eax == NULL

        dszText szLoadCursor_209, "LoadCursor, ln #209"
invoke  AppFatalExit, addr szLoadCursor_209, sizeof szLoadCursor_209
.endif
mov     wc.hCursor, eax

invoke GetStockObject, BLACK_BRUSH .if eax == NULL

        dszText szGetStockObject_215, "GetStockObject, ln #215"
invoke  AppFatalExit, addr szGetStockObject_215,
sizeof szGetStockObject_215
.endif
mov     wc.hbrBackground, eax
mov     wc.lpszMenuName, NULL
dszText  szClassName, "MainWndClass"
mov     wc.lpszClassName, offset szClassName
mov     wc.hIconSm, NULL

invoke RegisterClassEx, addr wc
.if eax == 0

        dszText szRegisterClassEx_227, "RegisterClassEx, ln #227"
invoke  AppFatalExit, addr szRegisterClassEx_227,
sizeof szRegisterClassEx_227

.endif

;// Create the main window.

dszText szDisplayName, "Win32 AppFatalExit Skeleton" invoke CreateWindowEx, NULL, addr szClassName, addr szDisplayName,

                            WS_POPUP or WS_CLIPSIBLINGS or WS_MAXIMIZE or \
WS_CLIPCHILDREN, CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT,
CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT, NULL, NULL,
hInstance, NULL

;// If the main window cannot be created, terminate the application.

.if eax == NULL

        dszText szCreateWindowEx_237, "CreateWindowEx, ln #237"
invoke  AppFatalExit, addr szCreateWindowEx_237,
sizeof szCreateWindowEx_237
.endif
mov     hwndMain, eax

;// Show the window and paint its contents.

invoke ShowWindow, hwndMain, nCmdShow invoke UpdateWindow, hwndMain
.if eax == NULL

        dszText szUpdateWindow_255, "UpdateWindow, ln #255"
invoke  AppFatalExit, addr szUpdateWindow_255,
sizeof szUpdateWindow_255

.endif

;// Start the message loop.

.while TRUE

        invoke  PeekMessage, addr msg, NULL, 0, 0, PM_REMOVE
.if (eax != 0)
.break .if msg.message == WM_QUIT
invoke  TranslateMessage, addr msg
invoke  DispatchMessage, addr msg
.endif

.endw

;// Return the exit code to Windows.

return msg.wParam

WinMain endp

;============================================================================== ; WindowProc Function (Application-defined callback function that processes ; messages sent to a window) ;============================================================================== MainWndProc proc hwnd :DWORD, ;// handle of window

                    uMsg    :DWORD, ;// message identifier
wParam  :DWORD, ;// first message parameter
lParam  :DWORD  ;// second message paramater

;// Dispatch the messages that can be received.

.if uMsg == WM_KEYDOWN

;// Process keyboard input by means of a key press.

.if wParam == VK_ESCAPE

;// Clean up window-specific data objects.

            invoke  PostQuitMessage, NULL
return  0
.endif

.elseif uMsg == WM_DESTROY

;// Clean up window-specific data objects.

        invoke  PostQuitMessage, NULL
return  0

.endif

;// Process other messages.

invoke DefWindowProc, hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam

ret

MainWndProc endp

;============================================================================== ; Application Fatal Exit Procedure
;============================================================================== AppFatalExit proc lpszCaption :DWORD, ;// pointer to string to display in

                        \                   ;// caption of the message box
nSize       :DWORD  ;// size of caption

;// Display a message box and terminate.

    LOCAL   uExitCode       :DWORD
LOCAL   lpBuffer        :DWORD
LOCAL   szFatalMessage  [256]:BYTE
LOCAL   nSizeMsg        :DWORD

LOCAL szFatalCaption [64]:BYTE

;// Get the calling thread's last-error code value.

invoke GetLastError
mov uExitCode, eax

;// Obtain error message string.

invoke FormatMessage, FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER or \

                           FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM, NULL, uExitCode, 0,
addr lpBuffer, 0, NULL
.if eax == NULL
dwsize  uExitCode
mov     nSizeMsg, ebx
invoke  GetLastError
push    eax
dwsize  eax
add     nSizeMsg, ebx
pop     eax
dszText szDoubleFmt, "#%lu [& %lu]"
invoke  wsprintf, addr szFatalMessage, addr szDoubleFmt, uExitCode, eax
add     nSizeMsg, 7
.if eax != nSizeMsg
dszText szDoubleMessage, "??? [& ???]"
mcopy   szFatalMessage, szDoubleMessage
.endif
.else
mov     nSizeMsg, eax
dwsize  uExitCode
add     nSizeMsg, ebx
dszText szFmt, "%lu - %s"
invoke  wsprintf, addr szFatalMessage, addr szFmt, uExitCode, lpBuffer
add     nSizeMsg, 4
.if eax != nSizeMsg
dszText szMessage, "#??? - ?????"
mcopy   szFatalMessage, szMessage
.endif
invoke  LocalFree, lpBuffer ;// Possible errors in LocalFree ignored

.endif

;// Display the application fatal exit message box.

dszText szCaptionFmt, "Fatal: %s"
invoke wsprintf, addr szFatalCaption, addr szCaptionFmt, lpszCaption add nSize, 6
.if eax != nSize

        dszText szCaption, "Fatal: ?????, ln #???"
mcopy   szFatalCaption, szCaption

.endif
invoke MessageBox, NULL, addr szFatalMessage, addr szFatalCaption,

MB_ICONHAND or MB_SYSTEMMODAL

;// End process and all its threads.

invoke ExitProcess, eax

AppFatalExit endp

end start
---------------------------------------------------------------------------8<--