How to program for the Windows OS?

[Firecore]

How does it work?
How do you go about using the code.
I have VC++ 6

[sicarie]

How does it work?
How do you go about using the code.
I have VC++ 6

I'm sorry, I don't understand your question. Are you talking about using the compiler, or how to execute your compiled code?

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[Firecore]

How do you actually make the code?
I mean.. how do you make windows and stuff?
How do you set out the code?(eg do you use void main{} ?)

[sicarie]

How do you actually make the code?
I mean.. how do you make windows and stuff?
How do you set out the code?(eg do you use void main{} ?)

Ah! Ok, thanks for the clarification. You actually use int main, but that's another issue. What you are looking for is the Win32 API. Don't be confused if you see MFC, this is an extension of it.

I'm not a Windows guy, but I'm sure you could find some good resources by doing a Google search of "c++ win32 api tutorial".

PS - I'm going to edit the thread title to better describe your issue - maybe someone else will come in with a really good tutorial they've found or something... Let me know if you think the title should be changed, and what you'd like it to say.

[weaknessforcats]

To find out how Windows code works you must:
1) learn C completely
2) read Charles Petzold's book Programming Windows.

Then you may need to:
1) learn C#
2) learn the .NET framework
3) learn C++
4) learn Visual C++.NET

But do not
1) learn MFC (it's obsolete)
2) use VC 6.0 (it has multiple service packs and some bugs were not fixed until Visual Studio.NET 2003 (version 7.0 of the compiler

The current version is Visual Studio.NET 2005 (verson 8.0 of the compiler) and this is what you should be using.

There are any number of tutorials on how to use Visual Studio but until you can write complex C programs, the features of Visual Studio are largely pointless.

[sicarie]

But do not
1) learn MFC (it's obsolete)

Thanks, weaknessforcats, I did not know that.

[weaknessforcats]

Thanks, weaknessforcats, I did not know that.

Yes. It was Microsoft's first attempt at C++ and all they did was wrap the Win32 API. The CWnd class has hundreds of methods, most of them virtual. Plus the class hierarchies go to nine levels.

Result: hundreds and hundreds of virtual funcitons. Which means big VTBLS. Which in a 640K machine (at the time) is a disaster.

So what MS did was disable the virtual function mechanism and had you map your own functions manually using a feature called a MESSAGE_MAP. (my stomach has just turned over again).

Then, it needed a 1MB DLL to work at run time. Let's at 52K (at the time) it takes how long to get your code running??

Then, it can only make a tradtional window that is not meant to be on the Internet.

It started out as Version 1.0 and I think it is still 1.0.

[sicarie]

Yes. It was Microsoft's first attempt at C++ and all they did was wrap the Win32 API. The CWnd class has hundreds of methods, most of them virtual. Plus the class hierarchies go to nine levels.

Result: hundreds and hundreds of virtual funcitons. Which means big VTBLS. Which in a 640K machine (at the time) is a disaster.

So what MS did was disable the virtual function mechanism and had you map your own functions manually using a feature called a MESSAGE_MAP. (my stomach has just turned over again).

Then, it needed a 1MB DLL to work at run time. Let's at 52K (at the time) it takes how long to get your code running??

Then, it can only make a tradtional window that is not meant to be on the Internet.

It started out as Version 1.0 and I think it is still 1.0.

Wow. Way to go, redmond. I'm glad you said something, I always got the feeling that the MFC was sort of an STL-type deal - something MS created to make common tasks easier. I suppose I should sit down and play around with the Win32 API at somepoint...