Good Windows Tutorial/Book?

[mohaakilla51]

Alright, so I believe that I have a decently good grasp on Basic C++, but I cannot get into the Windows Programming, it makes no sense, is there anyone that can recommend a good C++ Windows API tutorial I would be extremely grateful. I googled "Windows API Tutorial, C++" but all I got weren't very good tutorials, and were hard to understand.

[oler1s]

http://www.charlespetzold.com/The defacto author on Windows programming. For the old C style API, he stopped at the 5th edition of "Windows Programming".

[weaknessforcats]

Alright, so I believe that I have a decently good grasp on Basic C++, but I cannot get into the Windows Programming, it makes no sense,

You will need a lot of practice to get good at this.

Here is Windows programming in a nutshell:
1) your programs have no main(). main() is buried inside Windows
2) you have WinMain() instead. Here you can define a Window and register it with Windows.
3) then while still in WInMain(), you can create the Window
4) signals are passed to your window via DispaatchMessage().
5) these signals end up in the WndProc() for your window
6) The WndProc() is a giant switch statement where each case handles a specific message. For example, WM_KEYDOWN would handle pressing any key on the keyboard. If this is of no interest to the window, then you have no case WM_KEYDOWN.
7) Windows can be invisible. Great place to keep track of your application variables.

Get a Windows programming textbook and type in (do not use the CD in the back) every example, compile and run it. Only by using the fingers will you get on top of this.

My guess is you will need about 2000 hours of practice to get really comfortable.