Getting the Hang of the C++/CLI IDE

[Lee Cheon-Sin]

Well, I used to be an HTML, JavaScript/JScript, VBScript user. Then I learned to use Visual Basic 6, and then C#. Now I'm trying to make the transition to C++/CLI. In theory, C++/CLI should be almost as easy to learn as C#. In a realworld environment however, C++/CLI is much harder to begin using. The most notable problems I've encountered is the lack of clues to help me realize a mistake. In C# and VB.NET, I get underlines, and popups helping me fill the file up with code. I get none of that in C++/CLI. The second issue is knowing how all the files relate to each other when first creating a fresh Windows Forms project. I change the namespace name, and it gives me errors. I change the form's name, and it gives me errors. I try to customize anything and it gives me errors. After a few minutes I was able to alleviate some of these problems, but I feel I could do a better job if I could know what parts of what files are dependent on which parts of which files. For example, in C#, if you rename a namespace, a variable, or anything of that sort, the IDE offers to rename all instances of the item referenced from other parts of the file, and even other files.

Any help getting me up on my feet would be appreciated. :)

[ThermoSight]

Hi Lee.

I both understand and share your frustration although, over time, the IDE tends to become very friendly. I must admit, however, that the initial learning curve was very difficult for me.

Thank Goodness I found two books that helped immensely. The first was Microsoft's own "Visual C++ .NET - Step by Step".

The second, which I consider to be the modern-day version of Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming", is Deitel's "Visual C++ .NET - How To Program". These two books will help immensely.

Yet another terrific resource is the IDE's built in HELP section. Once you familiarize yourself with it and learn to use it, you will begin to appreciate its value. It took me quite awhile to see how to use it effectively, but now I use it far more than any of my books .... especially when I'm knee-deep in type conversions. The HELP section actually makes that fun!

It is important to note, however, that the HELP section is a reference, not a tutorial.

There are a few tricks of the trade, so to speak, when dealing with the IDE. I now routinely edit the contents of that section of the Form class where one is warned not to enter, and I've learned that when the IDE stops providing information while I'm entering code .... it's actually providing me with information even then. It's telling me that something's wrong in the preceding line(s). I review the code and if I can't see something immediately, I do a quick compile to see where I've screwed up.

The Find/Replace function is another function I rely on very heavily.

In short, with a little sweat equity, the IDE becomes a huge help in developing bullet-proof code. If you keep at it, I predict that you too will come to love it.

Best wishes,

bill

[Lee Cheon-Sin]

Thanks. I've already looked at C# samples along with C++ samples in the MSDN documentations. I'm fairly familiar with bits of C++, but haven't worked out the relationship between the parts of the language yet. Hopefully, I'll get it in the same time I grasped C#. The problem would be, there aren't many C++/CLI resources, and codeguru is the most informative source so far (excluding the forums, where there seems to be so many questions, but so many unanswered :D).