Converting console app to larger GUI based app

Hello all,

I work in heathcare IT and have been finishing up a non-CS bachelors. My degree has c++ in the curriculum and have taken 2 semesters of it and passed. We never got into any gui stuff. It was
strictly console apps. That being said I have been able to create a few small apps to help with my job/department. I would like to start to create GUI based apps but I am kind of overwhelmed at the
choices. I dont know where to go from here. Since I have c++ experience I would think Visual C++ would be the choice but i have been reading a lot of forums and getting other info.

Is there another language I should look at the would allow me to convert my program quicker or easier?

The console program I already created is very very simple and want to make a gui for.
Quick break down.

Reads file
Changes file contents based on search string,
saves and closes file
and kills a windows service
exits

Only thing I want to add would be the ability to run the file from a remote site within the company LAN(not a priority though). Currently it needs to be run locally on the server.

I don't mind learning something new or re-coding the whole thing since its such a simple program. Mainly looking for some direction and guidance.

Thanks in advance,
Cris

Quote:

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Originally Posted by betaCris

I dont know where to go from here. Since I have c++ experience I would think Visual C++ would be the choice but i have been reading a lot of forums and getting other info.

Is there another language I should look at the would allow me to convert my program quicker or easier?

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Visual C++ is a development environment from Microsoft, not a GUI. But without further lecturing :) I'll make a suggestion. Have a look at Qt,

http://qt.digia.com/

Qt is an application framework and it's the closest you'll get to the Java situation while using C++. The programs you develop will have a GUI and they will be portable among different platforms. And yes, you can use Qt with Visual C++ as your development tool (while developing on Windows).

Ok thanks.

i just downloaded qt....working through newbostons video tutorials.

Or if you don't want to have an overhead of QT and take care of it different licensing, take a look at wxWidgets (www.wxWidgets.org). It is cross-platform C++ GUI library which will give you native look and feel on all 3 major platforms and it has support on all of the major compilers.

Thank you.

The main problem with GUI based stuff is that it is not directed. With a console based form, the user will have to go from one field to another in order or at least current previous and next are the only options unless you do something fancy. With GUI based forms, data can be input in any order so if you are doing any validation, you can only do it at the end.

You could always go for web based forms. Dump all the data in a database and view it through any web browser. What's even better is that you don't have to worry about the multi-user aspects because web based stuff is automatically multi-user. The browser doesn't even have to run on the same OS.

Other simple GUIs which might be worth considering are FLTK and Fox. The ease of programming GUIs is relative to how you think. Some people find some systems clunky, others love it. As mentioned by OneEyeMan - check the Qt EULA if you are thinking of using it on a commercial product, especially on Windows.

If you don't mind tied into MS .net framework and all things windows, you could try MS latest offering on GUIs. I find that these are a lot easier to operate in C# than in C++ because MS want you to use Managed C++. The old MFC and Windows SDK is still available on full blown visual studio, and, if there is anyone around who was using them at the turn of the century, they might be able to help you. These are worth considering if your deployment is on XP and below - they do not have .net framework installed by default.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by betaCris

The console program I already created is very very simple and want to make a gui for.
Quick break down.

Reads file
Changes file contents based on search string,
saves and closes file
and kills a windows service
exits

Only thing I want to add would be the ability to run the file from a remote site within the company LAN(not a priority though). Currently it needs to be run locally on the server.

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I don't see any user interaction mentioned in there. If that's the case, a GUI will only make your program less portable; there's no benefit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OneEyeMan

It is cross-platform C++ GUI library which will give you native look and feel on all 3 major platforms and it has support on all of the major compilers.

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It takes more than a GUI framework to make an application look and feel native. The behavior of the program needs to be as users of the platform would expect as well. Using cross-platform GUI libraries you can make programs that run on the major platforms, but that's not the same as making a program look and feel native.