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Hello everyone :wave: ,
I would like to start a new project on Visual C++ 6.0 (I must use that) but I don't know where to start from. I usually used freeware SDK and I am not a skilled programmer. I would like to make an application that can run from console with all his classes and afterwards to add a gui, or to do both the things together. When I do New->Projects what should I choose?
To admin: if this is not the right place sorry for that...and move me anywhere you want ;)
If you want to do both, you need to have two separate projects, or else use a DLL.
If you are an experianced CLI programmer (coming from the UNIX world), create a console project.
If you are starting from scratch and just learning, then I personally would do a console project to do a "Hello World", then create a GUI project to make a "Hello World" GUI.
I suggest getting a book on this subject. Way too big to cover here.
-Erik
Create a dialog based MFC project. In the InitInstance you mainwindow will be shown. Disable this code and you can use it like it is a commandline program. Afterwards you can enable the disabled code and you will have a mainwindow.
I admit I don't know much about MFC, but given its age and some of the outdated patterns it uses, is it really a good place for newbies to be starting?
Depends.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindley
1. If they want to learn how everything works and be a guru, yes.
2. If they want to just slap together an app and hope, no.
If it is #2, take a look at C#.NET.
-Erik
Isn’t the above sentence a contradiction to:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindley
I do not know where did you hear this. Microsoft jusr updated MFC for VS 2008.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindley
Besides what is wrong with age? STL is older but I have not seen or heard anybody complaining about it.
MFC is just a tool to make Windows programming better and without knowing how Windows OS is working, there is no much use of it. MFC also requires knowledge of the C++ and OOP.
I hear most complains about MFC from people who do not know it.
To learn Windows programming in general and Windows programming with help of MFC requires long learning curve. The result is you have much more control over application behavior than in higher level languages. (VB, C#) that make Windows works transparent.
If you are thinking about serious programming, my advice is: if you know C++, learn how Windows work writing some applications without MFC using Windows API and after gaining some experience start using MFC.
If you want to do some programming without it choose easier way and use VB or C#.
WHY?Quote:
Originally Posted by Antwerpen
It is notoriously non-compliant (which means if ou are using it for learning, then you are NOT learning Valid C++).
There are freely available compliant compilers.
Why don't you go with an Express edition (2008). You can't develop MFC applications with it, but it's good for learning C++, if this is what you're after.
Hang around here long enough and you pick up little head-scratchers regarding MFC....that's what I'm mostly referring to. Things like popping up a message box as an error-handling technique; I saw somewhere that some class or other did that by default. Just weird.Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnCz
MFC has a lot of quirks, but so does .NET and several other wrapper packages. The nice thing about MFC over many of the others (especially .NET) is that it allows you to have either little or a lot of control over what the program is doing under the hood. It is also MUCH older and more developed, it has been around since Windows 3.1 and VisualC++ 1.5. That is nearly 20 years (19 to be exact).
If you want to learn true blue C++, use Linux and gcc.
Microsoft (like usual) has modified the language to suit their own purposes, eg. Windows development. But, it really isn't that much different, especially after VisualC++ 2005 which conformed more to the ANSI spec. (All of us who declare vars in for() loops learned that!)
We have all diverged from the original question however. If it is a beginner with a boss making him use an older version of VC (6.0), then what he can do is create a console app, test his routines using standard stdio, then afterwards create a Windows app and cut and paste. Of course this approach will not work with .NET since .NET requires all sorts of changes in the code, but any of the traditional Windows programming methods will work, either MFC or even a raw C Windows app. If Antwerpen can find one of the old "Windows Programming" books from MS press, he should be all set. Converting from command line stdio to GUIs is convered there.
-Erik
Thanks to all for your answers & sorry if I didn't answered soon.
Actually I am able to program in C++ (OOP & stuff like that) and I am quite good to use STL and other pretty things. I also started to read some articles on MFC and I implemented some simple things and I like it :D
Surely I want to learn the managing of threads and MFC in more detail.
I had to use VC++ 6.0 because my company gave me just that and I needed no more (also if it has many little bugs). Right now I should find a way to upgrate to VS 2008 (is it possible and how?) or install it from zero.
Thanks to all for the experiences and knowledge sharing!!!