Want to do C++ GUI.

I think I kind of get the basics. However, I hate the Win 32 API as it appears to be more C, hence procedural, and less C++ object based.

I have Dev C++, as I heard the Visiual C++ is only like a 30 day free trail bla bla bla.

Anyway, I want a GUI and it seems that C++ is a terrible language and I'm surprised somebody hasn't tried to upgrade java to make it better as it's API is very user friendly, unlike so far what I'm finding, or, to put it more correctly, not finding, for C++.

I've already searched for about a full hour.

I'm quite upset. Is there anywhere that would show me how to do this?

I thought it would be just like java. Is C++ GUI's terrible or something?

I think I found a possibly older, non-Microsoft Visual C++.

I just hate all the procedural stuff and don't feel like going through the Win 32 API.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

Anyway, I want a GUI and it seems that C++ is a terrible language and I'm surprised somebody hasn't tried to upgrade java to make it better as it's API is very user friendly, unlike so far what I'm finding, or, to put it more correctly, not finding, for C++.

I've already searched for about a full hour.

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A Google search for "C++ GUI framework" or "C++ GUI library" gives me top five results that include: FLTK, Qt and wxWidgets.

EDIT:
Other options include: FOX toolkit and gtkmm.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

I have Dev C++, as I heard the Visiual C++ is only like a 30 day free trail bla bla bla.

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I note that maintenance for Dev-C++ has stopped for years. You could try Code Blocks, or use Microsoft Visual Studio Express edition (both are available at zero price).

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

I think I found a possibly older, non-Microsoft Visual C++.

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That sounds unlikely to me unless it is a trademark infringement.

I just downloaded the microsoft one. However, if I ever made a commercial product with it, would I get sued? Dev at least says I can do that without being sued.

However, I can't find a C++ library for GUI like I can for java. Java it comes up easily where as with C++ I'm still looking for a library for API.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

However, if I ever made a commercial product with it, would I get sued?

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The last I checked, no. The compiler is the full optimising compiler, and commercial use is allowed. However, you just don't get more than the basic IDE features, as well as certain additional libraries and things related to 64 bit development.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

However, I can't find a C++ library for GUI like I can for java. Java it comes up easily where as with C++ I'm still looking for a library for API.

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I linked you to several libraries. Have you looked at any of them? If GUI is a big part of your program and you already know how to do it in Java, why not use Java instead of C++?

So how do I get most of the libraries then if they don't come with the compiler or IDE?

I'm confused.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

So how do I get most of the libraries then if they don't come with the compiler or IDE?

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Download and install.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

However, I can't find a C++ library for GUI like I can for java. Java it comes up easily where as with C++ I'm still looking for a library for API.

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Here's a good GUI library for Windows I can recommend,

http://win32-framework.sourceforge.net/

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

I just hate ...

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C++ is for adults. You either stay in the Java kindergarten or grow up. :)

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

Anyway, I want a GUI and it seems that C++ is a terrible language

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I bet some of the GUI program you use are written in the "terrible" language of C++.

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I'm surprised somebody hasn't tried to upgrade java to make it better as it's API is very user friendly, unlike so far what I'm finding, or, to put it more correctly, not finding, for C++.

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Well, what exactly do you find that is "terrible" about C++?

Regards,

Paul McKenzie

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

I just downloaded the microsoft one. However, if I ever made a commercial product with it, would I get sued? Dev at least says I can do that without being sued.

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There is no such thing as the "Dev C++ compiler". The compiler you're using when you use the Dev IDE is g++, version 3.x. That is a very old version of the Gnu compiler, as the latest version is 4.x.

As laserlight mentioned, Dev-C++ is no longer updated, and seems to have not been touched in years by the original author. On the other hand, the CodeBlocks IDE is maintained and supports later versions of the g++ compiler.

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However, I can't find a C++ library for GUI like I can for java. Java it comes up easily where as with C++ I'm still looking for a library for API.

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You must not be searching very hard.

wXidgets, Qt, have already been mentioned, and are featured prominently by just doing a google search for "C++ GUI library".

https://www.google.com/?sesinv=1#hl=...w=1680&bih=949

Regards,

Paul McKenzie

I recommend Qt. I've used bot it and wxWidgets and Qt is far superior. The only caveat is that it isn't purely C++, they added some things to the library so you have to qmake it instead of make. The QtCreator IDE will create and run the qmake file for you though.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

However, I hate the Win 32 API as it appears to be more C, hence procedural, and less C++ object based.

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Yes it absolutely is. Remember that the first version of Windows was released 1985. I wasn't doing any Windows programming at that time but since MS try to be as backward compatible as possible I guess there are still APIs around that was created at that time.

I remember that in some year in the era of Windows 2 there was a rumor that next version should be fully object oriented. MS either dropped that idea for some reason (backward compability issues?) or it was the upcoming release of MFC that was misunderstood. Anyway, the Windows API is still plain C but as other has mentioned there are quite many C++ GUI frameworks around.

Perhaps you'd find C# and .Net more to your liking.

For Visual C++, I would think most of us use MFC, which basically puts a class based wrapper on the Windows API.

The terrible thing I guess is that it seems to not have a GUI API, or I can't find it.

Also, it's in part because my school now has an easier introdcutory course to C++ that they didn't have and I was forced to like learn the whole language in like 4-5 weeks and then go right into data structures, graphs, sorting, etc. I already knew java, but still, it had been hard.

I am aware that many things are written in C++, maybe that explains all the glitches in Windows.

Also, I had used UNIX and had to make makefiles, which was annoying.

Hopefully these IDE's will do it for me.

Also, since I had to learn pointers and references kind of quickly, I often got confused and couldn't figure out why I couldn't call

object.method();

and that I should have called

object -> method();

And that when I returned a reference, I could simply return it instead of

doing this

return &object;

Also, Java can work on all kinds of platforms, whereas if I sent a C++ .exe to my Grandma, who has an Apple, and I use Visual C++, then it won't work on her computer.

I do like operator overloading and things like that. That's a great advantage that java unfortunately doesn't have.

Anyway, I was upset as I couldn't find a C++ GUI library, or, if I could, there were several that might vary by compiler or IDE, etc.

Also, will Visual C++ express expire in like 30 days?

Also, I have a 64 bit computer. Does that mean that Express won't work for me then as it only has a 32 bit compiler?

I can only seem to get the Visual Developer part for forms. I can't find it for Win 32.

Also, I can't seem to get it to add a menu bar.

If you register the express version it wont expire.

It works on both 32 and 64 bit platforms and the default is to build 32 bit applications.

The express version doesn't come with MFC so all you have is Win32 APIs and making a GUI application using that is quite a pain...

Edit: Oh, if you create a forms application you get a managed c++ application not a native one

Register, doesn't that cost money?

Also, every time I try to get the toolbox that has all the components that I can add, it shows up for only 1 second, or less, and then hides. It's very irking. How do I make it stay put?

What's the difference between "Managed C++" and native C++?

I'm not sure how to do the editor with drag and drop like I can for forms.

How do I register the thing so that it won't expire?

What's the command/keyword

gcnew

do? I'm not familiar with that one.

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

The terrible thing I guess is that it seems to not have a GUI API, or I can't find it.

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You want to know something else? C++ doesn't even define a keyboard, mouse, let alone a GUI.

C++ is meant to be a general purpose language. You should read up on why C++ is the way it is. It can be used for any purpose and it went out of its way to not focus on GUI programming. If you want GUI programming, then you have the option of using the many toolkits out there.

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Also, it's in part because my school now has an easier introdcutory course to C++ that they didn't have and I was forced to like learn the whole language in like 4-5 weeks

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The C++ language cannot be learned in 4 or 5 weeks. How about 4 or 5 years, and even that amount of time may not make someone know the "whole language". There are authors who have written well-reviewed C++ books who do not use (and in some cases, know) the entire language.

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I am aware that many things are written in C++, maybe that explains all the glitches in Windows.

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I don't know what you mean by that. Bugs can appear in any program written in any language.

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Also, Java can work on all kinds of platforms, whereas if I sent a C++ .exe to my Grandma, who has an Apple, and I use Visual C++, then it won't work on her computer.

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You can create an executable with any language in Windows. This has nothing to do with C++, since you could create an exe with VB, C#, Delphi, FoxPro, and scores of other languages, and yes, even Java (there are EXE compilers for Java), and it won't work on your Grandma's computer.

What Java has is something called the JVM -- that is what makes it work on various operating systems. Guess what language many JVM's are written in? It's the terrible C++. That's why you can't take the JVM meant for Windows and use it on your Grandma's Apple machine, just like you can't take the EXE created in Windows and use it on Apple.

Regards,

Paul McKenzie

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Originally Posted by jedipenguin

What's the difference between "Managed C++" and native C++?

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1) Managed C++ is a Microsoft invention, C++ is a general purpose programming language not owned by any company. C++ is defined by a committee that develops the rules and officially sets out a document describing the language to ANSI every 8-10 years or so.

2) Managed C++ takes advantage of the .NET architecture, C++ is a general purpose language so it doesn't focus on what architecture it runs on.

3) Managed C++ uses extended syntax that does not exist in native C++.

Regards,

Paul McKenzie

I would go for Qt. Qt Creator (an IDE that comes with Qt) is actually a pretty nice IDE. In addition, there is a bunch of documentation for Qt. Just my $0.02.

No it doesn't cost any money to register. Just select Help/Register and follow the instructions.

The toolboxes can be pinned to stay if yo want that but it's not necessary. Click to select a compent and then click again in your form to place it.

gcnew is a managed C++ keyword http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...(v=vs.80).aspx