First time creating a form

[rocketman50]

Hello,

I'm using visual C++ to try and create a window which will display various bits and bobs from my program. For example, I have a text box which I want to fill with a list of strings generated by my program.

I have a function called addText() which I wrote in the form header file.

	public ref class Form1 : public System::Windows::Forms::Form
	{
	public:
		Form1(void)
		{
			InitializeComponent();
		}

		void addText(){
			 String ^ b = gcnew String("asd");
			textBox1->AppendText(b);
		}
...

My question is, how can I call this from my main cpp file? (forget for now that it doesn't have any parameters).

This is a section from my cpp file:

using namespace form;

[STAThreadAttribute]
int main(array<System::String ^> ^args)
{
	// Enabling Windows XP visual effects before any controls are created
	Application::EnableVisualStyles();
	Application::SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false); 
	// Create the main window and run it
	Application::Run(gcnew Form1());
	Form1 fas;
	fas.addText();

	return 0;
}

This currently will compile, but will not display the text correctly. My confusion lies in how to access the form which is running. Presumably, a form is created, runs and is displayed by this line:
Application::Run(gcnew Form1());

By creating 'fas' am I not just creating a new form, which will not be displayed? How should I access the member functions of the form that is being displayed?

Cheers,

[tabstop]

Not that I speak Managed at all, but the obvious thing to me would be

int main(array<System::String ^> ^args)
{
	// Enabling Windows XP visual effects before any controls are created
	Application::EnableVisualStyles();
	Application::SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false); 
	// Create the main window and run it
	Form1 fas;
	fas.addText();
        Application::Run(fas);
	return 0;
}

[rocketman50]

Thanks, I had tried that before but I got slightly confused by the error message it gives

1>.\form.cpp(18) : error C2665: 'System::Windows::Forms::Application::Run' : none of the 3 overloads could convert all the argument types
1>        c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\v2.0.50727\system.windows.forms.dll: could be 'void System::Windows::Forms::Application::Run(System::Windows::Forms::Form ^)'
1>        c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\v2.0.50727\system.windows.forms.dll: or       'void System::Windows::Forms::Application::Run(System::Windows::Forms::ApplicationContext ^)'
1>        while trying to match the argument list '(form::Form1)'

[tabstop]

So the first choice there is a Form ^, and I think ^ means reference, right? Or is it pointer? If it's pointer, maybe pass the managed-equivalent-of-&fas in. If it's reference I don't know how to create a reference.

[rocketman50]

Thanks very much, this code now works. Also, congratulations on hitting 10k posts!

		Form1^ fas;
		fas = gcnew Form1();
		fas->addText();
		Application::Run(fas);

Surely there has to be an easier way than this to create a window and some output lol