Thread: Doing things like VB using Windows API in C++

  1. #1
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    Doing things like VB using Windows API in C++

    Hey, basically here is the thing. I am an experienced Visual Basic programmer, and just recently started writing code in C++ for windows (been writing C++ console for a bit too).

    I am wondenrig about how to do things that were easy in VB in Windows C++, such as make label's (not really using "DrawText" because you have to repaint those in the WM_PAINT otherwise they are erased as windows go over my window). Also text-boxes, list boxes, options, etc. You know what I mean, I want to know how to do these things.

    Does anyone have a good reference I can look at or if its easy enough perhaps you can tell me how. I really appreciate your help. (The reason I ask this now, is that i'm pretty much done with my tetris clone game, and I wanted to give it a prettier interface). Thanks for your help again, really appreciate it!

    BTW: I use Dev-C++ as my IDE and gcc as compiler for c++.

  2. #2
    &TH of undefined behavior Fordy's Avatar
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    Lookup Charles Petzold's - Programming Windows.....its the book you will want at your side right now...

    If you like the RAD aspect of creating controls on forms, then you might wasnt to use a compiler with a built in resource editor like VC++......but better you learn how things work under C++ before going on to that

  3. #3
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    I'd just like to add something to Fordy's post. If you are looking for a good RAD tool, go download Borland Builder it is very nice. Also BB comes with a free trial period.
    "...the results are undefined, and we all know what "undefined" means: it means it works during development, it works during testing, and it blows up in your most important customers' faces." --Scott Meyers

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    Ah, well I mean, I guess I *could* buy that book, but are there any other free resources online? Like some tutorial websites or something similar?

    I kinda want to save on buying books until I know that I have at least a decent grasp of this stuff. I have a few books just lying around that I got excited about and went ahead and bought and now I don't even use them.

    Appreciate your ideas tho

  5. #5
    http://winprog.org/tutorial

    or

    http://www.gamedev.net/reference/pro...es/gpgenesis1/

    that's where I learned. Then I moved over to

    http://msdn.microsoft.com

    But that's more of a refrence than a tutorial (although they have a few)

  6. #6
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    Wow, that winprog one is great! Thanks a lot, appreciate it.

  7. #7
    Just one more wrong move. -KEN-'s Avatar
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    Once you've got API down fairly well, you may want to check out MFC - it's a lot like RAD development (point, click, add handler), but you're gonna want to figure out the API before you dive into it. I'm just starting to fool around with MFC but so far it doesn't look too hard. I've managed to stumble about into figuring out how to do things (thank you AutoComplete and MSDN).

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