Thread: A question about form...

Please excuse me if this is kind of vague... I'm looking for something a bit less specific than programming code this time...

If I had a one-man project, on the larger size... Lets say something like a Windows based music collection manager... hefty but not beyond a single person, in a reasonable amount of time...

How would I organize this in C++?

For example... should the usual WinProc and message dispatcher be in a Class or should they be done C style?

Should Dialogs be in Classes or C style?

Class declarations in headers, definitions in cpp files? (This seems obvious)

Roughly what portion of the code might I expect to be procedural and what part in Classes?

No specifics here... just looking for a better "feel" for the environment...

Thanks in advance...

If you're going to use the WinAPI for this program then yeah, you could be stuck writing a lot of classes yourself if you want an object-oriented design for that. You don't have to though. You could use a more object-oriented GUI API, or you could take a more multi-paradigm approach; that is, use C++ to write procedural GUI code.

Class declarations in headers, definitions in cpp files? (This seems obvious)

Yes, unless they are templates. If they are templates, the simplest thing is to put everything in an h file.

Originally Posted by whiteflags

If you're going to use the WinAPI for this program then yeah, you could be stuck writing a lot of classes yourself if you want an object-oriented design for that. You don't have to though. You could use a more object-oriented GUI API, or you could take a more multi-paradigm approach; that is, use C++ to write procedural GUI code.

That's sort of the way I'm leaning right now. I'm thinking procedural code for the GUI and windows message handling, perhaps a few utility routines... the stuff you basically plow through once... Then having all the data handling etc. in Classes. Sort of like I did in my "self-test" program I posted in the other thread; but, of course, far more organized.

I picture a WinProc who's switch statement is filled with calls to class members...

99% of what I do has been at the WinApi level, if that's any help. I'm far more inclined to get right down and dirty with the OS than to spend my time looking for classes or libraries to do my work for me... It always feels better when the program finally gets up and does it's thing.

Why not use MFC? It has been recently updated and for dialog applications is quite simple to use.

Originally Posted by Bubba

Why not use MFC? It has been recently updated and for dialog applications is quite simple to use.

I'll take a look... I don't know if it's changed since my first experience with it but I seem to recall having to distribute multiple DLLs with my code... Which I'd really prefer not to do. I like writing standalone programs whenever possible.