Unicode & Good Program Design :: C++

Hi.

I read the first three chapters of Programming Applications for Microsoft Windows (Dv-Mps General) by Jeffrey Richter. I believe it is an exception Windows programming book with key concepts no Windows programmer must know.

Anyways, in chapter 2, he dicusses Unicode. I would like to know the future of non-unicode data type include char. For example, Richter thoroughly explains the using of TChar.h, TCHAR, _UNICODE, UNICODE, _TEXT, TEXT, L, _tcscpy, etc.

For Windows programming, do you define both _UNICODE and UNICODE even though _UNICODE is for C library meanly it is for non-Windows environment?

For Windows programming, is it better to use L("string") or TEXT("string")?

In generally, I would like to know if TChar.h is of any use for Windows programming because I believe _TEXT, TEXT, other macros are from c run-time library.

Thanks,
Kuphryn

>>For Windows programming, do you define both _UNICODE and UNICODE even though _UNICODE is for C library meanly it is for non-Windows environment?<<

Normally I would just define UNICODE and only use _UNICODE if I required a string function that was not available in win32 API. I think the tchar.h string mappings are useful for win programming just now because of win9x but presumably as these os's get retired and become obsolete it may reduce to a 'nice to have' rather than a 'must have'.

>>For Windows programming, is it better to use L("string") or TEXT("string")?<<

I use TEXT or _T but I compile for both win9x/2k. I use L("string") for GDI+ because it's UNICODE only so an explicit conversion is better otherwise I get lots of errors when UNICODE is not defined.

>>In generally, I would like to know if TChar.h is of any use for Windows programming because I believe _TEXT, TEXT, other macros are from c run-time library. <<

Sometimes I find it is for the reasons mentioned above.

However, as a simple hobbyist, my use/abuse of these may not be the 'proper' way.

Okay. Thanks.

Kuphryn