How do yuo mix c++ and win32 ?

How do you mix c++ and win32, take this code for example, can you use standard c++ functions in this like cout, cin, cin.get etc or how does it work ?

Code:

#include <windows.h> /* Declare Windows procedure */ LRESULT CALLBACK WindowProcedure (HWND, UINT, WPARAM, LPARAM); /* Make the class name into a global variable */ char szClassName[ ] = "WindowsApp"; int WINAPI WinMain (HINSTANCE hThisInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpszArgument, int nFunsterStil) { HWND hwnd; /* This is the handle for our window */ MSG messages; /* Here messages to the application are saved */ WNDCLASSEX wincl; /* Data structure for the windowclass */ /* The Window structure */ wincl.hInstance = hThisInstance; wincl.lpszClassName = szClassName; wincl.lpfnWndProc = WindowProcedure; /* This function is called by windows */ wincl.style = CS_DBLCLKS; /* Catch double-clicks */ wincl.cbSize = sizeof (WNDCLASSEX); /* Use default icon and mouse-pointer */ wincl.hIcon = LoadIcon (NULL, IDI_APPLICATION); wincl.hIconSm = LoadIcon (NULL, IDI_APPLICATION); wincl.hCursor = LoadCursor (NULL, IDC_ARROW); wincl.lpszMenuName = NULL; /* No menu */ wincl.cbClsExtra = 0; /* No extra bytes after the window class */ wincl.cbWndExtra = 0; /* structure or the window instance */ /* Use Windows's default color as the background of the window */ wincl.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH) COLOR_BACKGROUND; /* Register the window class, and if it fails quit the program */ if (!RegisterClassEx (&wincl)) return 0; /* The class is registered, let's create the program*/ hwnd = CreateWindowEx ( 0, /* Extended possibilites for variation */ szClassName, /* Classname */ "Windows App", /* Title Text */ WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW, /* default window */ CW_USEDEFAULT, /* Windows decides the position */ CW_USEDEFAULT, /* where the window ends up on the screen */ 544, /* The programs width */ 375, /* and height in pixels */ HWND_DESKTOP, /* The window is a child-window to desktop */ NULL, /* No menu */ hThisInstance, /* Program Instance handler */ NULL /* No Window Creation data */ ); /* Make the window visible on the screen */ ShowWindow (hwnd, nFunsterStil); /* Run the message loop. It will run until GetMessage() returns 0 */ while (GetMessage (&messages, NULL, 0, 0)) { /* Translate virtual-key messages into character messages */ TranslateMessage(&messages); /* Send message to WindowProcedure */ DispatchMessage(&messages); } /* The program return-value is 0 - The value that PostQuitMessage() gave */ return messages.wParam; } /* This function is called by the Windows function DispatchMessage() */ LRESULT CALLBACK WindowProcedure (HWND hwnd, UINT message, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) { switch (message) /* handle the messages */ { case WM_DESTROY: PostQuitMessage (0); /* send a WM_QUIT to the message queue */ break; default: /* for messages that we don't deal with */ return DefWindowProc (hwnd, message, wParam, lParam); } return 0; }

of course you can mix Win32 and standard C++. What do you think Win32 API is? The Win32 API is just a set of C++ functions and variables that let you program Windows programs in C++, so why couldn't you use standard C++ to do that?

Now, there is a catch about cout and cin. cout and and cin are abbreviations for shorter terms, if you did not know that already.

cout = "console output"
cin = "console input"

They are meant to be directed towards a console (DOS) window. You do not normally have console windows in Win32 programs, so normally you don't typically use these in a Win32 program, however, that doesn't mean you cant, because you can. But they are not particularly helpful in Win32...so I wouldnt if I were you.

However, you CAN redirect cout and cin to output to files if you want using fstreams (#include <fstream>). Just say:

ofstream load ( "myfile.dat" );
cout = load;

That will redirect cout and make it output everything you say using cout to the file myfile.dat.

Of course why do that when you can just use the ofstream in the first place and not redirect anything? It is all a matter of preference.

What platform does your application run on? Is it a win32 console applications?

Kuphryn

This is one of the things that makes Windows programming difficult to learn. There are lots of WinAPI functions (maybe 2000?) , and you have to learn when to use them. (Sometimes you must use them, other times they are optional.) There are also lots of constants, typedefs, and structures in the WinAPI.

The other thing that makes learning Windows difficult is the amount of "overhead"... Lots of code for a little program that doesn't do much.

You use the WinAPI stuff for the user interface and OS interface (I/O). For the most part, the WinAPI is used to make your program look good and easy to use.

You use standard C++ functions & features for the underlying logic... to make your program do something useful and work well "under the hood"... stuff like calculations, data manipulation, or sorting.

I've written a small streambuffer class that outputs to message boxes. You can rebind the stream buffer of cout to it.

Unfortunatly it's not in an uploadable state because I'm adding input support to it.

Quote:

Originally posted by CornedBee
I've written a small streambuffer class that outputs to message boxes. You can rebind the stream buffer of cout to it.

Unfortunatly it's not in an uploadable state because I'm adding input support to it.

Sounds good,

tks for all the other replies, very helpful.

Code:

ofstream load ( "myfile.dat" ); cout = load;

HIDEOUSLY WRONG !!!!!:o :o :o

You need to read this immediately....redirections....

God im whacked tonight:D :D

Nice article. I didn't know you have to restore the buffers.