Q about Windows Programming in general

Not sure if this has been asked before , but i'll ask anyway..

I just started learning Win32 programming from TheForge's tutorial (i'm sick of the stupid ol' console) and i noticed something about it that i'd like to ask about :

There's lots and i mean LOTS of things to memorize. Am i supposed to memorize them all or just copy\paste and make additions\modifications? Like there's a structure with around 8 members that stores info about the window you want to show ; memorizing all these stuff is too much.

TheForge (author) says that i shouldn't care about memorizing stuff. But out of curiousity , for those who are experienced in Win32 programming , do you memorize all that Win32 code? i mean is it like coding console programs or you always keep a reference next to you?

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Originally Posted by Brain Cell

Not sure if this has been asked before , but i'll ask anyway..

I just started learning Win32 programming from TheForge's tutorial (i'm sick of the stupid ol' console) and i noticed something about it that i'd like to ask about :

There's lots and i mean LOTS of things to memorize. Am i supposed to memorize them all or just copy\paste and make additions\modifications? Like there's a structure with around 8 members that stores info about the window you want to show ; memorizing all these stuff is too much.

TheForge (author) says that i shouldn't care about memorizing stuff. But out of curiousity , for those who are experienced in Win32 programming , do you memorize all that Win32 code? i mean is it like coding console programs or you always keep a reference next to you?

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I'm not experienced with the Windows API, but I can tell you that you'll eventually have the stuff memorized after you use it for a while. At first just memorize the function names and params that you use the most and go from there.

You can't program in WIN32 (MFC ect) without help (MSDN).

Well I can't, after many years of trying..........

I know the function names but still have to look up many functions (to see if they do what I want and their params).

Hello,

Using the Win32 API is the same as using languages in general when it comes to memorising. As already stated by homeyg, the more you use things, the more you'll remember.

When you first start using the Win32 API you'll probably ask yourself "man, how am I going to remember all this rubbish!?" :)

The reality of it is, you won't. You'll probably never remember all of it, but there's a good chance that the more you use it, the more you'll remember. At the end of the day, MSDN is generally always open on the same desktop as the coder when building Win32 apps!!

Cheers!

I agree with the others. I have been programming the Win32 API since it first appeared and whilst I remember the names of the functions, and some of them in their entirity, I often find myself looking things up.

Gone are the days when an individual could have the entire thing in their head. Things are just to complex now.

Thanks for replying homeyg , novacain , TheColonial and adrianxw :)


Out of curiosity ; companies that make C++ GUI programs for Windows use the Win32 API , right?

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Originally Posted by Brain Cell

Out of curiosity ; companies that make C++ GUI programs for Windows use the Win32 API , right?

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If you mean programs that run on Windows and therefore use a Window of some sort, then yes they probably used the Win32 API.

Lots of people are now moving towards C# .NET for basic windows applications instead of having to deal with the Win32 API directly, and you do the same in managed C++.

But from my experience, direct use of the API is far from dead ;)