In Detail

With this book you will learn how to create applications using MDI, complex file formats, text parsing and processing, graphics, and interactions. Every essential skill required to build Windows desktop–style applications is covered in the context of fully working examples.

The book begins with a quick primer on the C++ language, and using the Visual C++ IDE to create Windows applications. This acts as a recap for existing C++ programmers, and a quick guide to the language if you've not worked with C++ before. The book then moves into a set of comprehensive example applications, presenting the important parts of the code with explanation of how it works, and how and when to use similar techniques in your own applications.

The applications include: a Tetris-style game, a drawing application, a spreadsheet, and a word processor.

If you know the C++ language, or another Windows-based programming language, and want to use C++ to write real, complex applications then this book is ideal for you.

What you will learn from this book?

When you read this book, you will learn to:

• Build larger, more powerful, user friendly C++ applications

• Create MDI (multiple document interface) applications and use other Windows application interface elements

• Create memory structures for complex application objects: documents, spreadsheets, drawings

• Save files to represent these memory structures

• Parse and process text, display interactive graphics, and handle input from the mouse and the keyboard

Who this book is written for?

The book is ideal for programmers who have worked with C++ or other Windows-based programming languages. It provides developers with everything they need to build complex desktop applications using C++.

If you have already learned the C++ language, and want to take your programming to the next level, then this book is ideal for you.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 6 Ratings

Good Book for Learning Windows - 2009-03-22
Reviewer Rating:
This is a good book for learning windows and programming it with Visual C++, it includes enough code to get you on your way to writing applications in Visual C++. It is obvious that the author put a lot of work into it. On the negative side, there are two problems I had with the book, first, I drag-dropped the files out of the ZIP, and NOTHING worked, so I wasted a lot of time trying to figure out why nothing worked. Reason: the author expected everyone to unzip the files by designating the folder, not drag-drop them out of the zip file. That could have been avoided had the author put them explicitly in folders in the zip file. Secondly, I opened the word application, switched my keyboard over to Greek, started to type . . . !!!it crashed!!! Evidently unicode is not important to the author of this book, because it does not seem to be implemented properly. But if you are looking for a bare-bones starting point for writing windows applications, this book is pretty good.

Excellent book for those with some V C++ 2008 IDE, C++ and MFC background - 2010-03-01
Reviewer Rating:
I'll try to not repeat what others have already said in previous reviews.

This is a good book for those who have some background in using the Visual C++ 2008 IDE, C++ itself, and the MFC. It presents some introductory material regarding those topics; however, it is not a sufficient introductory book in those regards, but it is otherwise excellent.

I am not criticizing the book in the above paragraph, merely trying to clarify for whom I think this might be an appropriate book.

The book presents most of its material via 5 Windows examples, Ring, Tetris, Draw, Calc and Word. Ring is a simple program which just puts colored circles on the screen wherever you click the mouse. All the information required to produce it is presented step by step in a clear and adequate manner in the text. There is one piece of code on page 115 where you would want to look at the online Errata. He presents the code for these examples in the text.

I encountered no problems downloading, unpacking, compiling and running all the examples. The code itself includes many helpful comments explaining what the code does. I am by no means an expert C++ programmer, but I think the quality of the code is excellent. I think the code is very clear, efficient and well written.

In conclusion, if you are looking for an introductory book in these topics, this is probably not the book for you. Also, if you are an experienced professional programmer you would probably not get much useful information from this book, unless, that is, you are looking for some examples of clear precise C++ code. If you already have an introductory background and are looking for something to help you make the next steps, I think you would find this book helpful.

Microsoft Visual C++ - 2009-04-08
Reviewer Rating:
Thorough coverage of C++ for Microsoft platform. Not the "quickstart" manual that I was looking for, but helpful for getting into the nuts and bolts of the programming language.

Practical, easy and current but needs a "business" app chapter - 2010-02-23
Reviewer Rating:
The author has a terse, practical, "get it done" style. This is the type of author I like to read; high information density, not a bunch of rhetoric, humor, anecdotes, etc. His experience as a professor is obvious.

This is a good MFC book to have on the shelf for the beginner or intermediate. The advanced Windows / MFC C++ programmer won't get as much from it, but its still worth a read for the self-taught MFC programmer that may not have learned the formal basics. This book might fill in some holes for you, particularly if you ever have to write your own GUI controls.

The author makes MFC fun, and after reading the book, it kindles a new zest for programming, reminding me of writing Tetris for DOS in college, and makes me want to take up Windows game programming again.

Strengths:
1) Great coverage of low-level graphics, text, fonts and basically doing things without dependence on the MFC standard controls.
2) Great samples. Great overall organization around those samples.

For the experienced C++ business app developer, the two weaknesses of this book are:
1) 88 pages (almost 20%) dedicated to C++ primer. Many pepople will simply skip to Chapter 3.
2) The book does not cover a business style application, such as use of a lot of dialogs, the more advanced MFC controls like lists boxes, trees, splitters, etc.
3) Authors seems uncomfortable with the C++ STL and states that he "found many of those classes to be rather clumsy to use" and "it is not a good idea to mix MFC and STL container classes". This statement lacks credibility and it the author wishes to teach C++ (apparently he does by including the first 2 chapters) then he should reconsider inclusion of STL rather than re-inventing the wheel with his own List, Set and Array classes. But all in all, he doesn't waste more than 4-5 pages on that, and it doesn't detract from the book.

This book is more tailored to "Learning to write software on Windows" than "How to create more powerful MFC apps ". The student, hobbyist or game programmer will love this book. A business app developer may end up wishing for more involved examples. The author spends most of his time on drawing / device context approach, and very little on the many controls that we commonly use to create rich applications.

In a nutshell, if the author releases a 2nd edition, I'll buy it, just because this is the style of programming book that I like, but only if the author adds one or two more complex sample apps demonstrating controls and approaches you might find in a business application.

More authors should write in this style. It makes programming fun. We have too many "tomes" of APIs and theory and complex frameworks (WCF for example) so this is refreshing for us native app developers. I can envision this book as a great course book for a Computer Science student, because it makes Windows programming accessible and fun.

Despite my critique, the book is still a gem.

Paging Quality Control to Aisle 978-1-847195-56-2 for cleanup - 2010-02-08
Reviewer Rating:
Let me be honest, I am only 19 pages into the first chapter. I have found multiple spelling errors, factual inaccuracies, and wonder if they have attempted to compile and check their sample code as demonstrating what was intended. The publisher's website does list some errata. I suspect most people gave up on doing the proof reading for the publisher and continued to muddle through in order to gain the good knowledge presented later in this book. I have no doubt the concepts will be accurate and useful later on but it you are and obsessive tending person beware this book might be a bit much for you.

All that said Visual C++ books with recent publication dates are a rare find, so don't write this book off just be warned.

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