P2/V1/SWG2 TY Visual C++ in 14/21/Week 31240-9 Marcia Intro Lp#2
Introduction
Welcome to Visual C++. Over the next 21 days, you will learn how to use the features
that Microsoft has built into its C++ development environment to enable you to create
very advanced applications for the Windows and NT platforms. When Microsoft’s devel-
opers first came up with the idea behind Visual C++, they decided to take their world-
class C++ compiler and create a development environment and set of tools that would
enable developers to create Windows applications with a level of ease and speed that was
unheard of among C++ development environments. Since that first version, Microsoft
has continued to improve the tools that are a part of Visual C++ to make it even easier to
create Windows applications. As Microsoft has introduced new technologies into the
Windows platforms, it has also introduced tools into the Visual C++ suite to make it easy
to integrate these new technologies into your applications.
If you are new to C++, don’t worry. I’ve tried to make it easy for you to learn the C++
programming language while also learning how to build applications using the Visual
C++ tools. Just in case you find yourself having trouble understanding some aspect of
C++, I’ve included a brief overview of the programming language in Appendix A,
“C++ Review.”
If you’ve looked at previous versions of this book, you might notice that I’ve completely
rewritten the entire book. Our goal with this new version is not just to introduce you to
and guide you through the various tools and resources that you will use to build applica-
tions with Visual C++; I’ve also tried to include a great deal more detail about the vari-
ous options that are available to you with each of the features that are covered. This way,
you’ll be able to get a lot of use out of this book long after the initial 21 days.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is organized in weeks, with each set of seven days set off into a part unto
itself. However, even though the book is organized in weeks, the topics are not neces-sar-
ily organized that way.
For the first week, you’ll be covering the basics of building applications with Visual
C++. You’ll learn how to use designers to design your application windows. You’ll learn
how to use various controls available to you as a Windows application developer. You’ll
also learn a lot about the Visual C++ development environment and the tools that it
makes available to you.
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