Covering the material needed to understand and write 32-bit
Windows applications for
Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51,
this work details Win32 application
programming concepts,
and techniques for the common Application Programming
Interface (API) of Windows 95 and Windows NT.
Basic methods
of Windows message handling are covered, as are advances in
mouse and keyboard input handling, and graphical output
using the Graphics Device Intefrace (GDI).
You will find comprehensive information on all aspects of
Windows GUI programming, such as:
- Windows Controls, including the common controls
- GDI, including new features like transformations and
geometric pens
- Printing, including a reusable print engine
- Common dialogs, including customization
- Background processing, including synchronization
In addition, the
book covers such important advanced topics
as creation of Dynamic Link Libraries, storage management,
windows subclassing, the Multiple Document Interface (MDI),
and threads and their synchronization.
The CD-ROM is a gold mine of useful programs, with a C
template you can copy to create your own Windows
applications and dozens of programs called "Explorers"
written in C++/MFC that demonstrate the Windows
API in
action. The "Explorers" let you tweak individual parameters
of the
API functions and immediately see the effects.
More than just an introductory book, Win32 Programming is a
reference to many of the more obscure and sometimes
incomprehensible advanced features of the user interface
and graphics subsystems. It is useful not only for C
programmers but also for C++/MFC programmers because the
API forms the basis for most
MFC methods. The book's
extensive and comprehensive index means you will never
again have to search through pages of examples to find the
example of the API function you want to see. This book is
designed both to teach basic Windows programming and to be
a useful companion for years to come.