Visual C++ and MFC for C++ Programmers

This course is suitable for developers who wish to create applications that exploit the benefits of object-oriented techniques using Visual C++ and the Microsoft Foundation Class Library (MFC). The course is highly practical and is intended to provide useful application code at the end of the course.


Prerequisites
This course is for programmers who are already familiar with C++.


Course Content
Introduction to Windows
The history of Windows and the architecture of the different Windows versions.

The Microsoft Foundation Classes
- The Visual C++ Development
Environment and its wizardry
- What is provided by the MFC
Class Library and its
Document/View Architecture

Messages & Message Maps
- How Messages are handled in
MFC
- Applications, including Menus,
Dialogs and Toolbars
- The use of Class Wizard, and the
MFC
- Class Hierarchy in more detail

Other MFC Features
This chapter explores MFC features not directly related to Windows such as collection classes and serialisation.

Scrolling & Splitting
A closer look at the Document/ View architecture including multiple document types and views and the use of scrolling and splitter windows.

Dialogs
- The dialog classes and
architecture together with the
data exchange and validation
techniques provided by MFC and
the Class Wizard
- Using Standard and Custom
Controls

Graphics, Text & Printing
Covers the Graphical Device Interface (GDI and the Class Wrappers and Member Functions provided, including Text Manipulation and Device Independent Printing.
Extending the Document/ View Architecture
- Creating Additional Child,
Popup and Overlapped
Windows
- Adding Additional Views and
Documents
- Window Management

Messaging
- Application Defined Messages
- Registering Unique Messages
- Sending and Posting Messages
- Extending the Message Map

Multitasking
The use of threads and processes in applications, including the use of a thread as an MFC object. Priorities, priority classes and the scheduler.

Intertask Communication
- Cut, Copy, Paste and the
Clipboard
- ActiveX Automation, COM and
DCOM

Dynamic Linking
- Using and Writing Dynamic
Link Libraries
- Initialization and Termination
- Thread Local Storage

Using Databases
- Open DataBase Connectivity
(ODBC), Data
- Access Objects (DAO) and OLE
DB
- The MFC Database Classes
and Wizard support, and how
these can be used to produce
simple Form-Based
Applications with no
programmer effort as well as
more sophisticated
applications.