Microsoft Visual C++ Windows Applications by Example: Code and explanation for real-world MFC C++ Applications

Visual C++ is an established development language for Windows desktop applications. This book shows you how to develop professional, real-life applications by examining real world examples. It is fast, and used in millions of applications throughout the world. 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.

Customer Reviews:

Practical, easy and current but needs a "business" app chapter

By mrjoltcola "mrjoltcola" - February 23, 2010

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... read more

A good introduction to MFC C++ Windows programming

By Daniel - October 11, 2008

This book by Stefan Björnander is a good introduction to Windows MFC programming using Visual C++ 2008. Like its competition, Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2008, this book brings an up-to-date perspective on MFC. Unlike Ivor Horton's book, this book is about one-third the size and, as such, may be more readable. (On the other hand, Horton's book costs about $5 less, is more extensive at over 1300 pages, and is far more popular.)

The first two chapters (slightly over 100 pages in total) provide a quick overview of C++ with the second chapter reviewing object-oriented programming. The remaining seven chapters concern Windows programming, with much of the chapters consisting of explanations of source code given the book's teach-by-example methodology.

Unlike almost all other books in the MFC C++ genre, the source code is current since it was made with Visual C++ 2008. The source code... read more

Excellent book for those with some V C++ 2008 IDE, C++ and MFC background

By Edward F. Kurtz - March 1, 2010

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... read more