[Resolved] MFC vs Win32, MFC: Serialization, and header files

[Evil_Giraffe]

Once again, found the web lacking in tutorials that tell me things.

I'm creating a program with MFC. I'm not exactly fluent with MS VC++ at all. I'm mostly making a move from VB, but have experience of Java, ML, other random languages from my Uni course (i.e., am a total C++ noob, but fairly experienced programmer).

Given I have to create this program by June (ish), am I making it hard on myself using MFC? I have a copy of the book: Beginning Visual C++ 6 by Ivor Horton from Wrox Press, which advocates MFC, but you guys seemed to suggest that coming from VB would be better done with Win32. If that's the case, can you suggest a good book that will teach me this approach?

Anyway, with the program I've got so far, I'm looking to open a docfile (OLE 2.0 Structured Storage or something like that). I've tracked through various information sources and believe I'm supposed to use the IStorage and IStream objects. These are defined in the objidl.h header file, but I'm kinda confused as to where this declaration should go - I have many .cpp files: Prog.cpp, ProgDoc.cpp, ProgView.cpp, MainFrm.cpp and ChildFrm.cpp. Any enlightenment on this score?

Also, I think serialization won't allow me to use these objects to open the file anyway - it appears too high level, only providing the functions for storing ints, longs, etc... How should I do this?

Or should I just scrap what I've got (which, tbh isn't much more than what AppWizard generated) and try implementing in Win32?

[CornedBee]

Do it in Win32. MFC should not be used until you know your C++ and Win32.
The best book on Win32 I know is "Prorgamming Windows" by Charles Petzold. My version is still pure C, but newer editions might even use C++, don't know.

If you want to do it in MFC anyway, get "Programming Windows with MFC" by Jeff Prosise. Like the Petzold is the bible on Win32 API, the Prosise is the bible on MFC. It's an absolutly great book and it shows the power that is hidden beyond the ugly skin of MFC.

[made_of_asp]

If you don't know C/C++, MFC is not going to save you. It is a complex language with many concepts. Maybe you should learn the language first (through console programming) before jumping into Win32 API or MFC.

[CornedBee]

Time until june is short, but it won't save time jumping right at Win32 or MFC without knowing the language properly. But if you're in a hurry, learn the following things as the minimum of required knowledge:
function-level propgramming concepts (variables, ifs, loops, I guess you already know them, just learn the C++ way of doing them)
classes, inheritance and polymorphism
simple templates (not necessarily writing them, just using them)
pointers and references, pros and cons and why you're f***ed in Win32 without knowledge of pointers
C++ standard library elements: string, iostreams, fstreams, stringstreams, vectors, lists, maps and algorithms. This means you also need to learn a bit about iterators, but not everything.

Yeah, I think this is it. My minimum recommendation of C++ knowledge for Win32.

[Evil_Giraffe]

Thanks guys. Most of that stuff, excluding templates and obviously the C++ standard library, I've covered in other langiages, and already knew the C++ way of doing most of them. I did do a crash course in console applications, but since it was written for someone totally new to programming it was really boring. I'm keeping MSDN on hand, though!

Cheers

Chris

[CornedBee]

We all do that.