Microsoft Visual C++ Owners Manual: With CDROM (Programming) [Paperback]

Beck Zaratian (Author)

Book Description

Series: Programming | Publication Date: March 1, 1997

The latest edition of this popular programming tutorial, previously published as the Microsoft Visual C++ Owner's Manual, offers a fresh approach and comprehensive discussion of issues around using the latest version of Microsoft Visual C++. It will appeal to new users, developers coming from another language or implementation, and upgraders from earlier versions. They will learn in detail about the components of the new development environment and techniques for setting up development projects, especially in multiple developer environments. The book is supplemented by many example programs and projects that illustrate text explanations. When fast isn't fast enough for your application or component development, developers will turn to Visual C++, New Edition -- and the "Microsoft Visual C++, New Edition, Programmer's Guide", the complete user's guide to Developer Studio and Visual C++ programming tools.

"Microsoft Visual C++, New Edition Programmer's Guide" topics include:
-- An overview of Microsoft Visual C++, New Edition, for new users and developers familiar with other languages and implementations
-- Issues in setting up development projects
-- Development environment components
-- Example applications, reusable code for components, controls, and other projects

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This 600-page book (and its included CD-ROM with sample code) complements the extensive online help that comes with Visual C++ and helps you make the most of this powerful development tool. Microsoft Visual C++ Owner's Manual Version 5.0 is not an introduction to the C++ language itself, but if you're already working with Visual C++ 5, it's a good reference and tutorial for the most important elements of Windows programs.

The author assumes knowledge of C and C++ and some experience with Visual C++ and Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) programming. The book has four major parts and a fifth that comprises three appendices. The first part covers the Developer Studio and AppWizard components of the product. The second and third parts explain the text editor, how to deal with resources, the visual elements of interface design, the ClassWizard, and the Gallery collection of pre-written code. The fourth section discusses ActiveX controls, how to use the debugger, compiler optimization, and how to make the most of the Developer Studio. The appendices include ASCII and ANSI reference tables, a list of the MFC classes used by ClassWizard, and a primer in VBScript macro design.

If you're already up and running with Visual C++, you can probably get by without this book. However, when you need an in-depth discussion of a specific topic, this book's printed form is easier to use than online help.

Product Details

• Paperback: 500 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572315105
• ISBN-13: 978-1572315105
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,178,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I'd hoped for, July 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft Visual C++ Owners Manual: With CDROM (Programming) (Paperback)

The book is about the same physical size as many of Microsoft Press' other programming books. As it turns out, that's because it was printed on heavy stock, in large type, and contains a lot of material that could be omitted.

The book assumes you're already familiar with Windows programming and MFC -- I wasn't familiar with either, and so felt this acutely -- yet the author felt compelled to provide details like how to select more than one file at a time from the standard file dialog. Particularly in the early chapters, you spend half the time learning something interesting, and half the time wondering whether the author had a page quota.

I would be more willing to recommend this book if it had taken the form of a manual, and provided comprehensive coverage rather than selecting a few topics and casually walking through them. I would also have liked to see more recommendations on how to go about creating and maintaining source code and associated resource files. ! The author intersperses comments like, "if you change something here, you will have to go back and clean up the other stuff over here". Had that taken the form of a checklist, instead of casual commentary sprinkled throughout the book, it might have proven more useful.

There *are* useful pieces of information here, about features you might not otherwise notice, but this book falls short of providing a comprehensive manual or a useful "how to" guide.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars this book is in need of a 'service pack', January 16, 1998

By 

Doug Dew - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Visual C++ Owners Manual: With CDROM (Programming) (Paperback)

This book contains some useful, though poorly presented information. This book attempts to be a tutorial, but often reads more like an encyclopedia. I would not recommend this book until it has been fixed.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unix C++ programmers Do NOT buy this Book, February 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft Visual C++ Owners Manual: With CDROM (Programming) (Paperback)

If I wanted a a story I would have read Fiction.

the book details many aspects of MFC/VC++ programming, but the tuturial is not worth the paper it is printed on.

The exercise flow easily in some chapters than others. more often than not the author tends to say" When you are this far, do this" When in fact you have passed that stage following the guidelines.

More so, is the anoying tendancy to let the reader do something and say"You should have done this in the app Wizard".. hmm only to find out you didn't and that you have to repeat everything you have done.

This book is worthless. Microsoft Press can add another poor book to the collection. I am sticking with WROX.