Visual C++ 6: The Complete Reference [Paperback]

Chris Pappas (Author), William Murray (Author)

Book Description

Series: Complete Reference | Publication Date: August 1, 1998

Comprehensive coverage of Microsoft's Visual C++ 6--includes both expansive reference and tutorial material. Covers both C/C++ programming fundamentals and Windows 98/NT program development. Increased detailed coverage of debugging, C++ objects, COM, ActiveX, and programming with MFC. Both authors are professors of computer science at the S.U.N.Y. system in New York--they know how to teach the subject. Provides new and experienced Visual C++ programmers with up-to-date and complete information in one concise volume.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This book opens with a tour of how to use the sixth version of Microsoft's compiler. The author surveys the compiler's features and tools (including a reference to every available menu option) and discusses the basics of installing it and getting it up and running.

Next the authors introduce the basics of the C and C++ programming languages. They present dozens of short, effective sample programs (for the command line) for many basic programming topics, such as using variables, classes, file, and console input/output (I/O). Wherever possible, the authors compare C and C++. Several chapters (such as the one on using macros and conditional compilation) provide invaluable material on "gotchas" that await would-be C++ programmers.

After laying down introductory material on using C with Windows, the authors move toward Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC). They show basic programming techniques, including how to use newly enhanced tools, such as AppWizard and ClassWizard, in Visual C++ 6. Following are some simple MFC samples and some useful material on building custom ActiveX controls and even Active Template Library (ATL) controls (which are easier to build with Visual C++ 6).

With its patient--and effective--presentation of C++ language fundamentals, Visual C++ 6: The Complete Reference is one of the best titles for programmers who are moving from C to C++ and Windows. --Rich Dragan

From the Back Cover

Break the speed limit on application development time!

Now with improved internet features, better ActiveX support, and much more, Visual C++ 6 is your key to developing faster, tighter apps -- in less time! And this complete reference/tutorial by best-selling authors/trainers Chris Pappas and William Murray is here to help you build sophisticated Windows applications that fit the needs of your organization. Newly revised and updated for version 6, Visual C++ 6: The Complete Reference features dozens of easy-to-follow steps, tips, and real-world examples -- all based on classroom-tested material used in the authors' popular college courses and corporate raining sessions. Simply follow Pappas and Murra's expert methodology and soon you'll be producing high-performance Visual C++ programs -- no matter what Visual C++ skill level you're starting from.

Fully updated and 100% classroom-tested, this book will help you:

• Take advantage of the many new features in Visual C++ 6
• Develop applications for Windows 98 and NT through procedure-oriented and object-oriented techniques using the MFC library
• Master Visual C++ 6's new debugging features
• Understand the fundamentals of C/C++ as they relate to Visual C++
• Utilize the new wizards and components to speed your application development time
• Create lightweight, fast C++ and COM objects and ActiveX controls using the new ActiveX Template Library
• Learn about the new ActiveX Template Library (ATL)
• Create ATL projects with AppWizard
• Use COM and ATL to create DHTML documents

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1015 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0078825105
• ISBN-13: 978-0078825101
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.6 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,674,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for C/C++, not good for VISUAL C++, February 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Visual C++ 6: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

The title is misleading. I had little C/C++ background and no Visual C++ at all. I was looking for a book that would teach me the Visual C++ (as the title implies) environment so I could use it to further my understanding of C/C++. I glanced through the book and couldn't even figure out how to get a button to cause a pop-up message. So I READ the first 570 pages of the book. At this point, I couldn't get the example program to run without a GPF error and I still didn't know how to get a button to cause a pop-up message. I gave up and went to another book. I did the pop-up message after the first chapter of the new book... My conclusion: this book is EXCELLENT if you want to learn C/C++ (I did learn a lot!) However, it's not very good for Windows programming or for Visual C++.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Judge The Book By Its Cover, April 15, 2001

By 

P. Pham "whathot" (vancouver, british columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Visual C++ 6: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

Despite the cover of the book says Visual C++ with coverage on MFC, COM and so forth, more than half of the book (600 page+) is focused on C/C++. As for the rest of the 300 remaining pages, they only serve as an introduction to MFC, and very little in (X)Controls and COM.

Regardless of some negative reviews on this book, I still find the book quite good, from a C/C++ reference that is. As the matter of fact, this book does a very good job on C/C++ reference. For example, the explanations are clear and easy to read, reference library tables are included, and code examples are short and clean. As for the other topics, this book is just scratching on the surface of MFC, ActiveX and COM.

I think the negative reviews came from those who expect a COMPLETE reference on Visual C++ and others advanced topics which the cover had advertised. Let me tell you this, it is COMPLETELY false to assume that a single book can deliver such a promise. Why? MFC and ActiveX control by itself can easily accommodate an entire 1500 pages book. And as for COM, this topic alone requires at least 2 to 3 solid books, and of course, you will also need to know C++ cold!!

Why I give this book 4 stars? Because I was looking for a C/C++ reference book, and this book it does a better job than most of the other books out there on C/C++. Also because I didn't expect much from it regarding the advance topics other than an introduction. To do so would be like expecting it to deliver a Microsoft miracle book - a COMPLETE all-in-one Visual programmer reference. There is no such thing, and even if one does exist, you'll probably need a dolly to carry it around.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars So many topics. So little substance., October 11, 2000

By 

David Mierwald (State College, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visual C++ 6: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

The title of this book is very misleading. I was looking for a book concentrating on using Visual C++. However, two thirds of the book is dedicated to C++ programming. Leaving 300+ pages to discuss Windows Apps, MFC, Class Wizards, OLE, Active X and COM. There are entire books dedicated to these subjects. How can the authors cover these subjects in a few pages and consider it "Complete"?