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C++Builder is a Windows development tool, and when you program with C++Builder, you have the entire WIN32 API at your disposal. Although the API is extremely powerful, it is also very large and fairly difficult to understand. Its important to have a good set API documentation at your fingertips. This includes the MS help files that come with C++Builder and the MSDN Library CD. However, these are sources of reference. They are not that great when it comes to learning a new section of the API. I have assembled a list of books that I think will help you learn to utilize the API to its fullest when the need presents itself.
I have applied two criteria when selecting books for this section. First, no MFC. Who wants to wade through a mountain of CWnd this and AFX that just to reach the API call that you're looking for. Avoiding MFC guarantees that you will be able to recompile the source code with C++Builder. Additionally, books that utilize MFC tend to contain a large quantity of MFC kludges and workarounds, and these workarounds tend to obscure the information that you care about. Some of the titles here mention MFC in passing, or contain MFC tips, but none utilize MFC while trying to teach API principles. My second criteria is that the books must focus on the API or a sub section of it (such as TAPI or DirectX). By meeting these two requirements, you can be assured that these books will aid your C++Builder development efforts, rather than becoming another paperweight.
Win32 Programming |
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Authors: | Brent Rector and Joseph Newcomer |
Publisher: | Addison Wesley | |
ISBN: | 0201634929 | |
Pages: | 1529 (hardcover) | |
Disc: | CD-ROM | |
Links: |
Buy |
This title is the API king, hands down. The book doesn't waste any time getting into the API. By page 14 the book is already discussing GetMessage and DispatchMessage. By page 23, the authors are digging into the WINDOWS.H header file. In fact, what better place to start then the include file for the API? The book explains the entire include file structure for the WIN32 SDK ( WINBASE.H, WINGDI.H, DDE.H, MMSYSTEMS.H, SHELLAPI.H, etc). The book then describes the Windows typedefs (BYTE, DWORD, etc), handle types (HBITMAP, HFONT, etc), and platform independent keywords (__cdecl, __stdcall).
Win32 Programming is also good about warning you of potential pitfalls. Did you know that you should never do this if(SomeAPIFunc() == TRUE) because many BOOL API calls return integers larger than 1 (TRUE) to indicate success. The book contains tips like this all throughout the text.
Chapter 2 discusses a skeletal Windows Application and the key parts of every Windows program. The chapter explains WinMain, WndProc, the message loop, window class registration, and the CreateWindow call. Chapter 3 discusses messages that are handled by DefWindowProc, window class styles (CS_HREDRAW), window styles (WS_POPUP), and extended window styles (WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE). Each window style is listed in a table, and a set of pictures depict how the window style affects the appearance of a window.
I once stated on the Borland news server that I would give my kingdom for an API book that spends more than one page on treeview controls without using MFC. Win32 Programming spends 50 pages on treeview controls alone. Every control receives this amount of attention. Plus, the author's have provided explorer programmers that allow you to create a control and then change its sytles or settings to see how they alter the control.
At this point, I've detailed about 200 pages out of the 1500 contained in the book. This should give you an idea of just how much information this book contains. I recommend this book to all C++Builder programmers, but I would have to say that component writers will probably benefit the most from it.
Programmer's Guide to Microsoft Windows 95 |
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Authors: | None |
Publisher: | Microsoft Press | |
ISBN: | 1556158343 | |
Pages: | 674 | |
Disc: | None | |
Links: |
Buy |
The Programmer's Guide to Microsoft Windows 95 covers subjects that are generally absent from many API books. This book helps you integrate your programs with the Windows 95 desktop. Topics include using common controls and dialogs, the registry, drag and drop, multimedia, pen services, program installation, the shell, the system tray, application desktop toolbars, using the passwords control panel, device I/O control, file viewers and more. The shell chapters are probably the strongpoint of this book. The text devotes 5 chapters to shell related topics such as the shell namespace, writing shell extensions, and creating shell links or shortcuts.
Check back soon. More titles will be added shortly.
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