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. With this book you will learn how to create applications using MDI, complex file formats, text parsing and processing, graphics, and interactions. Every essential skill required to build Windows desktop-style applications is covered in the context of fully working examples. The book begins with a quick primer on the C++ language, and using the Visual C++ IDE to create Windows applications. This acts as a recap for existing C++ programmers, and a quick guide to the language if you’ve not worked with C++ before. The book then moves into a set of comprehensive example applications, presenting the important parts of the code with explanation of how it works, and how and when to use similar techniques in your own applications. The applications include: a Tetris-style game, a drawing application, a spreadsheet, and a word processor. If you know the C++ language, or another Windows-based programming language, and want to use C++ to write real, complex applications then this book is ideal for you. What you will learn from this book When you read this book, you will learn to:

Build larger, more powerful, user friendly C++ applications
Create MDI (multiple document interface) applications and use other Windows application interface elements
Create memory structures for complex application objects: documents, spreadsheets, drawings
Save files to represent these memory structures
Parse and process text, display interactive graphics, and handle input from the mouse and the keyboard

Stefan Bjornander is a Ph.D. candidate at Mälardalen University, Sweden. He has worked as a software developer as well as a senior lecturer at Umeå University, Sweden. He holds a master's degree in computer science and his research interests include compiler construction, mission-critical systems, and model-driven engineering.