Creating interfaces with programs

[pghTech]

I personally only know about MFC as an API that will allow you to develope programs with GUI interfaces using native C++ (as opposed to .NET or C#). However I have heard it mentioned more than once about MFC being somewhat "unfavored", for lack of better word, by programmers anymore.

Besides (.NET Window forms, and C#) if you wanted to create a windows program using native C++ with an interface such as (i.e. MFC edit and combo boxes and buttons and scroll bars..ect), is there any other API's available (without having to code the wheel again and code everything that MFC currently does for you)? What is everyone else using to create C++ programs without using MFC to generate the GUI's? I have heard of wrappers to MFC, but no favorable words about them...What if you wanted to create a customized GUI (customized as in any commercial program that has their own look, colors..ect)?

Thanks in advance,

 

[Salem]

There are several - of which I can remember this one at the moment

http://www.wxwindows.org/

I've never actually used it for anything, so I can't comment on ease of use or anything like that.

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[PavelGur]

I do not know who told you that MFC is a drug. I'm using it for creating GUI interfaces for many years and have never had a problem with it. You certainly can do it w/o MFC but if you want to save time and unless you're going deep into low level interfaces MFC is the was to go.
You will be able to create a form and put all controls on it.
PavelGur.

 

[mingis]

Another one:

http://wxwidgets.org/

No comments too, just started to use it, but they claim about compatibility with Unix.

 

[NetHunt]

Actually, MFC is slowly being phased out in favor of a templates approach, such as STL and WTL (

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTL).

I personally use mostly WTL now, except for WinSock applications, since AFAIK WTL doesn't have CAsyncSocket class, and the like. Though there's nothing stopping you from mixing MFC and WTL together.

 

[Miros]

If you want to learn to write programs using just C++ and the Windows SDK that comes with Visual Studio, I recommend the Charles Petzold series "Programing for Windows." There's one for every flavor of Windows from 3.1 to 98 that I know of. Everything past that is backward compatible, so a program written based on the 98 book will run on anything.

IMHO, MFC is a big bulky wrapper to hide all the constants and make it "look" like most programs. You don't have to rewrite the MFC functionality to have a small, efficient program with a nice GUI. Just learn the basic SDK calls.

One of these years, I need to learn templates... can anyone recommend a book/webpage to start with?