Monday, August 12, 2002		Book Review

NINETEENTH century can be called an era of digital revolution. Within a decade, the digital device, the computer has gained a significant usage in various fields, thus revolutionising the working methodology. GUI (Graphical User Interface) based software are developed that are easy to learn and user-friendly. VC++ is one of the developmental tools that uses modern OOPS (Object Oriented Programming Structures) concept to create application software for meeting the particular demands of its users.

The book, Programming with Visual C++, is a guide in this direction. The first few chapters explain OOPS principles and C++ basic concepts. The book then shifts to VC++ and explores the vast developmental environment it supports for creating robust software. The last chapters discuss the birth and growth of software, Scribble.

AT&T’s Bjarne Stroustroup designed C++ that defines a new programming paradigm. Based on OOPS it has many advantages like ability to create user defined data types, increase in modularity etc. A major advantage of C++ systems is that they have well defined, clear interface that helps in reusing, implementing, maintaining and debugging code. VC++ is a step forward in this direction. Microsoft VC++ has manifold advantages. It has the ability to easily create and maintain large libraries of useful software tools. It allows code reuse. If a library function does not suit our needs we can easily modify a portion of it.

The book highlights Microsoft VC++ 6.0, which is a powerful and rich product with an operating environment that increases speed, efficiency and performance of software development activity.

Microsoft Developer Studio is the development environment in which elements of VC++ 6.0 perform. It consists of integrated set of tools that include text editor, resource editor, project build facilities, an optimising compiler, an incremental linker, a source code browse window, an integrated debugger and Books online.

The code for Windows program is long and cumbersome. The book discusses and compares three different styles of writing a Windows program. They are SDK (Software Development Kit), MFC (Microsoft Foundation Class) and AppWizard programming.

SDK is a programming kit containing various C language functions for Windows programming. This type of programming is most simple, least powerful and involves memorising more functions but it requires more codes to be written and hence complex than the other two.

MFC library is a set of C++ classes that encapsulates the functionality of applications written for Microsoft Windows Operating System. It has more classes and involves memorising fewer functions as compared to SDK. Also it is more powerful than SDK and at the same time requires less coding as compared to it. AppWizard, is a tool for creating a skeleton starter application on which we can build our application specific functionality. This programming is fastest of the three and least complex. Its added advantage is automatic generation of code.

MFC makes it easy to work with both single document interface (SDI) and multiple document interface (MDI) applications. SDI applications allow only one open document frame window at a time whereas MDI applications allow multiple document frame windows to be open in the same instance of an application.

The last phase of the book creates "Scribble", an MDI application. The development cycle includes creating the document, view, user- interface, binding visual objects and adding dialog box.

The author deserves a word of appreciation for his endeavour in explaining VC++ in simple and lucid style. The book covers a lot of programs that give practical knowledge and readers can try them as they cover their journey in learning VC++.