Use third party API's if you want your application to be platform independent or use the Win32 API if programming under windows. If using Windows, using C# would be more like it if there is no compulsion on using Win32 API or MFC.
Here is one of those third party API.
The romantic image of an über-programmer is someone who fires up Emacs, types like a machine gun, and delivers a flawless final product from scratch. A more accurate image would be someone who stares quietly into space for a few minutes and then says “Hmm. I think I’ve seen something like this before.” - John D