Software development

[Extremus]

Hey

A friend of mine and I, wants to start to develop software in C++, but we can’t seem to find any information about creating software, yes we have read several online tutorials and 2 books, but all the stuff we have been reading is all about console applications, which isn’t what we need. All the information we get through tutorials about console application is something we already knew most of, because we have used html, php, pawn/small and created a lot of small C++ console application before. Now we really want to start developing software, as we have some ideas.

Where do we start now?
Any books recommends about OOP, creating software/programs?

We know it isn’t something you learn overnight, but we are ready to spend the time needed.

- Extremus

[Salem]

http://www.daniweb.com/forums/post505787-3.html

OOP is equally applicable to console programs as well as GUI programs.

In fact GUI programming is just a matter of learning an API. Whether you use Win32 GDI, MFC or wxwidgets.

Creating a large a program needs a lot of other skills like analysing requirements, producing a design etc.

In fact, I would suggest you get your core language skills well honed, and the additional skills necessary for writing large programs before getting immersed in the details of a GUI API.

[Extremus]

So your suggestion for me is that I should learn more languages?

Even though i have read a lot of tutorials I still doesn't feel like a learn something by reading them, as it all seems like stuff I already know, I feel like I learn more by looking into the source of applications more than reading a tutorial to make the same application.

In fact GUI programming is just a matter of learning an API. Whether you use Win32 GDI, MFC or wxwidgets.

As I am only in possession of Windows XP and Vista, i guess i need to learn Win32?

Creating a large a program needs a lot of other skills like analysing requirements, producing a design etc.

In fact, I would suggest you get your core language skills well honed, and the additional skills necessary for writing large programs before getting immersed in the details of a GUI API.

We have thought through our ideas, the software we want to create, and now we just need to build it in a GUI software and that is where we are stuck.

- Extremus

[Salem]

> So your suggestion for me is that I should learn more languages?
No.
Learning to program has nothing to do with learning a programming language. Study the car analogy in the link I posted.

> As I am only in possession of Windows XP and Vista, i guess i need to learn Win32?
Not necessarily.
Here's a list of toolkits - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_widget_toolkits
Here's one example - http://www.wxwidgets.org/

> and now we just need to build it in a GUI software and that is where we are stuck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model-view-controller

I would suggest you start by drawing some story boards of how you imagine the user interaction should happen. Then think about how to join that to the application proper which does all the actual work.

[ithelp]

Install VC++ Create a MFC application it is quite easy.

[William Hemsworth]

I learned how to do Win32 programming quite well in under a week off this tutorial, it might be what your looking for. You should also do this tutorial before moving on to MFC, it will help.
http://www.winprog.org/tutorial/start.html

[Ancient Dragon]

Install VC++ Create a MFC application it is quite easy.

The current free compiler VC++ 2008 Express does not support MFC. You will have to buy it do get MFC.

VC++6.0 does support MFC ok but that is a terrible compiler because it doesn't support the C++ language very well so parts of C++ you probably already have learned can't be used by that compiler because the compiler is too old.