CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++user-interface
Val
Val

Reputation: 31

What is the best way to get started in GUI C++ programming?

So, I learned C++ (fundamentals) and I want to write software, however I have stumbled upon a problem where I don't know where to get started. It seems like learning C++ was the easiest part by far when it comes to understanding the libraries for the GUI construction the concept I yet don't fully comprehend. I searched a lot and couldn't even decide been a new guy on MFC, Win32 or Qt.

Qt C++ GUI seems like a fun and easy to use software with the definitions of classes available right there quickly.

With Visual's MFC I am seeing a lot of code upfront on the pre made project file and a lot of description of classes, however getting definitions is a bit slower as I have to go to the internet.

Win32 is apparently written in C and is not updated much?

A lot of people recommend Java and C# as well, but I am not interested in learning a new language when I don't have C++ set in stone and practiced with enough yet.

Not sure how to go about this.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 8131

Answers (4)

m0s
m0s

Reputation: 4280

Few things you need to be aware of:

If one day you want to sell a program written using Qt you might need to purchase a license.

If you feel like GUI applications/ GUI programming is what you want to do in general, for windows platform you better learn WinForms or even better WPF (with C# of course).

If you just want to quickly put up simple GUIs for your C++ programs for learning purposes, and you don't care much about learning the frameworks and licensing issues, just go with Qt or wxWidgets.

Upvotes: 2

user496949
user496949

Reputation: 86055

MFC is outdated. If sticking with C++ on Windows, I recommend you to lean C++ CLI. However I suggest you to learn c# directly since c# is the mainstream language in .Net world. For GUI, the windows world is now dominated by WPF.

Upvotes: 0

Ben Voigt
Ben Voigt

Reputation: 283614

What kind of GUI do you want? Any framework should be able to do any kind of GUI, but some are optimized for certain work:

  • MFC is optimized for making applications that edit documents, like MS Office programs Word, Excel, Powerpoint.
  • wxWidgets and Qt (and .NET WinForms and WPF) are optimized for any sort of app that primarily uses widgets (textboxes, buttons, menus).
  • SDL is optimized if you want to draw stuff, like graphs or vector artwork.

I wouldn't recommend that you use MFC since it isn't a good fit for most applications, and also doesn't use modern C++ design, it's loaded with workarounds needed for stuff that was broken in early versions of Visual C++ and now can't shake those workarounds because of backward compatibility.

The Win32 API is actually really useful to know regardless of what kind of application you want to make, because it defines the rules for how the UI interfaces to the rest of the system. Yes, it's written in C, but this is to make it usable from any programming language, not because it's an obsolete design. Win32 API is highly object-oriented and uses polymorphism extensively.

Upvotes: 4

Jollymorphic
Jollymorphic

Reputation: 3530

Go with Qt if you envision porting your program to platforms other than Windows and/or your actual UI needs are relatively straightforward. But Qt, being "fun," abstracts you away from the Windows API, so if you find yourself needing to access features of that API not offered by Qt, then you'll be up the creek. So go with MFC if you're staying on Windows and you're building an application whose complexity or Windows-specific features may require more direct access to the Windows API. MFC provides a thin abstraction layer over that API; its concepts map more or less one-to-one with the API's concepts.

Upvotes: 9

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