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Books
and
'Zines
We endeavor to maintain an up-to-date list of all books, magazines, and e-zines
that might be of interest to the professional Windows programmer...
Book
Reviews
Beginning MFC COM Programming
Julian Templeman
Wrox Press 1997
1-874416-87-7 |
And Save up to 40% |
A well-written book which, as the title suggests, assumes no prior
knowledge of COM-based programming technologies. Given that COM is a
very complex subject, readers will definitely benefit from the book's
well-organized structure.
Templeman gives a fairly detailed introduction to the COM. Along the
way, he ties many concepts together, such as OLE, ActiveX, Automation,
etc. to explain the COM theory and methodology.
The book covers the various built-in COM supports in MS Visual C++.
Readers who have access to MS Visual C++, can follow its instructions
and implement the examples in the book with ease. Templeman also puts
together a MFC server that implements a COM to show how COM is
interwoven into MFC.
The book uses three chapters in explaining i) the various aspects of the
OLE document servers and OLE containers, ii) how these COM components
can be constructed using MFC and iii) how these components interact with
each other.
The author does well in explaining the topics, such as active documents,
active document server, automation, active controls, etc. and their
respective MFC supports.
In summary, this book should meet the requirements of most advanced MS
Visual C++ programmers, who want to get a head start on the subject.
-- Bill Chan
Inside Visual C++, Fourth Edition
David J. Kruglinski
MS Press 1997
1-57231-565-2 |
And Save up to 40% |
Don't be one of the few MFC/VC++ developers on the planet who
will be without a copy of the new "Inside Visual C++", written by David
J. Kruglinski. This is one of the few books I consider as a must own
book. Building on the solid achievements of three previous editions,
this latest fourth edition, focusing on Visual C++ 5.0, presents
detailed and comprehensive coverage of Visual C++ and the intricacies of
32-bit programming in Windows. This book offers by far the best overall
explanation of the capabilities of Microsoft's powerful and complex
development tool.
My first impression about this book was the high density of
information it includes. It starts from the standard "hello world"
application (which made me recall a time six years ago when I first
picked up the Microsoft Windows SDK Programmer's Guide). It then
explores a variety of topics in Windows programming which include GUI,
DLL, ODBC, OLE (Active X), multithreading and Internet programming
(Winsock, MFC WinInet and ISAPI extension programs). It gives unique and
in-depth information on MFC classes, useful coding techniques, and
critical analysis of the way various MFC classes work and fit together.
This book also feeds the knowledge gap between the Windows SDK
and MFC, Win16 and Win32 programming. So no matter whether you are a SDK
programmer or a beginner of C++ Windows programming, this will be a good
book to lead you down the road to becoming a "MFC Professional". It also
provides the latest updated information about MFC. Even if you have the
previous edition, you'll still want to own a copy of this new, improved
edition which includes the most up to date information available on MFC
and VC++.
-- Ben Zheng
MFC Developer's Workshop
Frank Crockett with Jocelyn Garner
MS Press
ISBN 1-57231-511-3 |
And Save up to 40% |
If you make a living using the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC)
Libraries, you'll be excited about this book. Instead of an A-Z guide to
MFC programming, this book is part of a series of task-oriented books
that focus on solutions to common real-world programming tasks. Written
by an expert in the field, it provides all of the information you need
to fully understand the inner workings of MFC as it relates to three of
the classic problems of Windows Programming: User Interface, OLE, and
Database support.
What differentiates this book is that it provides a hierarchical view of
the primary design focus of MFC, and helps a programmer to understand
from a global perspective how his code fits into the whole MFC world. It
also provides a step by step coding guide and demonstrates the
modularity of the MFC library through a series of focused programming
tasks which include the Document-View Architecture, DLLs, OLE, DAO, ODBC
and ActiveX Controls.
When you run a sample from the CD-ROM, you'll be happily surprised by
the demo facility which you may have seen elsewhere in third-party
programs and wondered how they designed and developed it. Now, with this
book, you too can have the ability to make your programs look and
function like those professional programs. You'll master the basics of
MFC, and move on to learn more advanced topics without having to wade
through large, complex programs.
This book is highly recommended for the programmer who has a year or
more of experience with MFC. It will help you understand why certain MFC
programming steps are required, and how to solve real-world problems
using MFC.
-- Ben Zheng
The Revolutionary Guide to MFC 4 Programming
Mike Blaszczak
Wrox Press
ISBN 1-874416-92-3 |
And Save up to 40% |
Whether you're an MFC newbie or an old bee, this is one of the few books that I would
say you must own. It's one of the few big, thick books I've ever seen that doesn't
fluff itself up with 50% source code listings. It's chock-full of useful information
about MFC: not only how-to's, but insights on why certain things
in MFC were designed the way they were, and how to overcome some of its shortcomings.
If you've spent any time at all in the MFC-L mailing list, or other areas online, you'll
recognize Mike's name: he's a Microsoft employee who is always willing to help other
programmers in need of assistance. And in this book, he has given us all the ultimate
help: an insider's overview of MFC.
I don't mean to gush, but I really can't say enough good things about this book.
Not only does it have a huge IPP (information per page) quotient, but the typesetting
is clean, and it includes lots of nicely drawn diagrams. My only complaint is that the
lines of text are a bit too long, so I constantly have to read with my finger on the
current line so I don't lose my place.
I highly recommend this book to any MFC programmer, but especially to those in their
first year or two. It's not a beginner's book, but it offers a rich
foundation that no serious MFC programmer should be without.
I often evaluate books and courses as a consultant, and I recently
went through Microsoft's own Mastering Visual C++ 4, and although it has some
nice features of its own, I think Mike's book is far superior -- and it's half the price!
-- Mike Lorenz
MFC Internals
George Shepherd & Scot Wingo
Addison Wesley
ISBN 0-201-40721-3 |
And Save up to 40% |
If you're an active and fairly experienced Windows C++ programmer,
this book is an absolute must-have for your library
Yes, I know I also said that for Blaszczak's book -- and I mean it:
for both books. Shepherd and Wingo explain almost every aspect of MFC from a
conceptual overview all the way down to the dirty details of message mapping,
the doc/view architecture, and OLE.
I say it's a must-have, because although MFC eases quite a bit of the
programming burden, it can sometimes get in the way. Or, you might want to
create a new class derived from an existing MFC class. Or, you might want to
create a new interface for your application that uses portions of
doc/view, for instance, but not all of it. Where would you begin? Without
this book, you would have to dig through the volumes of MFC source code on
your hard drive.
Shepherd and Wingo have done that for you, and they summarize the code
perfectly, giving you all the meat you need, without any distracting details
that don't pertain directly to the subject. Blaszczak's book gets into detail about
the design of MFC, but not at this level. What separates the two books is
that Blaszczak covers more ground, and aims his book at the intermediate
MFC programmer. Shepherd and Wingo aim "higher", at the seasoned professional.
It makes the book a dry, difficult read, but that's life. If MFC were easy,
they wouldn't be paying us all the big bucks!
I recently consulted at a Fortune 500 company that needed to convert about 30
man-years' worth of Windows code written for zApp into MFC. We reviewed several books,
and decided on MFC Internals as the best book for the programming staff to use.
They already knew a great deal about Windows programming in C++, but
needed a good way to learn -- really learn -- MFC as quickly as possible.
This book was the way.
-- Mike Lorenz
List of
Books
| Title |
Author |
Comments |
| About Face: The Essentials of Windows Interface Design |
Alan Cooper |
IDG Books Worldwide, 800-434-3422 |
| Animation Techniques in Win32 |
Nigel Thompson |
261pp., MS Press |
| C++ By Example: Object-Oriented Analysis, Design, and Programming |
|
|
| C++ Complete Reference |
|
|
| C++ Inside & Out |
|
|
| C++ Nuts & Bolts for Experienced Programmers |
|
|
| C++ Power Paradigms |
Mark Watson |
|
| C+C++ Programming in Objects in C and C++ |
Allen I. Holub |
|
| Code Complete |
Steve McConnell |
880pp., MS Press |
| Debugging the Development Process |
Steve Maguire |
216pp., MS Press |
| Developing International Software |
Nadine Kano |
768pp., MS Press |
| Dynamics of Software Development (sneak peek) |
Jim McCarthy |
MS Press, 1996 |
| Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming |
Allen I. Holub |
|
| Essential Visual C++ 4 |
Mickey Williams |
Sams Publishing, 1995 |
| Extending the MFC Library |
David A. Schmitt |
Addison-Wesley |
| Guidelines for Enterprise-Wide GUI Design |
Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., and Sarah C. Yeo |
Wiley & Sons, 800-225-5945 |
| Inside Visual C++ (Third Edition) |
David Kruglinksi |
MS Press |
| Inside Windows 95 |
Adrian King |
512pp. |
| Internet Applications with Visual C++ |
Kate Gregory |
459pp. |
| Jet Database Engine Programmer's Guide |
|
MS Press |
| Master Visual C++ |
Nathan & Ori Gurewich |
1200pp., SAMS |
| Mastering Microsoft Visual C++ Programming |
Michael Young |
Sybex, 1993 |
|
The MFC Windows Controls Construction Kit
|
Jack Tackett, Jr. & Keith E. Bugg |
Provides practical, real-world example code for all the major
controls, both 16 and 32 bit. Considerable emphasis on owner-drawn controls
that enhance the user interface. Covers treeview controls, RTF editor, tool
& status bars, tabbed dialog boxes, spin controls, and much more. Includes
a disk with all the sample code, plus a Help file indexed by subject with
much of the code available on a "cut-and-paste" basis.
Tristar, ISBN 0-9644301-0-X
|
| Microsoft Visual C++ Run Time Library Reference |
|
Microsoft Press, 1993 |
| MFC Internals |
George Shepherd and Scot Wingo |
A must-have for MFC professionals. See the review below.
709pp., Addison Wesley, 1996 |
| OLE Automation Programmer's Reference |
|
MS Press |
| OLE Controls Inside Out |
Adam Denning |
MS Press |
| OLE Wizardry |
|
|
| Optimizing SQL |
Peter Gulutzan & Trudy Peltzer |
rdorders@rdpub.com |
| Programming the Windows 95 User Interface |
Nancy Winnick Cluts |
376pp., MS Press |
| Programming Windows 95 with MFC |
Jeff Prosise |
MS Press |
| Programming with MFC for Windows 95 |
Vic Broquard |
615pp., Prentice Hall |
| The Revolutionary Guide to MFC 4 Programming with Visual C++ |
Mike Blaszczak |
One of the best books you can buy to learn MFC. See the review below.
871pp., Wrox Press, 1995 |
| Schildt's Windows 95 Programming in C and C++ |
Herbert Schildt |
|
| Visual C++ 2: Developing Professional Applications in Windows 95 and NT Using MFC |
Marshall Brain and Lance Lovette, Interface Technologies, Inc. |
Prentice Hall |
| The Visual C++ Handbook |
Chris & William Pappas |
1100pp., Osborne |
| Visual C++ How-To |
|
Waite Group Press |
| Visual C++ Multimedia Adventure Set |
Peter Aitken & Scott Jarol |
|
| Visual C++ Programming |
Steven Holzner |
Brady Programming Series, 1993 |
| Windows 95 Programming Nuts & Bolts for Experienced Programmers |
|
|
| The Windows Interface Guidelines for Software Design |
(Microsoft) |
576pp., MS Press |
| Windows Programmer's Guide to Microsoft Foundation Class Library |
Namir Clement |
Shammas Sams Publishing, 1993 |
| Writing Solid Code |
Steve Maguire |
288pp., MS Press |
| Writing Virtual Device Drivers |
David Thielen |
Addison-Wesley |
Magazines and
Ezines
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