Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++® 2010

Chapter 1. Programming With Visual C++ 2010

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER:

• What the principal components of Visual C++ 2010 are

• What the .NET Framework consists of and the advantages it offers

• What solutions and projects are and how you create them

• About console programs

• How to create and edit a program

• How to compile, link, and execute C++ console programs

• How to create and execute basic Windows programs

Windows programming isn't difficult. Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 makes it remarkably easy, as you'll see throughout the course of this book. There's just one obstacle in your path: Before you get to the specifics of Windows programming, you have to be thoroughly familiar with the capabilities of the C++ programming language, particularly the object-oriented aspects of the language. Object-oriented techniques are central to the effectiveness of all the tools provided by Visual C++ 2010 for Windows programming, so it's essential that you gain a good understanding of them. That's exactly what this book provides.

This chapter gives you an overview of the essential concepts involved in programming applications in C++. You'll take a rapid tour of the integrated development environment (IDE) that comes with Visual C++ 2010. The IDE is straightforward and generally intuitive in its operation, so you'll be able to pick up most of it as you go along. The best way to get familiar with it is to work through the process of creating, compiling, and executing a simple program.

So power up your PC, ...