| - -How to learn wxWidgets programming - - | -
- -The following is a response by Edward Ream to a common question, -"What's the best way to learn wxWidgets [and C++]?".
-
-Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2000 14:37:06 -0500
-
-> Reading the Linux Journal article on wxpython, and having used wxclips
-
-I'm new to wxWidgets myself, but I'd like to answer this question
-anyway. In the past two years I've learned two similar frameworks
-(Apple's Yellow Box, aka NextStep/OpenStep and Borland's C++
-Builder/Delphi) and last year I became a C++ enthusiast after 20 years
-of using C.
-
-About C++.
-
-The major Aha for me was that the complexity of C++ doesn't matter in
-practice. What _does_ matter is that C++ allows you to do simple things
-simply, more simply than C. With a system like wxWidgets you will be
-creating objects and then using those objects to call methods. So don't
-be afraid of C++: you'll only be using the easy tip of the
-iceberg.
-
-Besides the C++ Programming Language, by Bjarne Stroustrup, the
-"official" guide to C++, I highly recommend Inside the C++ Object Model,
-by Stanley B. Lippman. (Lippman was one of the C++ honchos at Bell
-Labs.) This book will tell you what _not_ to do, as well as why
-everything in C++ is as it is. If you are confused by anything in C++,
-Lippman's book is the cure.
-
-About applications frameworks.
-
-Application frameworks such as wxWidgets are organized around a set of
-cooperating classes. Take a look at the main application class, wxApp,
-some frame and panel classes, graphics classes, menu classes, control
-classes, etc. In general, to do anything in a framework involves
-creating an object of the specified type, then doing something with that
-object.
-
-For example, suppose you want to create a menu bar. A menu bar is
-composed of a single menu bar object of type(class) wxMenuBar that
-contains menu objects of type wxMenu. Each menu object contains menu
-item objects of type wxMenuItem. So you create the menu bar object,
-then create all the menu objects (creating the menu item objects along
-the way) and finally "attach" the menu objects to the menu bar object
-using a call to the wxMenuBar::Append method.
-
-As an overview I would look at the "Alphabetical class reference"
-section of the reference manual. I find the HTML version to be the
-easiest to use: you can browse very quickly through it. Here's how to
-read this (very large) reference:
-
-
-
-Read some sample code. You will find that almost none of the C++
-language is actually being used; it's just endlessly creating objects
-and then calling methods using those objects.
-
-Learn as much as you can about the String class; after using a good
-String class you'll never want to use C's string functions again.
-wxWidgets contains other nifty utility classes as well.
-
-The application class, wxApp, contains the main event loop. Learn about
-event handling and event tables (reading sample code will help). Almost
-everything in this kind of application framework happens as the result
-of an event and your app is essentially doing nothing but responding to
-events. Having the event loop written for you is a major, major
-benefit.
-
-I hope this helps. Perhaps we can work together in learning about
-wxWidgets. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. If
-I've made any blunders in this posting I hope the wxWidgets experts will
-correct me gently.
-
-Edward
-
-
-From: "Edward K. Ream"
-To: wx-users@wxwidgets.org
-Subject: Re: [wx-users] How to learn using wx-windows
-Reply-To: wx-users@wxwidgets.org
-> I got interested in wxwidgets as a development interface. However, the
-> programming experience I got is old, and from a former generation (For-
-> tran). I'd like to refresh my experience and start in C++. Will
-> wx-windows be a very high step to take?
-
-
-Some other tips:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-Edward K. Ream email: edream@tds.net
-Leo: Literate Editor with Outlines
-Leo: http://personalpages.tds.net/~edream/front.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| - -Compiling wxWidgets applications in the VC++ IDE - - | -
- -
- -To compile wxWidgets samples and applications using the VC++ 5.0 or 6.0 IDE (having compiled wxWidgets -using the makefile or project file provided), the following -steps and settings should be used.
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
-WIN32,_DEBUG,_WINDOWS,__WINDOWS__,__WXMSW__,__WXDEBUG__,WXDEBUG=1, -__WIN32__,WINVER=0x0400,STRICT --
-and these for Release:
- -
-NDEBUG,WIN32,_WINDOWS,__WINDOWS__,__WXMSW__,__WIN32__, -WINVER=0x0400,STRICT-
-The Additional include directories field should contain the following:
-
-c:\wx2\include --
(and of course any other directories you wish to use in your project).
- -
- -
- -
-kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib -ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib comctl32.lib rpcrt4.lib wsock32.lib -winmm.lib wxmsw25d.lib wxbase25d.lib wxpngd.lib wxzlibd.lib wxjpegd.lib wxtiffd.lib -- -for the Debug configuration and - -
-kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib -ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib comctl32.lib rpcrt4.lib wsock32.lib -winmm.lib wxmsw25.lib wxbase25.lib wxpng.lib wxzlib.lib wxjpeg.lib wxtiff.lib -- -for the Release configuration.
- -The Ignore libraries field should contain: - -
-libcd.lib,libcid.lib,msvcrt.lib -- -for the Debug configuration and - -
-libc.lib,libci.lib,msvcrtd.lib -- -for the Release configuration.
- -The Additional library path field should contain - -
-c:\wx2\lib -- -for both Debug and Release configurations. - -
- -
-c:\wx2\include -- -
- -
- -
- -
-
-WIN32,_DEBUG,_WINDOWS,wx_msw,DEBUG=1,WINVER=0x0400,STRICT --
-The Additional include directories field should contain the following:
-
-../../include/base,../../include/msw --
(and of course any other directories you wish to use in your project).
- -
- -
- -
-kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib -shell32.lib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib comctl32.lib -../../lib/wx.lib ../../src/msw/dummy.obj -- -The Ignore libraries field should contain: - -
-libcd.lib,libcid.lib -- -
- -
-..\..\include\msw -- -