Product Description

• Popular author Ivor Horton uses his trademark approachable writing style to provide novice programmers with the basic tools as they learn Visual C++ 2005
• Readers will learn how to program in C++ using Visual C++ 2005-without any previous knowledge of C++
• More than 35 percent new and updated material covers the new release of Visual C++, and exercises and solutions help readers along the way
• Demonstrates the significant new features of Visual C++ 2005, providing improved flexibility in developing Microsoft applications in C++

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #342270 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780764571978
• Condition: USED - LIKE NEW
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover
You'll learn the essentials of Visual C++ 2005 and get a thorough introduction to the techniques used for accessing data sources in both Microsoft® Foundation Classes and Windows® Forms applications. Plus, the exercises included at the end of most chapters will help you apply what you've learned as you make your way to becoming an effective C++ programmer.

What you will learn from this book

• How to use the capabilities of Visual C++ 2005 to create applications
• Unique aspects and new features of Visual C++ 2005
• The basic ideas and techniques involved in debugging
• Ways to build a graphical user interface for your application
• How Microsoft Windows applications are structured
• Tips for understanding the nuances of C++ without getting confused by the complexities of Windows GUI programming

Who this book is for

This book is for novice programmers who are looking to write C++ applications for the Microsoft Windows OS. No previous programming experience is required.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

About the Author
Ivor Horton is one of the preeiminent authors of tutorials on the Java, C and C++ programming languages. He is widely known for the tutorial style of his books, which provides step-by-step guidance easily understood even by first-time programmers. Horton is also a systems consultant in private practice.

Customer Reviews

Great intro to programming......A two for one book.
I found this book to be a great introduction for an aspiring programmer. I have considered the idea of programming and recently decided to get serious about it. I spent 3 hours at the local bookstore examining this book before deciding to purchase it. The book is 1182 pages and I think you actually get two books in one. In the first chapter the author lays out his approach with this book. Before attempting Windows programming he teaches you how to program in the native ISO/ANSI C++ and the C++/CLI versions of the language. The author spends the first 10 chapters some 611 pages on the basics of programming before starting Windows programming using .NET. He uses console applications to teach you the basics in the first 10 chapters. This to me is the first book. The second book is his use of the remaining 12 chapters another 571 pages on the fundamentals of Windows programming using Visual C++ 2005. The author is incredibly methodical in teaching the fundamentals in a relaxed style making it easy to absorb and learn. I am certain there are other equally compelling beginning books on programming however I really do like this book.

Writted Specifically for the Microsoft Environment
This book is oriented to teaching you how to program in C++ in Microsoft environments. Specifically it teaches two distinct versions of C++:

First is standard ISO/ANSI standard C++ that will run on anything and is specifically for the development of high performance applications that run in native mode on the computer.

Second is C++/CLI which is part of Microsoft's .NET framework. .NET is a library of routines that accomplish many of the standard tasks that you would otherwise have to program yourself.

The book is based around the Visual Studio 2005 development environment. Visual Studio is a full fledged IDE, the tools it provides will make writing code much easier. In fact, this and the inclusion of C++/CLI are what set this book apart from others. If you are not interested in using Visual Studio, you may want to consider another of Mr. Horton's books.

This book is in reference, format. That is, it follows more of a traditional textbook format rather than the tutorial, one step at a time, approach of many others.

Mr. Horton's writing style is relaxed and easy, it appeals to many of us. By the end ot twelve hundred pages you will need something light and easy.

The best C++ 2005 book in the market
I bought this book because I needed to switch from C# 2003 to C++ 2005.

It looks great at a glance... In fact, it IS great!

From my point of view, it has at least 2 serious advantages over any other C++ 2005 book that I've seen so far:

1. While most other books focus on Windows Forms, this one has several chapters on MFC (which is exactly what I needed). With experience in C# (.NET 1.1), I am not interested in WinForms (there are no major differences in developing WinForms in C# and C++), but many legacy apps were written using MFC.

2. Unlike many other C++ books, this one has several exercises at the end of each chapter. If in doubt, sample answers (solutions) are available for download from the publisher's website.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to get up to speed with C++ 2005.