Microsoft Foundation Classes

Microsoft Foundation Classes • Win32 Application Programming Interface (Win32 API) • thousands of C functions: graphics, networking, database, interapplication communications • Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) • C++ library of classes that wrap the C function of Win32 API

Windows Programming in MFC • event-driven programming model • Graphical User Interface (GUI) • event • mouse click, push button, drag, system failure, … • event handler • the system queues up events and then dispatches them to procedures known as event handlers • callback procedure • initialization phase

Event loop example while (theApp.isRunning()) { Event e = nextEvent(); unsigned id = e.getId(); switch (id) { case Event_SingleMouseClick(e); theApp.handleSingleMouseClick(e); break; case Event_DoubleMouseClick(e); theApp.handleDoubleMouseClick(e); break; case Event_ButtonPush; theApp.handleButtonPush(e); break; //... other events;

Event loop example – cont. default: ignoreEvent(e); break; } }

code generator for MFC • AppWizard • create project with MFC AppWizard • consists of headers (.h files), implementation files (.cpp files), graphics resource file (.rc files), etc… • ClassWizard

Document/View architecture • VC++ has two main subtypes • document/view application • dialog-based application • document/view architecture • model • comprises the application’s data • view • the user’s interface to the model • controller • handle events generated through the application’s view

Document/View architecture • MFC suppose two subtypes of document /view applications • single document interface (SDI) • multiple document interface (MDI) • classes generated by MFC AppWizard • CxxxApp (xxx : project name) • handle application initialization • the programmer often does not change this class

classes generated by MFC AppWizard • CxxxDoc • represent application’s document (i.e., data) • add data and methods to this class • CxxxView • represent application’s view and controller • add callback functions to the class • CMainFrame • represent the framed windows used • often does not change this class

document serialization • serialize virtual method • to save an object in a standard binary format • serializing an object out (i.e., write it to a file) • serializing an object in (i.e., read it from a file) • sample application: document serialization p. 489

Microsoft Foundation Classes