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Book Review
Programming Windows 95 with MFC by Jeff Prosise
Recommended
ISBN: 1-55615-902-1       Publisher: Microsoft Press       Pages: 999pp+CD       Price: £46-99
Categories:   MS Windows    
Reviewed by Mark Radford in C Vu 9-3 (Mar 1997)
Like it or not, the MFC library has taken over as the leading class library for developing Windows applications in C++. The programming shelves in book shops are stacked with books about using Visual C++ with MFC in the context of tools such as the Class Wizard and AppWizard. However, the usefulness of these tools is somewhat limited, especially if you are trying to do a platform independent object oriented design and then use the MFC library to implement the Windows parts. In addition to this, Visual C++ is not the only compiler with which Windows applications can be developed. Therefore, there is a need for information on how to use MFC, without code generating tools to shield the programmer from the library. This is such a book and it is a book which has been needed for some time.

This book, is a tutorial on programming in C++ using MFC, without regard to the development environment in use. The blurb on the back cover indicates that it is intended as a sister volume to Charles Petzold's Programming Windows and the layout and style appear similar. The explanations are clear and all major topics (for example, the document/view architecture) are covered. Be advised though, the author deliberately makes no attempt to cover OLE. Also, the coverage of the MFC's support for exception handling is weak.

The example programs are printed in the text and are also supplied on an accompanying CD ROM. The C++ code suffers from many of the problems found in the example code presented in (sadly) all too many text books. For example, hard-coded 'magic' numbers are in abundance. Also, there is no attempt to use the C++ style casts (e.g. static_cast).

I recommend this book: in my view, it's an excellent tutorial, which concentrates on the MFC library, regardless of environment. Be advised also that, despite the title, it will be of use to people developing for Windows NT, as well as Windows 95.

Last Update - 13 May 2001.

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