Advanced Visual C++

Time for us to start writing computer games! This first one will be a bit simple, but it's a start. Our task is to write a program that implements a guessing game. Our program generates a random number between 0 and 100. The player must guess the secret number. The program provides hints like "that's too high" or "that's too low" until the player finally guesses the secret number. We will work on this game in three steps.  Figure out how to generate a random number within a given range of values. Create a main function that processes one guess from the player, and provides hints. Add what we need to allow for multiple guesses until the player guesses the number. This process of development is called decomposition, which means breaking a task into sub-tasks, each of which is easy to do. Starting with step 1, do a Google search to see how to generate a random number using C++. Try searching on "rand C++". // random.cpp.  Maggie Johnson //...

// get_input.cpp: Maggie Johnson // Description: Illustrate the use of cin to get input. #include <iostream> using namespace std; int main() {   int input_var = 0; // Enter the do while loop and stay there until either // a non-numeric is entered, or -1 is entered. Note that // cin will accept any integer, 4, 40, 400, etc.   do   {     cout << "Enter a number (-1 = quit): "; // The following line accepts input from the keyboard into // variable input_var. // cin returns false if an input operation fails, that is, if // something other than an int (the type of input_var) is entered.     if (!(cin >> input_var))  {       cout << "Please enter numbers only!" << endl;    cin.clear();    cin.ignore(10000,'\n');  //  break;     }     else if (input_var != -1)  {       cout...

One of the best ways to learn how to program in a new language is by looking at lots and lots of example programs. The best thing to do is to copy and paste each program below into a text file and compile it. Then, try the experiments. By extending these example programs, you will gain familiarity with different aspects fo C++, and you will feel more confident when it comes time to write programs from scratch. // hello.cpp: Maggie Johnson // Description: a program that prints the immortal saying "hello world" #include <iostream> using namespace std; int main() { cout << "Hello World!" << endl; return 0; } Some experiments to try: The most important thing is to make sure you can compile and run this program.

An identifier is a constant integer whose name usually starts with ID. Although in Win32 programming you usually can use the name of a resource as a string, in MFC applications, resources are usually referred to by their identifier. To make an identifier name (considered a string) recognizable to an MFC (or Win32) function, you use a macro called MAKEINTRESOURCE . Its syntax is: LPTSTR MAKEINTRESOURCE(WORD IDentifier); This macro takes the identifier of the resource and returns a string that is given to the function that called it. In the strict sense, after creating the resource file, it must be compiled to create a new file that has the extension .res. Fortunately, Microsoft Visual C++ automatically compiles the file and links it to the application. 

Although an application can use various resources that behave independently of each other, these resources are grouped into a text file that has the .rc extension. You can create this file manually and fill out all necessary parts but it is advantageous to let Microsoft Visual C++ create it for you. To start creating the resources: On the main menu, you can click Project -> Add Resource... In the Solution Explorer, you can right-click the name of the project, position the mouse on Add, and click Resource... Any of these actions would display the Add Resource dialog box. From this dialog box, you would select the type of resource you want and click New (or Import...). You will then be expected to design or customize the resources. Throughout our lessons, we will see various examples. After creating or designing a resource, you must save it. In most cases, you can try closing the resource. In this case, Microsoft Visual C++ would prompt you to save the resource. If you agree to do t...

In an MFC application, a resource is a text file that allows the compiler to manage such objects as pictures, sounds, mouse cursors, dialog boxes, etc. Microsoft Visual C++ makes creating a resource file particularly easy by providing the necessary tools in the same environment used to program. This means you usually do not have to use an external application to create or configure a resource file (as done in other programming environments).

To execute a program, you must communicate its path and possibly some additional parameters to the compiler. This information is called the command line information and it is supplied as a string. You need to keep that in mind although all programs of our lessons will be compiled inside of Visual C++. The command line information is supplied to the compiler as the lpCmdLine argument of the WinMain() function. Internally, Visual C++ creates the path and communicates it to the compiler when you execute the program. If you want to find out what command line was used to execute your program, you can call the Win32's GetCommandLine() function. Its syntax is: LPTSTR GetCommandLine(VOID); This function takes no argument but returns the command line of an application as a null-terminated string.