ArcGIS Engine Developer Guide

C++ APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE
Windows
Go to Start menu > Programs > ArcGIS > Developer Help > C++ Help. Or you
can open the C++ version of ArcGIS Developer Help from your ArcGIS Engine
installation directory by navigating to \DeveloperKit\Help\COM and doubleclicking
ArcGISDevHelpVC.chm.
Solaris and Linux
Run /developerkit/viewArcGISDevHelpC++.
For general information on consuming and
extending with the APIs, see the discussion in
Chapter 2 , ‘ArcGIS software architecture’, and in
particular the section ‘ ArcGIS application
programming interfaces’.
GETTING STARTED WITH C++ AND ARCOBJECTS
The C++ API can be a powerful tool for ArcObjects programming; however,
there are some steps to take to get started with it. All of the documents mentioned
in this section are in the help system as individual pages and can be found
through the index. The goal of this document is to provide a single work flow
that takes you through the steps of choosing a development environment, leaving
you with a basic understanding of how to use the C++ API. Before you begin,
you will want to make sure that your desired application is one that can be completed
with the C++ API. Make sure your plans fall within the limitations of the
C++ API, which can be found in the ‘Limitations’ section in this chapter.
Pre-ArcObjects C++ configuration steps
Make sure that you are using a supported product and platform for the C++ API
by checking the supported products and platforms. You should also verify that
your C++ compiler is among those supported.
This section is intended to give you a starting point for learning the API. However,
its purpose is not to teach you how to set up a Windows, Solaris, or Linux
machine for C++ development, and it assumes that you can already compile a
simple C++ program on your computer. The following steps provide a quick
check to determine if your computer is at this point. For each of them, you will
use this code snippet:
#include
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
std::cerr