Teach Yourself Borland C++ in 14 Days - portal

C++ Class Frameworks and the Visual Component Model
So where is this industry going? The wave of the future appears to be components, but it is
apparent that there will be a need for class libraries like MFC and OWL for quite some time
to come. Some of you who are now using MFC or OWL will abandon them in favor of
programs like C++Builder and Delphi. Others of you will use both your old tool and the new
RAD tools. Still others will stick with what you know best. In any event, it is important to
realize that each of these frameworks is a tool. My advice is simple: Use the most appropriate
tool for the current job.
If you have never used OWL or MFC, you don’t have to worry about what you are missing.
C++Builder and VCL allow you to build robust applications in much less time than you could
with one of the C++ frameworks. This is particularly true when you take into account the
learning curve of VCL compared to that of MFC or OWL. Programming in C++Builder is
much easier to learn, and you can write programs faster, too.
Workshop
The Workshop contains quiz questions to help you solidify your understanding of the
material covered and exercises to provide you with experience in using what you have learned.
You can find answers to the quiz questions in Appendix A, “Answers to Quiz Questions.”
Q&A
Q What is a framework?
A A framework, also called a class library, is a set of classes that simplifies Windows
programming. A good framework implements object-oriented design and objectoriented
programming to apply an object-oriented approach to writing Windows
applications.
Q Is VCL a C++ framework?
A No. VCL is a framework that works with C++ in C++Builder, but it is written in
Object Pascal rather than C++. VCL is written in Object Pascal because it was
initially created for Borland’s Delphi.
Q Am I supposed to know how to program in Pascal and C++ in order to write
Windows programs with C++Builder?
A No. The fact that VCL is Pascal is virtually transparent to you. As far as you are
concerned, you are just programming in C++. Advanced C++ users might notice
some situations where VCL limits their choices, but most users of C++Builder
will not.
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