Re: Semi-newbie question on Visual C++ vs. Visual C#
- From: Joseph M. Newcomer <newcomer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 23:03:38 -0500
See below...
On Sun, 11 Feb 2007 02:18:35 GMT, Steven O. <null@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
Short version: I will be creating stand-alone applications for****
Windows. Which environment will make it quicker and easier for me to
create the necessary GUI's -- Visual C++ or Visual C#?
Longer version: I took a bunch of programming classes some years
back, including two semesters of C++, but I've been away from it for a
while. One thing I found with C++ was that trying to create even a
basic GUI using Visual Studio 6 with MFC was an absolute bear.
Using MFC, I do this as an exercise in one of my courses. I can do it in about five
minutes, for a dialog-based app. With walking 3-4 student groups through it, piecewise,
explainining each step, it takes about 20 minutes. That doesn't sound very challenging.
So I'm not sure why you said it was hard, unless you were trying to create a raw Win32 GUI
app from scratch. Now THAT'S hard!
****
*****
I now plan to develop some simple scientific and mathematical
applications, mostly for self-study purposes, but some of them may
turn commercial at some point. The guts of the programs will be the
mathematical logic and processing, but I do need a GUI front-end for
data input, setting parameters, results display, etc. I've downloaded
both Visual C++ Express and Visual C# Express, but haven't explored
them yet, and I'm trying to decide which one to pursue.
My experience in creating a C# app (form-based) was it took about as much effort as
creating a C++/MFC dialog-based app; in my case it took a lot more effort because I was
trying to figure out the C# equivalents to accomplish reasonably sophisticated effects
that I would have quickly turned out in MFC
*****
****
In terms of underlying code for program logic, I'd prefer to work in
C++, both because I know it already, and because it is more universal
than C#. (So, for example, it would be easier to port the code to
some other environment down the road.) On the other hand, I don't
want to waste time learning GUI programming again.
C# is basically C++. In fact, in once case I converted a C++ program to C#, and did it
largely by copy-and-paste, so there is no real syntax trauma if you know C++
*****
****
I want to be able to slap together a basic GUI using drag-and-drop
style development for GUI components. A very quick peek at Visual C++
Express does not immediately reveal a drag-and-drop development tool,
but I may have missed something. (Have not even installed Visual C#
Express yet.) So, in the end, I'll go with whichever language makes
its easier to put the GUI together, and if that means learning C#,
I'll do that.
It's called a dialog-based app, and it is definitely a drag-and-drop paradigm. I don't
know about the Express version, but all the other versions definitely have this.
****
*****
I guess a related issue would be, it would help to use software where
saving data structures to a file, and retrieving them from a file, is
straightforward. Again, that was a real issue with MFC, so it would
help to know if the latest Visual C++ environment makes that easier,
or if I am better off with C# in that respect. In a sense, I'm
looking for the ease of front end and file processing that comes with
VB, but with the advanced data structure capabilities I associate with
C++. So, again -- the latest Visual C++, or Visual C#?
Saving data structures and retrieving them is quite independent of the language. It
depends on whether you plan to use binary files, data bases, XML, or text files.
It will be the same in MFC or C#. Database interfaces are quite similar, XML interfaces
are quite similar, text file interfaces are essentially identical, and although I haven't
tried it, I presume binary file interfaces are essentially identical. I used XML in C# to
hold configuration file information, and it took very little time (XML Is built into C#;
in C++ you have to find a decent library)
****
****
Any and all input is much appreciated. Please point me in the right
direction....
I don't think there are serious issues no matter which one you choose.
joe
****
Joseph M. Newcomer [MVP]
Steve O.
email: newcomer@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://www.flounder.com
MVP Tips: http://www.flounder.com/mvp_tips.htm
.
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