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-How to learn wxWidgets programming
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-The following is a response by Edward Ream to a common question,
-"What's the best way to learn wxWidgets [and C++]?".<P>
-
-Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2000 14:37:06 -0500<BR>
-From: "Edward K. Ream" <edream@tds.net> <BR>
-To: wx-users@wxwidgets.org<BR>
-Subject: Re: [wx-users] How to learn using wx-windows <BR>
-Reply-To: wx-users@wxwidgets.org<P>
-
-> Reading the Linux Journal article on wxpython, and having used wxclips<BR>
-> I got interested in wxwidgets as a development interface. However, the<BR>
-> programming experience I got is old, and from a former generation (For-<BR>
-> tran). I'd like to refresh my experience and start in C++. Will<BR>
-> wx-windows be a very high step to take?<P>
-
-I'm new to wxWidgets myself, but I'd like to answer this question
-anyway. In the past two years I've learned two similar frameworks
-(Apple's Yellow Box, aka NextStep/OpenStep and Borland's C++
-Builder/Delphi) and last year I became a C++ enthusiast after 20 years
-of using C.<P>
-
-<B>About C++.</B><P>
-
-The major Aha for me was that the complexity of C++ doesn't matter in
-practice. What _does_ matter is that C++ allows you to do simple things
-simply, more simply than C. With a system like wxWidgets you will be
-creating objects and then using those objects to call methods. So don't
-be afraid of C++: you'll only be using the easy tip of the
-iceberg.<P>
-
-Besides the C++ Programming Language, by Bjarne Stroustrup, the
-"official" guide to C++, I highly recommend Inside the C++ Object Model,
-by Stanley B. Lippman. (Lippman was one of the C++ honchos at Bell
-Labs.) This book will tell you what _not_ to do, as well as why
-everything in C++ is as it is. If you are confused by anything in C++,
-Lippman's book is the cure.<P>
-
-<B>About applications frameworks.</B><P>
-
-Application frameworks such as wxWidgets are organized around a set of
-cooperating classes. Take a look at the main application class, wxApp,
-some frame and panel classes, graphics classes, menu classes, control
-classes, etc. In general, to do anything in a framework involves
-creating an object of the specified type, then doing something with that
-object.<P>
-
-For example, suppose you want to create a menu bar. A menu bar is
-composed of a single menu bar object of type(class) wxMenuBar that
-contains menu objects of type wxMenu. Each menu object contains menu
-item objects of type wxMenuItem. So you create the menu bar object,
-then create all the menu objects (creating the menu item objects along
-the way) and finally "attach" the menu objects to the menu bar object
-using a call to the wxMenuBar::Append method.<P>
-
-As an overview I would look at the "Alphabetical class reference"
-section of the reference manual. I find the HTML version to be the
-easiest to use: you can browse very quickly through it. Here's how to
-read this (very large) reference:<P>
-
-<ol>
-<li>Get an overview of the kinds of classes involved. The class names
-will tell you a lot about what each class does. Open some of the
-classes, in particular, wxApp (the main application object), wxFrame,
-wxControl (the base class for all controls) and one or two controls,
-like wxButton.
-
-<li>When scanning a class for the first several times, read the
-introductory remarks and quickly scan the list of methods of the class
-to get a general idea about what kinds of operations can be done to
-objects of the class. You are not looking for detail at this stage,
-just for the big picture. In particular, what classes exist and how do
-they work together.
-
-<li>Pay particular attention to the classes from which a class is
-derived. For example, a button (an object of type wxButton) is derived
-from the wxControl, wxWindow, wxEvtHandler and wxObject classes. What
-does this mean? It means that a button _is_ a control, and a button
-_is_ a window, and a button _is_ an event handler and a button _is_ an
-object. So you must understand the parent classes of an object to
-understand the object itself.
-
-For example, if b is a button you can invoke b.m for any of method m of
-the wxControl, wxWindow, wxEvtHandler or wxObject classes. You are not
-limited to just the methods of wxButton! This is one of the keys of
-object oriented programming.
-</ol>
-
-Some other tips:<P>
-
-Read some sample code. You will find that almost none of the C++
-language is actually being used; it's just endlessly creating objects
-and then calling methods using those objects.<P>
-
-Learn as much as you can about the String class; after using a good
-String class you'll never want to use C's string functions again.
-wxWidgets contains other nifty utility classes as well.<P>
-
-The application class, wxApp, contains the main event loop. Learn about
-event handling and event tables (reading sample code will help). Almost
-everything in this kind of application framework happens as the result
-of an event and your app is essentially doing nothing but responding to
-events. Having the event loop written for you is a major, major
-benefit.<P>
-
-I hope this helps. Perhaps we can work together in learning about
-wxWidgets. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. If
-I've made any blunders in this posting I hope the wxWidgets experts will
-correct me gently.<P>
-
-Edward<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
-Edward K. Ream email: edream@tds.net<BR>
-Leo: Literate Editor with Outlines<BR>
-Leo: http://personalpages.tds.net/~edream/front.html<BR>
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