BCB Win32 Tutorial

These tutorials focus mainly on OpenGL, Win32 programming and the ODE physics engine. OpenGL has moved on to great heights and I don't cover the newest features but cover all of the basic concepts you will need with working example programs.

Working with the Win32 API is a great way to get to the heart of Windows and is just as relevant today as ever before. Whereas ODE has been marginalized as hardware accelerated physics becomes more common.

Games and graphics utilities can be made quickly and easily using game engines like Unity so this and Linux development in general will be the focus of my next tutorials.

How to compile a Win32 API program in BCB

note that I have done this for the trial version of BCB and may not be necessary for later versions.

When you first go to compile a Win32 API program in Borland's C++ Builder you may run into a few problems. The first problem is the lack of documentation; after all, how many Visual Studios would be sold if they also explained how to hand code your own windows. The second problem is the automatic creation of a Form and a project file which is irremovable.

To save anyone else having to ponder this problem, which is easily solved when you know how, what you do is...

Go to file/new and choose a console app.

Then go to options/project/linker and choose Window GUI where it says application type.

Next go to the source and delete it ALL and replace it with your Win32 API code.

Now build all and your done.

Al.

To test it out, here's some Win32 API code..

#include <windows.h>

int WINAPI WinMain (

HINSTANCE hInstance,

HINSTANCE hInstPrev,

LPSTR lpszCmdLine,

int nCmdShow )

    return MessageBox(HWND_DESKTOP,"Hello World",

    "Made with BCB",MB_OK|MB_ICONINFORMATION);