I haven''t gotten any replies to my other post. Now that I read it maybe it isn''t too clear what I want. I would like to know a good way to learn Microsoft''s VC++ IDE. I would like to understand how the compiler works and what some of the features do. The online documentation isn''t organized so that you can learn from it. How did you all learn? I don''t want to have to take a class on it. On another note, I need more info on DirectX. It seems there are two separate parts to it. The user end part that comes with games and plugs into your driver, and the programmer''s SDK part which allows you to use it for yourself. Correct me if I''m wrong. I bought Tricks of the Windows Game Programming and it says on page 5 under Installing DirectX: "You must install DirectX 6.0 SDK or better to work with this CD. If your not sure that you have the latest files on your system, run the installation..." I thought the CD has DirectX SDK on it, as advertized on the cover? This statement is confusing. I''m not opening it until I know It has what I need to write DirectX applications. I can return it if the CD is unopened. It may seem stupid but asking is the only way I can find out. Any response would be greatly appreciated. Marshall

I found that I could pick up MSVC++ with pretty much no training needed, after doing a lot of programming solely on Unix (vim for life, man!!). Microsoft has done a good job of letting you not care about the stuff you don''t want to care about.

You''re correct about DirectX; most people download just the runtime version. In order to program it with VC++, you need the .lib and .h files. You can get this SDK from Microsoft''s site. This also includes a debug version of the runtime libraries, tho I''ve never used them and am not quite sure what capabilities they give you.

If the installer file is more than a hundred megabytes, it''s the SDK.

On the second disc of the book TOTWGPG is the DirectX 6.1 SDK which you need to install if you want to compile the stuff of the book.
Actually you CAN download the latest version of the sdk (DX8) but if you only stick to source of the book, there is no reason to do so.

Bye

Okay, I installed DX6.1 from the CD. It installed the SDK files in C:\mssdk. I don''t know where it put the runtime DLLs (I don''t need to know do I?). All the demo*.exes work (except demo7_19 locks everything up requiring a reset). However I can''t compile the source files. I am trying to compile demo6_1.cpp.

How do I get the compiler to recognize DirectX files? I have no information anywhere on how to do this with VC++. The book says to insert the DX directories into the search path. I went to Tools \ Options \ directories tab and added C:\mssdk\lib in the first slot for the lib option, and C:\mssdk\include for the include option. I also added ddraw.lib under the Project \ Settings \ link tab. I really have no idea what the heck I''m doing. When I look on MSDN I get a lot of mumbo jumbo about environmental variables (what are they?). I really need to learn how VC++ works.

Well as I guessed It didn''t work. I got the unresolved external link error for IDD_IDirectDraw4. What''s going on?

Marshall

Oops. Sorry. Forgot to give my User Name.

The only way to learn an IDE is by using it.
If you have experience using other compilers and
debuggers, it will take you a short time to
learn the things that VC offer you.

If you are new to the subject, you
should post some questions in
forums like this or you could try out
the microsoft.public.vc newsgroup.

Reading a book about the IDE wont help you at all..
it will only stay inside your head, once you have used
it a few times

Jonas