431.  C++/CLI Essentials

Rev. 1.0

 

Microsoft .NET is an advance in programming technology that greatly simplifies application development. .NET is a complete restructuring of Microsoft’s entire system infrastructure and represents a major learning challenge for programmers developing applications on Microsoft platforms. .NET 2.0 includes C++/CLI, which enables the popular Visual C++ language to fully participate in the new .NET Framework.

 

This two-day course is designed for the experienced C++ programmer to help you quickly come up to speed on the C++/CLI language. It is current to Visual Studio 2005 and .NET 2.0, which introduces important new features, such as generic types.

 

This course concisely covers the essentials of programming using Microsoft’s C++/CLI programming language. It starts with a brief chapter, “.NET:  What You Need to Know,” which gets you up and running in the .NET environment with a minimum of fuss. The next two chapters cover C++/CLI language fundamentals and object-oriented programming in C++/CLI. The next chapter discusses how C++/CLI relates to the .NET Framework. The following chapter covers delegates and events. The course concludes with a succinct introduction to creating GUI programs using Windows Forms.

 

The course is practical, with many example programs and a progressively developed case study. The goal is to quickly bring you up to speed in writing C++/CLI programs. The student will receive a comprehensive set of materials, including course notes and all the programming examples.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

·         Acquire a working knowledge of C++/CLI programming

·         Learn about important interactions between C++/CLI and the .NET Framework

·         Learn how to implement simple GUI programs using Windows Forms

 

Duration:  2 days

 

Prerequisites:  The student should be an experienced application developer or architect with a good working knowledge of C++ and object-oriented programming.

 

1.      .NET: What You Need to Know

.NET Executables and the CLR

A .NET Testbed for C++/CLI Programming

Visual Studio 2005

 

2.      C++/CLI Fundamentals

First C++/CLI Console Application

Namespaces

Data Types

Conversions

Control Structures

Subroutines and Functions

Strings

Arrays

Console I/O

Formatting

Exception Handling

 

3.      Object-Oriented Programming in C++/CLI

Classes

Access Control

Methods and Properties

Static Data and Methods

Inheritance

Overriding Methods

Abstract Classes

 

4.      C++/CLI and the .NET Framework

Components

Interfaces

System.Object

.NET and COM

Collections

IEnumerable and IEnumerator

Copy Semantics in C++/CLI

Generic Types

Type-Safe Collections

 

5.      Delegates and Events

Delegates

Random Number Generation

Events

 

6.      Introduction to Windows Forms

Creating Windows Applications Using Visual Studio 2005

Buttons, Labels and Textboxes

Handling Events

Listbox Controls

 

Appendix A.  Learning Resources

 

 

System Requirements

 

Course exercises require Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 on Windows XP with Service Pack 2. Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition can also be used. See the appropriate course Setup Guide for details.

 

A good minimal hardware profile for this course would have a Pentium 1 GHz or equivalent CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and at least 4 GB of free disk space for tools installation and courseware.