Are their any libraries which provide functionality similar to mono but for the c++ language? I know boost exists, but I like mono much more than boost.
I'm looking to do more than what's available in the base library set, like play sound more easily (crossplatform), GUI, load images, time, etc. I guess I am looking for what people might consider an engine or a large library.
Mono is a .NET implementation. Mono is NOT a library.
There is NO Mono for C++. At least, not yet.
I think you want a multi-platform framework, such as Qt
If you're wanting to work with Managed C++ a la .Net, then you would just use Mono. They have a page describing how to go about it. The only catch is that you have to compile on Windows, as there is not yet any flavor of GCC that outputs .Net CLI for C++.
To be honest, though, if you're going to use Mono, you might as well move into C#. It's a much cleaner language, IMO.
CLI is only able to host C++ compiled code on all supported platforms as long as the compiled code only contains CIL not native code.
for more detail visit
http://www.mono-project.com/CPlusPlus
I'm not sure about your precise requirements, but in terms of large multi-purpose packages: Qt has been mentioned by a few folks. wxWidgets (formerly wxWindows) is another option. GTK is multiplatform.
As you use the word "engine" (often a game-related term), you might be interested in SDL, which has been used by numerous games, professional and amateur alike. SFML is an option. ClanLib is another long-lived library I've heard of, though I'll admit to knowing little about it.
Try the STL collections...Has nothing to do with .NET, but they are a nice collection of collections (lol) and make C++ life easier.
It sounds like what you are really looking for is a C++ framework that offers the kinds of functionality found in the .NET/Mono framework. Qt is a popular choice.
On the topic of C++ interoperability, Mono has recently made some pretty big strides with CXXI.
(From this posting): The short story is that the new CXXI technology allows C#/.NET developers to:
Easily consume existing C++ classes from C# or any other .NET
language
Instantiate C++ objects from C#
Invoke C++ methods in C++ classes from C# code
Invoke C++ inline methods from C# code (provided your library is compiled with -fkeep-inline-functions or that you provide a surrogate
library)
Subclass C++ classes from C#
Override C++ methods with C# methods
Expose instances of C++ classes or mixed C++/C# classes to both C# code and C++ as if they were native code.
CXXI is the result of two summers of work from Google's Summer of Code towards improving the interoperability of Mono with the C++ language.
Related
With native c++, I mean, not managed c++, not cli, not any special things from microsoft, I can:
1) get high performance
2) use existing c++ code library and engine
3) write cross platform code (for example, for ios and android)
it needn't be fully native c++, I can use managed code to do the ui things, like object-c in ios and java in android, but beside interface, can I use native c++ code?
I suggest you have a look at the presentation here: Using the Windows Runtime from C++ and especially at the comments from Herb Sutter. I quote:
Please answer this question: If I decide to write C++ GUI application
in Metro style am I forced to use all these proprietary ref, sealed,
^, Platform::String^ extensions for GUI components or not?
#Tomas: No, you are not forced to use them. We are providing two
supported ways:
1) These language extensions (C++/CX).
2) A C++ template library (WRL), see
Windows Kits\8.0\Include\winrt\wrl as Yannick mentioned. WRL is a C++
library-based solution sort of along the lines of ATL, which offers
what I think you're looking for -- template wrapper/convenience
classes and explicit smart pointers and such.
Yes you absolutely can, real native C++ is fully supported.
You do however mostly have to use the new WinRT libraries to do an user interface or system calls and although they are native code and fully callable from C++ directly the interface to them makes it very painful indeed to do so, as everything is a reference counted COM object and in addition it's not so easy to create instances of them as just calling "new" so you have to write a lot of ugly code to do so.
As the earlier answer said, microsoft provide two ways to help with this. One is via language extensions to c++ and the other is a c++ template library. Personally I consider both to be rather ugly for doing something as simple as calling an API but that's just me :)
But to answer your question, it's completely possible to write your application in real native c++. You won't need to use managed code at all for anything. But you'll probably want to use either the language extensions or the template library to make calling the API more easy.
Personally I'm hoping someone writes a wrapper for WinRT that exposes the most necessary functionality as a more usable c++ native library and then everyone can just use that from c++ instead...
is there anything similar to unity but with the difference that instead of javascript I can use C++?
It is funny, I was looking to learn a little bit of unity as I seen it as requirement for some postings... and I found this question.
I think Ogre3D is great... it may be what you are looking for.
here is the link ogre3d.org
Ogre3D is what I used. http://www.ogre3d.org/
It is somewhat of a misconception that Unity uses Javascript. The so-called Javascript used in Unity is actually a dialect of Javascript that is CLI-compatible and is not exactly the same as the official Javascript. Also, you are not limited to using Javascript in Unity. You can also use C#, which is similar to C++ and Java in some ways or the less commonly used Boo script.
Personally, I would recommend using C# in Unity because it is very powerful and allows calling of native C/C++ functions via P/Invoke. Here is a link to the use of plugins:
http://unity3d.com/support/documentation/Manual/Plugins.html
Link to list of Game Engines. Please take your time to read and consider them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_engines
If you want accessibility offered by Unity, C++ is certainly wrong choice. Much better would be interpreted/script language, such as Python. They are more flexible in terms of working in web browser/many os-es.
If you're interested in targetting mobile platforms then Marmalade might be a good fit.
Panda3D It's not a think compared to Unity, but it can work as a web plugin, cross-platform. It has a lack of IDE, but it is opensource.
As far as I know, there is no need to use JavaScript or Boo with Unity, and there is nothing wrong with C# acting like script language ( which is really hard with C++ ).
as a unity developer, I liked to add c++ to by knowledge base as all AAA games are made by C++ and I was looking for something like unity but for CPP. the only good cpp engine is unreal that doesn't really support c++. the language is a dialect of c++ and there are big differences. like very
rare usages of pointer and references
more syntaxes like c# attributes(cpp has not attribute)
...
so you don't learn memory management. the nearest thing that I could find was COCOS2dx as the whole framework is written in pure standard c++ and many libraries like UI and Physics are already added. you can write your own engine and editor with it.
Unreal Engine uses C++
default standard is C++14
https://www.unrealengine.com
So, I learned C++ (fundamentals) and I want to write software, however I have stumbled upon a problem where I don't know where to get started. It seems like learning C++ was the easiest part by far when it comes to understanding the libraries for the GUI construction the concept I yet don't fully comprehend. I searched a lot and couldn't even decide been a new guy on MFC, Win32 or Qt.
Qt C++ GUI seems like a fun and easy to use software with the definitions of classes available right there quickly.
With Visual's MFC I am seeing a lot of code upfront on the pre made project file and a lot of description of classes, however getting definitions is a bit slower as I have to go to the internet.
Win32 is apparently written in C and is not updated much?
A lot of people recommend Java and C# as well, but I am not interested in learning a new language when I don't have C++ set in stone and practiced with enough yet.
Not sure how to go about this.
Go with Qt if you envision porting your program to platforms other than Windows and/or your actual UI needs are relatively straightforward. But Qt, being "fun," abstracts you away from the Windows API, so if you find yourself needing to access features of that API not offered by Qt, then you'll be up the creek. So go with MFC if you're staying on Windows and you're building an application whose complexity or Windows-specific features may require more direct access to the Windows API. MFC provides a thin abstraction layer over that API; its concepts map more or less one-to-one with the API's concepts.
What kind of GUI do you want? Any framework should be able to do any kind of GUI, but some are optimized for certain work:
MFC is optimized for making applications that edit documents, like MS Office programs Word, Excel, Powerpoint.
wxWidgets and Qt (and .NET WinForms and WPF) are optimized for any sort of app that primarily uses widgets (textboxes, buttons, menus).
SDL is optimized if you want to draw stuff, like graphs or vector artwork.
I wouldn't recommend that you use MFC since it isn't a good fit for most applications, and also doesn't use modern C++ design, it's loaded with workarounds needed for stuff that was broken in early versions of Visual C++ and now can't shake those workarounds because of backward compatibility.
The Win32 API is actually really useful to know regardless of what kind of application you want to make, because it defines the rules for how the UI interfaces to the rest of the system. Yes, it's written in C, but this is to make it usable from any programming language, not because it's an obsolete design. Win32 API is highly object-oriented and uses polymorphism extensively.
Few things you need to be aware of:
If one day you want to sell a program written using Qt you might need to purchase a license.
If you feel like GUI applications/ GUI programming is what you want to do in general, for windows platform you better learn WinForms or even better WPF (with C# of course).
If you just want to quickly put up simple GUIs for your C++ programs for learning purposes, and you don't care much about learning the frameworks and licensing issues, just go with Qt or wxWidgets.
MFC is outdated. If sticking with C++ on Windows, I recommend you to lean C++ CLI.
However I suggest you to learn c# directly since c# is the mainstream language in .Net world.
For GUI, the windows world is now dominated by WPF.
I'm just starting my first C++ project. I'm using Visual Studio 2008. It's a single-form Windows application that accesses a couple of databases and initiates a WebSphere MQ transaction. I basically understand the differences among ATL, MFC, Win32 (I'm a little hazy on that one actually) and CLR, but I'm at a loss as to how I should choose.
Is one or more of these just there for backward-compatibility?
Is CLR a bad idea?
Any suggestions appreciated.
Edit:
I've chosen C++ for this project for reasons I didn't go into in the post, which are not entirely technical. So, assuming C++ is the only/best option, which should I choose?
It depends on your needs.
Using the CLR will provide you with the most expressive set of libraries (the entire .NET framework), at the cost of restricting your executable to requiring the .NET framework to be installed at runtime, as well as limiting you to the Windows platform (however, all 4 listed technologies are windows only, so the platform limitation is probably the least troublesome).
However, CLR requires you to use the C++/CLI extensions to the C++ language, so you'll, in essense, need to learn some extra language features in order to use this. Doing so gives you many "extras," such as access to the .net libraries, full garbage collection, etc.
ATL & MFC are somewhat trickier to decide between. I'd refer you to MSDN's page for choosing in order to decide between them. The nice thing about ATL/MFC is that you don't need the .NET framework, only the VC/MFC runtimes to be installed for deployment.
Using Win32 directly provides the smallest executables, with the fewest dependencies, but is more work to write. You have the least amount of helper libraries, so you're writing more of the code.
Win32 is the raw, bare-metal way of doing it. It's tedious, difficult to use, and has a lot of small details you need to remember otherwise things will fail in relatively mysterious ways.
MFC builds upon Win32 to provide you an object-oriented way of building your application. It's not a replacement for Win32, but rather an enhancement - it does a lot of the hard work for you.
System.Windows.Forms (which is what I assume you meant by CLR) is completely different but has large similarities to MFC from its basic structure. It's by far the easiest to use but requires the .NET framework, which may or may not be a hindrance in your case.
My recommendation: If you need to avoid .NET, then use MFC, otherwise use .NET (in fact, in that case, I'd use C# as it's much easier to work with).
As far as C++ goes, I would use WTL. It's lightweght and you will have few (if any) dependencies, making it easy to ship and install. I find it very satisfying when my app consists of a single EXE that will run on most versions of Windows, but this may not be a concern to you.
If you choose to go .NET instead, then C# is almost certainly the way to go.
More in WTL here:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/wtl/wtl4mfc1.aspx
I would be very curious as to why you would do this in C++ at all. Based on your brief description, C# sounds like a much more appropriate choice.
Just to elaborate a bit, look at the link you gave describing the C++ CLR. The top rated answer notes (accurately, in my opinion) that C++ is appropriate for "kernel, games, high-performance and server apps" - none of which seems to describe what you're doing.
MFC, ATL, etc are going to be supported in the sense that, yes you'll be able to compile your app on future versions of Visual Studio and run them on future versions of Windows. But they're not supported in the sense that there's not a lot of new development going on in the API or the language the same way there is in the CLR and C#.
There is nothing wrong with CLR. Like others here I'd suggest C# but as you have reasons for sticking with C++ then using the .NET framework is several thousand times easier than messing with ATL/MFC if you're not already familiar with them (IMO).
It may be worth mentioning that if you're using C++/CLR then you're not really using C++ at all. C++/CLR compiles to CIL just like C#. I've never used it myself but I believe its purpose is to allow you to compile legacy code and make it easily available to new .NET code rather than allow new code work with old C++ executables. There are other methods of calling native code from .NET which, perhaps, you should explore.
The modern (2021) answer to this question would appear to be to use C++/WinRT instead of C++/CLR (or C++/CLI or C++/CX... jeez Microsoft):
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/cpp-and-winrt-apis/intro-to-using-cpp-with-winrt
C++/WinRT is an entirely standard modern C++17 language projection for Windows Runtime (WinRT) APIs, implemented as a header-file-based library, and designed to provide you with first-class access to the modern Windows API. With C++/WinRT, you can author and consume Windows Runtime APIs using any standards-compliant C++17 compiler.
...
C++/WinRT is Microsoft's recommended replacement for the C++/CX language projection
It's basically standard C++ but the UI is defined with XAML.
Still though, as with the other answers, it would appear that using C# is really microsoft's favorite approach. C++/WinRT really looks like it's almost C# anyways.
(mingw32, windows xp)
Hello, I am attempting to migrate from Java to c++. I am confused and frustrated about finding, installing, and compiling non-standard c++ libraries. in Java it's so convenient they stuffed every functionality and documentation ever needed in java's standard api. Is there a list of essential c++ library such as Threading, gui, networking, image\ audio processing, xml, etc.etc. in one place? or possibly, offered as a single package?
I tried installing QT library for weeks and it wont even compile. in Java i used to learn by trial-and-error to learn new aspect of functionality, but that would be impossible if i can't fetch and run new api in the first place.
please, i need your suggestion, originally i wanted to break free of Java's abstraction, but now i just want to be able to use c++ before I decided shooting myself in the head.
The C++ standard library is extremely light. It contains nowhere near the functionality offered by the Java runtimes or by the .NET CLR.
The Boost libraries add a whole bunch of functionality to C++, but not much (if any) in the area of user interface.
For UI, there's the question of which platform you're targetting. If it's Win32, then you can use the straight Win32 API (mostly designed for C, but there are some C++ wrappers for parts of it). If you want cross-platform, then you're looking at QT or GTK (although there are others).
But, as Andrew already said: "why do you want to learn C++ anyway?". Don't get me wrong: I program in C++ for a living, and actually enjoy it (although I'm beginning to suspect a case of Stockholm Syndrome). If I had to start again, I'd go with a more modern language and environment (Java or C#; or Ruby or Python).
My advice would be: take it one step at a time.
First, figure out how to include a pre-built library in your code. I'd recommend starting with ZLib (it's got a very easy design to work with and it's also a useful tool to have available). Once you've got the pre-built library working, remove it and try compiling ZLib from the source code. Ask on Stack Overflow if you need help at any point, we'll get you through it.
By the time you get that working, you should have all the knowledge you need to get Qt compiled and installed too.
Threading, XML, Networking, some image generation, encoding and processing - boost provides those. As for XML, there's for example Arabica - it abstracts away platform-specific libraries by wrapping them with a nice standard C++ scent.
The GUI part is a different problem.
There's Qt, wxWidgets, gtk with c++ bindings (gtkmm), native libraries for each platform and their C++ wrappers (WTL is an excellent library for Win32), but as the C++ standard evolved and boost is becoming part of the standard (C++0x coming soon), there are no GUI frameworks that leverage those standard facilities and introduce their own instead. They do their job very well though.