Calling all programmers!

[Doomulation]

There's a contest at m$ if you wish to join. The contest is to write a software from scratch using the new visual studio express 2005 beta.
The price is...

1. A Microsoft Xbox video game system with 1 year Xbox Live subscription and one copy of Halo 2* (Estimated Retail Value US$275)

OR

2. An Amazon gift certificate for US $275.

But I won't write as much, because it's all explained here:
http://channel9.msdn.com/express/rules.aspx

Now, I hope you all join ;) I say good luck to you. I think I'll be participating for fun. Remember: it doesn't matter what language you use - it's the end software that is the key!

[zenogais]

Just compiled my first program using the new IDE. I like it so far, it seems like a cleaned-up, and beautified version of 2003.

[aprentice]

Just compiled my first program using the new IDE. I like it so far, it seems like a cleaned-up, and beautified version of 2003.

im not joining the contest cause its a waste of time, but is this express 2005 beta full version or something?

[zenogais]

im not joining the contest cause its a waste of time, but is this express 2005 beta full version or something?

Yea, as far as I can tell its the same as the commercial versions of the IDE.

[glVertex3f]

So your saying I can download this... for free.... or go buy the $100+ MSVC++?
Not to mention the have a variety of languages with this Express which can be compared to Visual Studio!

[GbaGuy]

Is it allowed to download more than one of the languages?
Will each one install VS2005? and then the language part...

They just have the list for the downloads... how does the install go?

[Doomulation]

Afaik, it's a full version, but I can't be sure as I don't have it installed myself unfortunaly due to that I haven't sp1 installed.
And yes, this download is FREE.

[zenogais]

It doesn't allow you to build Win32 API or MFC/ATL/WTL applications, this is more a push by Microsoft for their .NET framework. Basically, the only way to make a Windows application is to use Frames, which are part of the .NET library, and only standard in C#.

[glVertex3f]

Yeah that really stinks. I even downloaded the Platform SDK and still nothing :yawn:

I would have really enjoyed using this IDE.

[Ryan Smith]

I've been able to get the Win32 API to work with it by using the libraries from the Platform SDK, but I haven't tried MFC yet (and I've never used ATL, so I wouldn't know where to begin with trying to get that to work).

I did try adding the wizards from VC.net 2002 to this one, and they showed up in the Solution builder menu, but they didn't work. I've only gotten "Win32 Application" to work, but it looks like you can insert anything you want if you're willing to patch the script up for the wizards. The functionality for them to be there isn't removed (the Create Custom Wizard script is mentioned somewhere in the VC8 directory).

It might be worth poking around in if you'd like to continue using this IDE.

P.S. glVertex3f: if you would like to use this IDE, I can tell you (or anyone) how I got the Win32 stuff to work. It's not hard. :)

[glVertex3f]

So you just have to link with a library? Or is it more?

Also I wonder if the Full release will be like this.

[Ryan Smith]

So you just have to link with a library? Or is it more?

Also I wonder if the Full release will be like this.

Yeah, that's all you have to do. If you want, you can add a "Win32 Application" option to the Solution menu, and have it automatically add user32.lib from the Platform SDK (you will need to set the directories in VC.net accordingly).

The full release of Express will be stripped of MFC/ATL/Win32, I think. Standard/Pro will still have them, however.

[glVertex3f]

Is the MSVC++ Standard similar to this beta as far as IDE goes?
And I assume it supports these windows functions much better?

[Ryan Smith]

Is the MSVC++ Standard similar to this beta as far as IDE goes?
And I assume it supports these windows functions much better?

I'm going to assume the answer is yes to the first, and (a definate) yes to the second. Go here (http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/faq/default.aspx#visualc) for a little information about the different versions.

I haven't been able to find a different version of Whidbey, so I don't know if the IDEs are exactly alike, but I would think they would be very close, if not identical.

[Doomulation]

How do you do win32 stuff in this IDE? I'm not willing to use the NET framework yet. It's stupid to force everyone to download all that stuff.
I wonder if all the limitations that were in VC++ .NET when using the net framework applies to this IDE as well. Anyone knows?

[aprentice]

the .NET framework is stupid, why should people be forced to use it when win32 api is good enough.. just more stuff to learn and more work to do...

[Ryan Smith]

How do you do win32 stuff in this IDE?

First, download the Platform SDK (http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/platformsdk/sdkupdate/), if you don't already have it.

Next, navigate to the directory that you installed VC in (Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8). Go to \VC\vcprojects\Win32. Open "win32.vsdir" with notepad/wordpad. Add this line:


..\Win32Wiz.vsz|{1B027A40-8F43-11D0-8D11-00A0C91BC942}|#1171|1|#1172|{1B027A40-8F43-11D0-8D11-00A0C91BC942}|0|4096|#1154

Now, go back to \vcprojects\. Either copy win32console.vsz (new file name: win32wiz.vsz) and edit it with Notepad/Wordpad, or create a new file entitled win32wiz.vsz and paste the following in and save:



VSWIZARD 7.0
Wizard=VsWizard.VsWizardEngine.8.0
Param="WIZARD_NAME = Application"
Param="RELATIVE_PATH = VCWizards\AppWiz\Generic"


Now, navigate to \VC\VCWizards\AppWiz\Generic\Application \scripts\1033. Open "default.js."

Now, copy the following section after the if(strAppType == "CONSOLE") statement:



if (strAppType == "WIN")
{
var config = selProj.Object.Configurations("Debug");
var LinkTool = config.Tools("VCLinkerTool");
LinkTool.AdditionalDependencies = "user32.lib";

config = selProj.Object.Configurations("Release");
LinkTool = config.Tools("VCLinkerTool");
LinkTool.AdditionalDependencies = "user32.lib";

}

Make sure that your include/library directory lists contain references to the Platform SDK include/lib directory. You should be able to create Win32 applications now in the Solution window, and compile them. I know there are other default libraries that need to be added, but I can't remember what they are, and haven't found them while looking on Google. If someone could post a list of them, I would appreciate it. :)

I think you could add the icon for DLL projects if you wanted to; it's included with that Win32 wizard.

I guess you could add MFC and ATL in if you wanted, but I don't know the required libraries/have the wizards from a previous version to look at (.net 2002 is too different for the scripts to work).

[Doomulation]

the .NET framework is stupid, why should people be forced to use it when win32 api is good enough.. just more stuff to learn and more work to do...
The NET framework is not stupid, it's just 20 mb for everyone who wishes to use it to download. The NET framework is actually pretty good. It contains many powerful functions and makes it easy to build your apps.

Win32 api is hard and a pain in the ass to use. It's MUCH easier to learn the NET framework than win32 api.

Hmmm, and HOW do you know all this? :p
Besides, all headers and libs for the sdk can be found in previous versions of vc++, so I have them.
I guess you only need to see which libraries MFC links against. The stdafx.h file should contain all headers needed to be included.

[Doomulation]

Ohhh... just installed this and it looks ... tasty :evil:
Shame I can't use MFC... BUT... refreaction, you and zenogais, you use NET 2003 don't you?
Perhaps you could supply the project for MFC?
The win32 project you added seem to work! Although I had to add some additional directories because it had neither the windows.h header nor the user32.lib files :yucky:

Stupid m$. Once again, they try to force you into using their new products!

[glVertex3f]

Is there some kind of magic word or dace to get OpenGL going on this thing?

(Im not a complete n00b) I linked the libs.

[Doomulation]

Maybe if you told us what's going wrong.

[glVertex3f]

Well, I'll take code I write in dev-c++ and put it in MSVC++ and it just brings up random errors... stuff like undeclared functions, or stuff about end of file.

Its no biggie I just wondered if this was a common problem.

[Doomulation]

Microsoft's compilers do sometimes not like dev-c++ code. At these times, few changes in necessary to make it compile. This probably has nothing to do with opengl.

EDIT:
I actually found out how to make MFC work with this bastard...
First off, you need another version of Visual Studio installed, because just as with win32, the mfc library and headers aren't shipped with this.
Secondly, you will need to edit some mfc headers. If you don't know what you're doing, then stop right here! And remember: As I have Visual Studio NET 2002 installed, I can only guide you through changing this!

Okay, let's begin :icecream:
First, you simply download the wizard I've put together for you. Extract the contents to the directory where you installed Visual Studio 2005 Express (NOT the VC subdirectory!). The paths are stored in the zipfile. You'll probably be asked to overwrite some files. Answer "yes." (Actually, I included the ability to create a win32 project as well as mentioned above.)

Now, open visual studio and use the mfc wizard to create a new project. Once it's done, you will need to add new paths. Before you add them, remember to replace the "$(VCDir)" part of each path to where your other visual studio version is installed. Note that the paths might vary a little on diffrent versions of visual studio! Go find the correct paths yourself!
So goto tools->options. Then select "projects and solutions" and "vc++ directories." Select includes from the combo and add these:

$(VCDir)\Vc7\include
$(VCDir)\Vc7\PlatformSDK\Include\prerele ase
$(VCDir)\Vc7\PlatformSDK\Include
$(VCDir)\Vc7\atlmfc\include

Select libraries in the list and add these:

$(VCDir)\Vc7\lib
$(VCDir)\Vc7\PlatformSDK\lib
$(VCDir)\Vc7\atlmfc\lib

Then click OK and restart the IDE.
Now hit F7 to compile the project. You'll recieve a lot of compile errors. Double-click the first error.
At lines such as these, you'll want to add "typename" before the typedef. This is a change in the c++ language to conform the standard (explained in the help).
There are many compile errors such as these. You'll need to find and correct them all.

Lastly, the last error will complain about a copy constructor. At this one, you need to comment out the "template <>" part. I don't know what effects this will have, so be careful!

Now you're all set to compile the project =)

Btw, I think I retract what I wrote before... there seems to be three versions of this product... express (the free one), standard and professional. Win32 and MFC is missing in express, but not standard. Sneaky m$, very sneaky. But with this method, your previous mfc version will still compile with your new IDE.

This is all you need to compile win32 and mfc projects with the new IDE!