Getting the most out of your Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) applications is the goal of Eugène Kain's The MFC Answer Book. Though it does not cover newer Internet Explorer-style enhancements, this title offers some indispensable tips for writing more attractive MFC applications in Visual C++. The book begins with an excellent tour of the MFC document/view architecture. As the author notes, Visual C++ wizards let you generate simple, functional multiple-document interface (MDI) applications, but you're on your own after that. To remedy this gap, the author shares his expertise for building better MDI applications. He includes how to manage more than one view, as well as how to save and reload files effectively.
The same question-and-answer approach is used for such topics as views, dialog boxes, and property sheets. Standout tips here include how to size and control views, as well as how to change the color and font used for dialog controls. The author also shows you how to create applications that run in full-screen mode, just like in Microsoft Word 97. Toolbars, menus, and printing functions round out the tour.
Throughout this text, Kain provides plenty of short, clear programming examples that show exactly how to solve some of the most perplexing and common problems faced by the working MFC programmer. There's little doubt that The MFC Answer Book can save you hours of experimenting on your own; it can help you create significantly more responsive and appealing MFC programs. --Richard Dragan
