Programming Windows

by Charles Petzold

Reimagined for full-screen and touch-optimized apps, Windows 8 provides a platform for reaching new users in new ways. In response, programming legend Charles Petzold is rewriting his classic Programming Windows—one of the most popular programming books of all time—to show developers how to use existing skills and tools to build Windows 8 apps.

Programming Windows, Sixth Edition focuses on creating Windows 8 apps accessing the Windows Runtime with XAML and C#. The book also provides C++ code samples. The Sixth Edition is organized in two

Part I, “Elementals,” begins with the interrelationship between code and XAML, basic event handling, dynamic layout, controls, templates, asynchronous processing, the application bar, control customization, and collections. You should emerge from Part I ready to create sophisticated page-oriented collection-based user interfaces using the powerful ListView and GridView controls.

Part II, “Specialties,” explores topics you might not need for every program but are essential to a well-rounded education in Windows 8. These include multitouch, bitmap graphics, interfacing with share and search facilities, printing, working with the sensors (GPS and orientation), text, obtaining input from the stylus (including handwriting recognition), accessing web services, calling Win32 and DirectX functions, and bringing your application to the Windows 8 app store.

Genres: Programming, Reference, Computers, Computer Science, Technical, Nonfiction, Software

2055 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 1998

About the author

Charles Petzold has been writing about programming for Windows-based operating systems for 24 years. A Microsoft MVP for Client Application Development and a Windows Pioneer Award winner, Petzold is author of the classic Programming Windows, currently in its sixth edition and one of the best-known programming books of all time; the widely acclaimed Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software; and more than a dozen other books.

Reviews

[Will]

This book served as a clear, detailed, but basic introduction to the Win32 API.

[Yi]

"The definitive guide to the Win32 API" ... INDEED! Was definitely my go-to book at the time.

[Terence]

It is a nice refence book, its typically one of the books you have in your bookcase, and sometimes look at it.

[Mohammad Elsheimy]

Charles Petzold, u r the God of programming

[Bill Lacey]

This book is the bible for programming Windows. It assumes a complete understanding of the C++ programming language. When I read this book, I needed Bjarne Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language" as a reference. Difficult, but well worth the effort. There's not a book on the market that does it better.

[Rajtilak Bhattacharjee]

A really nice beginner's guide for Win32 API programming.

[Michael]

The contents of the sixth edition is obsolete, as opposed the fifth edition, which remains relevant as of April 2025. None of the supplied source code for the sixth edition (https://resources.oreilly.com/example...) may be loaded in to the current version of Visual Studio (2022). In true Microsoft fashion, earlier versions of Visual Studio (including the community editions) require a paid subscription.

[Pawel Zarzycki]

I was literally 18 when I swallow this brick :)

[Anthony Pryor]

read at Borland

[Pontus]

Don´t buy this. It is not good as a reference because it is to much text that is not important, nor is it good as a tutorial because the assignments are shitty written.

Use the resources at MSDN instead if you want to create Windows Store Apps, and save some money

[Herbie Smith]

As good as previous editions, but with the same flaws -- a lot of text showing calculations for manipulation of items (e.g. rotating, calculating transparency, drawing lines, etc).

[Nadeem]

nothing

[Sameer Thigale]

A well begun is half done! So start with Petzold only.

[Ar Lun]

no