WinLab Reviews Software Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0
Professional Edition Visual C++ 5.0 Is Tops for Developing ActiveX Controls
-- by Martin Heller
Microsoft's new version of Visual C++ turns the black art of building ActiveX controls and COM objects into a dramatically easier
process. New wizards, a new template library, new language
extensions and enhanced tools have also made the resulting controls
considerably smaller. Though Visual C++ lacks the rapid application
development (RAD) environment of Borland C++ Builder, its strong
ActiveX support makes it an impressive package. Microsoft offers
Visual C++ 5.0 in a Professional Edition, which we looked at, and an
Enterprise Edition, aimed at programming teams building multi-tier
client/server applications. It bundles a database, a query builder,
a version-control system and a transaction server with the IDE.
The new Developer Studio features macro recording and automation
employing VBScript, an open object model and extensions using
ActiveX add-ins. Workspaces can contain multiple projects, and
projects can contain subprojects. Studio's Class View, Wizard Bar
and editor syntax coloring have all been significantly enhanced.
InfoViewer can now double as a We b browser, enabling easy preview
of ActiveX components in Web pages.
The core C++ compiler has new options and improved optimization.
Microsoft claims a 5 to 10 percent size reduction with the /O1
option and significant gains from synchronous exception handling.
The company also cites anecdotal evidence of 20 to 25 percent size
reductions in specific large applications. Speed improvements will
depend heavily on what your application does and what processor it
uses. We found, experimentally, remarkable size reductions for COM
objects-our Pinger object, for instance, dropped from 45KB to 24KB.
We built the object using the ActiveX Template Library (ATL), and
much of the gain can be attributed to improvements in ATL itself.
The language-conformance story in this release is mixed. Version
5.0 finally brings Visual C++ into conformance with the current
draft ANSI C++ specification. It also has a fully conformant
implementation of the Standard C++ Library. However, it introduces
several new Microsoft-specific extensions to C++. Extensions are
not unfavorable, though they tempt developers to sacrifice
portability for convenience.
So, the question remains: Borland C++ Builder or Microsoft Visual
C++ 5.0? We're forced to demur, gently. It depends. If you're
building a Windows application designed to be used, C++ Builder's
drag-and-drop paradigm offers some compelling advantages in terms of
the ease and speed of development. But if you're building ActiveX
controls or COM objects, Visual C++ offers compelling advantages not
only in terms of the ease and speed of development but also in terms
of the size of the final control. Therefore, Microsoft Visual C++
5.0 will join Borland C++ Builder on our WinList.
Q UICK
V IEW |
Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0
Professional Edition Bottom Line : The best C++
environment for building ActiveX controls Platforms : 95, NT
Pros : Creates small ActiveX controls and COM
objects Cons : Sparse RAD capabilities; slow
development Strongest Rival : Borland C++ Builder
Microsoft Corp., 800-426-9400, 206-882-8080.
|
Windows Magazine , July 1997, page 139.
|