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- README file for the Think C Programming Guide and the Picture and
- Application projects.
-
- Ralph Gonzalez, PO Box 54, Newark, DE 19711, USA.
-
-
-
- THINK C PROGRAMMING GUIDE:
-
- The Think C Programming Guide (TCPG) is a $15 shareware HyperCard stack
- for learning Symantec Corp.'s Think C 4.0 compiler. This is an object-
- oriented extension of the C programming language, and a near-subset of
- C++. The TCPG may also serve as an introduction to the basic features
- of the C++ language. The differences among C, Think C 4.0, and C++ are
- detailed in the TCPG.
-
- The object-oriented programming approach is described and is used
- throughout, beginning with the first example. However, unlike most C++
- textbooks, the TCPG does NOT assume prior C programming experience. A
- brief overview of the entire ANSI standard C language, including data
- types & pointers, functions, operators, statements, preprocessor
- directives, and standard function libraries is provided. The TCPG is
- recommended for use in conjunction with a detailed ANSI C reference
- book. Little discussion is devoted to Macintosh programming techniques
- nor to the Think Class Library provided by Symantec; rather, references
- for this information are listed.
-
- The TCPG contains example code which may be COPY'ed using HyperCard and
- PASTE'd into source files for immediate compilation with the Think C
- compiler or any C++ compiler.
-
- The TCPG was created with HyperCard 1.2. To use it with HyperCard 2.0
- you must choose the "Convert Stack" menu option.
-
- PICTURE PROJECT:
-
- The Picture project is a free collection of source and header files
- which accompanies the Think C Programming Guide. The Picture project is
- an open-ended case study of object-oriented programming applied to
- displaying and animating 2 and 3-dimensional "wireframe" figures on
- graphics displays.
-
- Of significance are (1) the free nature of the software, intended to
- encourage experimental and educational use; (2) the use of an object-
- oriented language representation for the elements of the graphics
- package, which makes feasible a flexible "programming-oriented" approach
- to developing animations; (3) support for portability to any machine for
- which a Screen class and C++ compiler (or Think C) is available -
- presently Macintoshes and IBM PC-compatibles; (4) facility for animation
- with respect to independent, nested frames of reference.
-
- The accompanying "picthelp" file details how to develop Picture-based
- applications.
-
-
- APPLICATION PROJECT:
-
- Another free collection of source and header files accompanying the
- Think C Programming Guide is the Application (App) project. The classes
- defined in this project serve as a rudimentary "application framework"
- for text-only Think C or C++ applications. In this sense, App is
- related to (but much less sophisticated than) Symantec's Think Class
- Library and Apple's MacApp Object Pascal class library.
-
- An App-based application differs from one developed with the
- forementioned class libraries in that the user interface may be varied
- without changing the application-specific code. Menu, command-line, and
- pull-down menu interfaces may be selected for the application. (The
- pull-down interface is available for Think C users only.)
-
- The intent is to provide a case study of inheritance as provided by
- object-oriented languages, and to encourage experimentation with
- application frameworks and user interface management systems. The
- "apphelp" text file describes how to use the App project and gives
- references for further reading.
-