GUI and Event Handling

Learning Objectives

• Understand the Graphical use interface in C++

• Explain the concept of Event handling.
• Develop a GUI.

Introduction
To develop C++ GUI or C++ graphical user interface application, you need an IDE that
supports the C++ GUI application. To create the GUI app, you must use Visual Studio
2019 because it is better suited for the C++ GUI application.

How to Create a Project and Configure a Visual Studio to

Run a C++ GUI Application?

https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/cpp-tutorial/cpp-
gui?source=sl_frs_nav_playlist_video_clicked

https://www.daniweb.com/programming/software-development/threads/77173/c-gui-graphical-
user-interface-for-beginners

Event handling in native C++

In native C++ event handling, you set up an event source and event receiver using
the event_source and event_receiver attributes, respectively, specifying type=native.
These attributes allow the classes they're applied on to fire events and handle events in
a native, non-COM context.

Declaring events
In an event source class, use the __event keyword on a method declaration to declare the
method as an event. Make sure to declare the method, but don't define it. If you do, it

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generates a compiler error, because the compiler defines the method implicitly when it's
made into an event. Native events can be methods with zero or more parameters. The
return type can be void or any integral type.

Defining event handlers

In an event receiver class, you define event handlers. Event handlers are methods with
signatures (return types, calling conventions, and arguments) that match the event that
they'll handle.

Hooking event handlers to events

Also in an event receiver class, you use the intrinsic function __hook to associate events
with event handlers and __unhook to disassociate events from event handlers. You can
hook several events to an event handler, or several event handlers to an event.

Firing events
To fire an event, call the method declared as an event in the event source class. If
handlers have been hooked to the event, the handlers will be called.

Native C++ event code

The following example shows how to fire an event in native C++. To compile and run
the example, refer to the comments in the code. To build the code in the Visual Studio
IDE, verify that the /permissive- option is turned off.

Example

// evh_native.cpp
// compile by using: cl /EHsc /W3 evh_native.cpp
#include <stdio.h>

[event_source(native)]
class CSource {
public:
__event void MyEvent(int nValue);
};

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[event_receiver(native)]
class CReceiver {
public:
void MyHandler1(int nValue) {
printf_s("MyHandler1 was called with value %d.\n", nValue);
}

void MyHandler2(int nValue) {

printf_s("MyHandler2 was called with value %d.\n", nValue);
}

void hookEvent(CSource* pSource) {

__hook(&CSource::MyEvent, pSource, &CReceiver::MyHandler1);
__hook(&CSource::MyEvent, pSource, &CReceiver::MyHandler2);
}

void unhookEvent(CSource* pSource) {

__unhook(&CSource::MyEvent, pSource, &CReceiver::MyHandler1);
__unhook(&CSource::MyEvent, pSource, &CReceiver::MyHandler2);
}
};

int main() {
CSource source;
CReceiver receiver;

receiver.hookEvent(&source);
__raise source.MyEvent(123);
receiver.unhookEvent(&source);
}

https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/1256352/CppEvent-How-to-Implement-Events-using-
Standard-Cp

CS 212: Object Oriented Programming Page 3