Programming ArcGIS in Visual C++

Developing in Visual C++ is a large and complex subject, as it provides a much lower level of interaction with the underlying Windows APIs and COM APIs when compared to other development environments.

While this can be a hindrance for rapid application development, it is the most flexible approach. A number of design patterns, such as COM aggregation and singletons, that are possible in Visual C++, the complex COM plumbing code, can be hidden using standard class libraries, such as ATL.  However, it is still important to have a thorough understanding of the underlying ATL COM implementation.

With the ability to develop with the Visual C# .NET language, it is worth considering porting Visual C++ code to this environment and using the ArcGIS .NET API. The syntax of C# is not unlike C++, but the resulting code is generally simpler and more consistent.

This section is intended to serve two main purposes: to familiarize you with general Visual C++ coding style and debugging, beginning with a discussion on ATL, and to detail specific usage requirements and recommendations for working with the ArcObjects programming platform in Visual C++.

In this section
Developing with ArcObjects	General guidelines and considerations when developing with ArcObjects.
Active Template Library	Active Template Library (ATL) helps you implement COM objects and saves typing. This topic serves as an introduction to this framework for implementing COM objects.
Smart types	Smart types are objects that behave as types. The two main smart types covered in this topics are Direct-To-COM and the Active Template Library.
Naming conventions	Some naming convention suggestions.
Debugging Tips in Developer Studio	Tips to help you get the most from your debugging session in Visual Studio.
Importing ArcGIS Type Libraries	Using the #import command to reference ArcGIS interfaces, types, and objects.
Handling COM Events in ATL	Discussion of terminology and usage for working with COM events in VC++ and ATL.
ATL and the ActiveX Controls	ArcGIS Engine includes a number of ActiveX controls that can simplify application development. This topic highlights how to use ATL to add these controls to a dialog box.
MFC and the ActiveX Controls	This topic discusses hosting the controls on a dialog box using the MFC framework.