The QuickWin functions make it possible to compile non-Windows DOS programs as simple text-only Windows applications. DOS programs compiled with the /Mq compiler option have a limited Windows user interface, including a standard menu bar, standard online help (for the QuickWin features), and a client (or application) window with a child (document) window for the input/output streams stdin, stdout, and stderr. You can also add other child windows of your own. QuickWin applications support the Windows Clipboard, and you can use standard C and C++ functions to write to and read from a QuickWin application's windows, which behave as streams.
Unless you use the functions covered in this section, you do not need to alter your program's source code. However, by using these functions in your source, you can take advantage of enhanced capabilities in your QuickWin programs.
Note that there are some restrictions on the kinds of DOS programs that can be compiled with QuickWin. Programs that use graphics or that spawn processes cannot take advantage of QuickWin. For full details about QuickWin, see Chapter 8 of Programming Techniques (in the Microsoft C/C++ version 7.0 documentation set).
QuickWin programs cannot be run in real mode.
QuickWin uses Windows libraries and the QWIN.LIB library. QuickWin constants, structures, and functions are declared in the Windows version of IO.H and STDIO.H. The /Mq compiler option defines the _WINDOWS constant, declared in the Windows version of STDIO.H.
| Routine | Use |
| _fwopen | Opens a new window stream |
| _wabout | Sets the string that appears in the About dialog box |
| _wclose | Closes a window's file handle |
| _wgetexit | Gets a QuickWin program's current exit behavior setting |
| _wgetfocus | Returns a file handle to the window with the input focus |
| _wgetscreenbuf | Gets a window's current screen-buffer size |
| _wgetsize | Gets a window's current size and position on the screen |
| _wmenuclick | Chooses a menu command |
| _wopen | Opens a window, returning a file handle to it |
| _wsetexit | Sets the way a QuickWin program behaves when exit is called |
| _wsetfocus | Makes a window the active window (sets its focus) |
| _wsetscreenbuf | Sets a window's screen-buffer size |
| _wsetsize | Sets a window's size and position on the screen |
| _wyield | Yields processor time to Windows for queue servicing |