Programming Techniques is divided into two parts. Part 1, “Improving Program Performance,” helps you write more efficient programs. It provides specific information about optimizing—when and why to use various optimizing options. It describes precompiled headers, which can reduce compilation time during development. Part 1 explains how to compile your program into p-code, a form of code that produces smaller executable files. It also explains memory management options for both C and C++ and when to use them. Chapter 6 describes the inline assembler, a feature that lets you mix assembly language with your C and C++ source code, and Chapter 7 describes the floating-point math packages.
Part 2, “Special Environments,” describes graphics capabilities and the QuickWin library. It also shows how to program in mixed languages and offers tips to make your programs more portable. The Microsoft C run-time libraries contain graphics functions for low-level graphics operations, such as drawing lines, rectangles, and circles. The libraries also contain functions for creating presentation graphics, such as pie charts and bar charts. Microsoft C/C++ also includes a library that lets you convert DOS programs with simple input and output requirements into Windows programs.