Use a Different View Class

The discussion in this migration guide assumes that you use the default CView-derived view class in your migration. That's appropriate for SHOWDIB, for instance. But MFC supplies several other view classes, and view/frame window configurations, that may be more suitable for your program:

• Use CScrollView to have MFC manage the scrolling for you.

  You'll need to strip out your old scrolling code, so CScrollView may be more suitable for new applications than for migrating.

• Use CFormView (or CRecordView) if your application needs a form-based user interface. You can also use a dialog box.

  All of these user interface options are based on dialog-template resources. CFormView and CDialog are alternative ways to implement a dialog-like user interface with controls. CRecordView is best for database access applications that display data from a table.

• Use CEditView if you need a simple text editor view.

  CEditView is really a Windows-based edit control with some special capabilities, including file serialization and clipboard support.

• Use multiple view classes, either in a splitter window or in separate frame windows, if your program requires a complex user interface.

  While most of these configurations are not supplied in single classes, they're all relatively easy to implement using class CSplitterWnd and/or class CDocTemplate. See the documentation and third-party books such as David J. Kruglinski's Inside Visual C++ (2nd Ed., Microsoft Press, 1994).

• Use MDI instead of SDI.

  AppWizard will create an MDI application for you. If different child frame windows are to hold different kinds of documents (such as text vs. graphics), you'll need to implement a view and a document class for each kind.

You can specify many of these options in AppWizard at the outset. You can also in some cases add the options after the fact. For example, making a few simple code changes converts a CView into a CScrollView.