Explorer-Style Applications

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An Explorer-style application has the same user interface as that of Windows Explorer. The application has a vertically-divided client area that contains left and right panes. The left pane displays a tree control, while the right pane shows detailed information pertinent to the current selection in the left pane.

The contents of the panes depend on the application. In a file-system browser, the left pane shows a hierarchical view of directories or machines, or machine groups, while the right pane displays individual files or machines and details about them. The contents do not necessarily have to be files. They could be email messages, error reports, or other items in a database.

It is strongly recommended that you create Explorer-style applications using the MFC AppWizard. In step 5, under What style of project would you like? select the Windows Explorer radio button. This is discussed in detail in Creating an Explorer-Style Application.

The AppWizard creates the following classes for you:

• The CLeftView class defines the left pane of the client area. It is always derived from CTreeView.
  
  
• The CExploreView class defines the right pane of the client area. By default it is derived from CListView, but can be another type of view depending on the class you specify from the Base class drop-down menu in step 6 of the AppWizard.
  
  
• The generated application can have either a single or multiple document interface. Each frame window the application creates is horizontally split using CSplitterWnd. Coding this application type is similar to coding a normal MFC application that uses a splitter, except that this type of application has separate control views within each splitter pane.

What do you want to know more about?

• Creating an explorer-style application
  
  
• Splitter windows
  
  
• Derived view classes