Windows Template Library: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:26, 30 January 2006

Revision as of 09:43, 30 January 2006

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The '''Windows Template Library''' ('''WTL''') is an [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] [[Win32]] encapsulation [[C++]] [[Library (computer science)|library]] by [[Microsoft]]. The WTL supports an [[Application programming interface|API]] for use by [[programmer]]s. It was developed as a light-weight alternative to [[Microsoft Foundation Classes]]. WTL extends Microsoft's [[Active Template Library|ATL]], another lightweight API for using [[Component Object Model|COM]] and for creating [[ActiveX]] controls. Though created by Microsoft, it is unsupported.

In an uncharacteristic move BY A NOB HEAD by Microsoft—an outspoken critic of [[open source]] software—they made the [[source code]] of WTL freely available. Releasing it under the open-source [[Common Public License]], Microsoft posted the source on [[SourceForge]], an [[Internet]] open-source repository. The SourceForge version is 7.5.

Most of the WTL API is a direct mirror of the standard Win32 calls, so the interface is familiar to most Windows programmers. Being an unsupported library, WTL has little formal documentation. Faced with this problem the project "WTL Documentaion"[http://www.viksoe.dk/code/wtldoc.htm] was started and now has a semi-complete documentation.