VS Express 2012: No C++ Windows Forms Application?

Question

I excitedly installed Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop on my fresh Windows 7 installation a couple days ago. I opened it and quickly found, to my dismay, that there is no native support for a C++ Windows Forms Application. When creating a new project, under "Templates", you can choose between:

Visual Basic, Visual C#, and Visual C++.

Under Visual Basic and Visual C#, you can choose between:

Windows Forms Application, WPF Application, Console Application, or Class Library.

However, under Visual C++, you can choose between:

Win32 Console Application, Win32 Project, Empty Project, or Makefile Project.

I want to make a Visual C++ Windows Forms Application. How can I do that?

Answer 1

The Windows Forms project template has been removed in VS2012 but you can still add forms to your project, see the Project\Add New Item menu, it has Windows Form in the UI section.

You can create a Console or Empty CLR project, add a form to it and then add the necessary code in main to display the form, something like:

#include "MyForm.h"

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Windows::Forms;

[STAThread]
void main(array<String^>^ args) {
    Application::EnableVisualStyles();
    Application::SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);

    Project1::MyForm form;
    Application::Run(%form);
}

You'll also want to change the linker subsystem (Project Properties\Configuration Properties\Linker\System\SubSystem) to Windows.

Answer 2

Thanks for the reply. I just now tried that, and got two errors:

Error    1    error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _WinMain@16 referenced in function ___tmainCRTStartup    c:\Users\Jeremy\documents\visual studio 2012\Projects\Project1\Project1\MSVCRTD.lib(crtexew.obj)    Project1

Error    2    error LNK1120: 1 unresolved externals    c:\users\username\documents\visual studio 2012\Projects\Project1\Debug\Project1.exe    Project1

Any idea how to fix this? Thanks for your help so far.

Answer 3

Are you sure you created a CLR project? From the error I suspect it's a Win32 Project.

Answer 4

1. I created a new "CLR Empty Project"

2. I clicked Project > Add New Item... > Windows Form > Add

3. I opened MyForm.cpp and made it look exactly like this:

#include "MyForm.h"

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Windows::Forms;

[STAThread]
int main(array<String^>^ args) {
    Application::EnableVisualStyles();
    Application::SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);

    mySiriInstaller::MyForm form;
    Application::Run(%form);
}

Then I hit Build and got those errors.

Answer 5

Check the linker options in Project Properties, Configuration Properties, Linker, Advanced, Entry Point. Try setting that property to main.

Answer 6

Wow, it worked! Thanks!

Answer 7

It should be like this I think

#include "MyForm.h"

using namespace Project1;

[STAThreadAttribute]
int main(array<System::String ^> ^args)
{
	Application::EnableVisualStyles();
	Application::SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false); 

	Application::Run(gcnew MyForm());
	return 0;
}

Answer 8

I tried the both solution and got no errors. The problem is before the main form is displayed,

a console form appeared. How could I eliminate that console form?

---

mjra

Answer 9

I tried the both solution and got no errors. The problem is before the main form is displayed,

a console form appeared. How could I eliminate that console form?

It sounds like you used one of the "console" templates.

Check the project properties:

Configuration Properties->Linker->System: "SubSystem"

and make it "Not Set"

Do a Rebuild.

- Wayne

Answer 10

It's still not working, I tried project Properties->Configuration Properties->Linker->System->SubSystem and choose Not Set

---

mjra

Answer 11

#include "MyForm.h"
#include "stdafx.h"
#include <windows.h>
using namespace System;
using namespace Windows::Forms;
using namespace win2012;

[STAThreadAttribute]
int APIENTRY _tWinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance,
                     HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,
                     LPTSTR    lpCmdLine,
                     int       nCmdShow)
					 

{
	System::Threading::Thread::CurrentThread->ApartmentState = System::Threading::ApartmentState::STA;
	
	Application::EnableVisualStyles();
    Application::SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
	Application::Run(gcnew MyForm());
	return 0;
}

I tried researching and got this from another website, and this one works with me.  I don't know how to extract the commandline arguments,like your solutions.  Thanks for replying.

God Bless

---

mjra