Salaam Karim,

If you've never done any Windows programming before, then the first place you need to start is with a tutorial book like "Visual C++ For Dummies" or "How to Learn Visual C++ in 24 Hours," or some such book that takes you through the learning process step by step. This is especially true if you're already familiar with programming C++ (which I gather you are by your comments regarding the main function).

If you're already familiar with programming C++, or any other language for that matter, then you are no doubt accustomed to writing sequence driven programs. Unfortunately, to run a program in Windows it must be event driven, not sequence driven. The difference is that a sequence driven program starts at the beginning (e.g. at main()) and proceeds in sequential order. Windows programs do not. They start, if memory serves, at WinMain() and proceed to execute commands based on events (e.g. the cursor passes over the rectangle that defines a particular button).

The whole thing can be daunting, especially if you already know how to program normally. Still, once you wrap your mind around it, so many things that would have been nightmarish to program by yourself are dead easy. Menus, printing, popup windows, all of the things that look and act pretty much the same regardless of which Windows program you're running, those things become dramatically easier to implement.

So I recommend a tutorial book first. Good luck.

Joe