How do I build a Windows GUI Application in Eclipse using C++ (a non console application)

Question

I can't seem to figure out how build a windows GUI application in Eclipse with C++ . I can only build to a console. When I create a new project it doesn't give me the option for a Windows Application. I'm using Eclipse IDE for C/C++. Am I downloading the wrong flavor of Eclipse? What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

Here is an example to get you started with creating a simple window: http://www.winprog.org/tutorial/simple_window.html

compiled with mingw this will open a console + the created window. To hide the console, just add this linker flag: -mwindows

Answer 2

Unlike Visual Studio, Eclipse CDT does not have a built-in wizard or options for automatically configuring compiler settings and libraries for building Windows GUI applications. You will need to know what you are doing. Do you intend to build the GUI using Win32/MinGW, or perhaps using some other GUI library, like Qt or wxWidgets? There are many options.

If you are new to C++ and/or GUI development on windows, then there are easier options to get started with.