How do I call the Win32 API from a Cygwin program

Question

I'm looking to use the Win32 API in a project I'm working on. However I have no idea how to call the Win32 API from my cygwin project. Can someone point me in the correct direction?

Answer 1

The Win32 API can be accessed from a cygwin program by including the "windows.h" header file. It implies that you have the win32 packages installed, of course. Here is an example program:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <windows.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    std::string val;

    if (argc > 1)
    {
        val = argv[1];
    }

    std::cout << "You typed: " << val << std::endl;
    ::MessageBox(NULL, val.c_str(), "You Typed:", MB_OK);

    return 0;
}

This can be compiled and linked with "make filename" where filename.cpp contains the above source. Then execute by typing ./filename xxxx at the bash prompt. Then xxxx will appear in a message box window.

Answer 2

You could look at the Cygwin FAQ (specifically 6.9 How do I use Win32 API calls?)

Of course you will need to get a hold of the WIN32API headers -- your best option is to download/install a fre c++ compiler (e.g. MinGW) and refer to its headers.