[fpc-pascal] Basic Windows tutorial

[Marco van de Voort]

In our previous episode, Ryan Joseph said:
> I?d like to start doing some basic Windows programming to learn but not
> use the higher level Lazarus cross-platform library.
> 
> Keeping in mind I know literally nothing about Windows programming, where
> is a good place to start?  I installed Lazarus which I think is the
> preferred IDE for FPC (if not are there others?) and I would like to start
> with making a simple window programmatically and adding some controls and
> a menu.

That's fine. Lazarus can be used to generate non LCL programs just fine.

Some parts of the "Tomes of Delphi" series are the only decent reference in
Pascal that I know.

However if you can read C, the classic "Programming windows" by Charles
Petzold is best. (though not all editions contain the same amount of core
winapi skills. Later editions seem to compress those chapters to make room
for chapters on newer Windows technologies)

> Are there are any example projects for this and a place I could reference
> the Windows headers in Pascal?  I don?t even know what the Windows GUI
> library is called or where I could reference that online (.net maybe?).

Both books come with examples, though Petzold's are of course in C.

After you wrestled through a course like Petzold, you can usually do with
MSDN and a bit of internet search. But starting in a new big topic directly
with MSDN always makes me feel like I'm chasing my own tail. One big
spaghetti mess that links to eachother.