Windows Template Library (WTL)

Windows Template Library, or WTL, is a set of classes that extend ATL to support more complex user interfaces for either applications or various UI components, while maintaining the big advantage of ATL - small and fast code. WTL classes were designed to be the best and the easiest way to implement rich Win32 based UI for ATL based applications, servers, components, and controls.



WTL provides support for implementing many user interface elements, from frame and popup windows, to MDI, standard and common controls, common dialogs, property sheets and pages, GDI objects, UI updating, scrollable windows, splitter windows, command bars, etc. The WTL classes are mostly templated and use minimal instance data and inline functions. They were not designed as a framework, so they do not force a particular application model, and can accommodate any. The classes do not use hooks or thread local storage, so they have no restrictions that those techniques impose. They also have no inter-dependencies and can be freely mixed with straight SDK code. In summary, WTL delivers very small and efficient code, very close in size and speed to SDK programs, while presenting a more logical, object oriented model to a programmer.

Platform support and requirements:

Compiler/IDE/ATL:

Visual C++ 6.0 (ATL 3.0)

Visual C++.NET 2002 (ATL 7.0)

Visual C++.NET 2003 (ATL 7.1)

Visual C++ 2005 (ATL 8.0)

Visual C++ 2008 (ATL 9.0)

Visual C++ 2010 (ATL 10.0)

Visual C++ 2012 (ATL 11.0)

Visual C++ 2013 (ATL 12.0)

Visual C++ 2015 (ATL 14.0)

SDK (optional):

Any Platform SDK from January 2000 release up to the latest Windows SDK

Windows CE development:

eMbedded Visual C++ 3.0 - Pocket PC, Pocket PC 2002

eMbedded Visual C++ 4.0 - STANDARDSDK_410, Pocket PC 2003, Smartphone 2003,

STANDARDSDK_500, Pocket PC 2003 SE, Smartphone 2003 SE

Visual C++ 2005 - Pocket PC 2003 SE, Smartphone 2003 SE, STANDARDSDK_500,

Windows Mobile 5.0 (Pocket PC and Smartphone),
Windows Mobile 6.0 (Standard and Professional)

Visual C++ 2008 - Pocket PC 2003 SE, Smartphone 2003 SE, STANDARDSDK_500,

Windows Mobile 5.0 (Pocket PC and Smartphone),
Windows Mobile 6.0 (Standard and Professional)

This is the eigth public release of WTL, after WTL 3.0, 3.1, 7.0, 7.1, 7.5, 8.0, and 9.0. This version is released under the Microsoft Public License, enabling developers from the WTL community to contribute to the library.



WTL classes can be used with either VC++ 6.0, VC++ .NET 2002 or 2003, VC++ 2005 or 2008 or 2010 or 2012 or 2013 or 2015, or EVC++ 4.0 or 3.0. AppWizard for Visual Studio is included.



The WTL classes are provided in header files located in the include directory. The only header files that must be included is atlapp.h, while others can be used when needed. The name of the file doesn't mean that you have to create an application, just that atlapp.h contains base definitions required for WTL projects.



To install WTL, just copy the whole directory structure, or unpack the archive file, to the location of your choice. Please be sure to add the WTL\include directory to the list of include directories in VC++, so that the compiler can find them when you include them in your projects..



Setup programs for the AppWizard are provided. After executing the setup script, ATL/WTL AppWizard will appear in the list of AppWizards when you select File.New.Project in VC++ IDE. The file AppWiz\setup.js is the setup script for all supported versions of Visual Studio, while AppWizards for Windows CE have separate scripts for VS2005 and VS2008 SmartDevice projects.



To manually install AppWizard for VC++ .NET 2002/2003, copy all WTLAppWiz.* files from AppWiz\Files to VC++ .NET projects directory, %VC7DIR%\Vc7\vcprojects, where %VC7DIR% is the directory where VC++ .NET 2002/2003 is installed. After that, open WTLAppWiz.vsz and modify the like that contains ABSOLUTE_PATH to contain %WTLDIR%\AppWiz\Files, where %WTLDIR% is the directory where WTL files are.

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