Introduction

Microsoft has provided .NET developers with a flexible way to design a user interface (UI) for many years. XAML evolved from .NET reflection and a desire to move on from UIs such as VB UserForms and Windows Forms.

Microsoft's focus on .NET left C++ programmers out in the cold for many years. Around ~2020 Microsoft started to look at ways in which XAML could be used with C++. That resulted in a language extension named C++/WinRT.

WinRT

I'll leave you to read about WinRT. Here are several web pages posted by Microsoft and Stack Overflow …

• C++/WinRT
• C++/WinRT templates and visualizer for VS2019
• Getting started with the Windows UI 2 Library
• A basic C++/WinRT Windows UI Library example
• Create a "Hello, World!" app (XAML)
• Questions tagged [c++-winrt]

As is often the case with Microsoft technical pages, there are omissions and assumptions that make it hard to build an example.

Visual Studio Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2019 or later
• C++/WinRT templates and visualizer for VS2019
• Microsoft.UI.Xaml NuGet package. With Viz Studio open, click Project>Manage NuGet Packages…>Browse, type or paste Microsoft.UI.Xaml in the search box

WinRT requires a minimum of standard C++ version 17, which is set by a switch in Viz Studio project properties (C++). That compiler switch may be set automatically when you install the WinRT tools and files.

HelloWinUICppWinRT

HelloWinUICppWinRT is a C++/WinRT project posted by Microsoft. I wanted to build a 64-bit project, and all that requires is the appropriate setting in the Viz Studio project properties.

If you read the Microsoft description of that project, it all looks straightforward. However, if you're not part of the Microsoft developer team, but attempting to build that project independently, here are some suggestions …

• Before you start Viz Studio, follow the steps above to install Microsoft C++/WinRT
• After you open Viz Studio, follow the steps to install Microsoft.UI.Xaml
• At that point you should see a project named HelloWinUICppWinRT
  • There should be an App.xaml file and code-behind C++ files
  • There should be an MainWindows.xaml file and code-behind C++ files
  • Those did not appear the first time I went through the project, following Microsoft's instructions
  • I recreated the project several times, performing the C++/WinRT and Microsoft.UI.Xaml installations at different times, before I had a project with the App.xaml and MainWindows.xaml files
• Create the project on a local disk (e.g. your C: drive). My development folder is on a server connected by my local network, and the build failed because of UNC folder names, but when copied to a local folder all is well

Questions

Post questions about C++/WinRT to an appropriate Microsoft Forum.

Post questions about C++ to the MicroStation Programming Forum.