WINAPI question from noob

[sevensilly]

Hi guys - been several years since I first (and last) used C++ and am basically starting over with fundamentals. I'm a c# developer and my job requires a lot of pinvoke/interop which I am comfortable doing but find would be easier to do in C++.

I'm writing some simple code to get my feet wet with winapi calls in C++, just a simple call to the Beep function (VS2008 from my IDE):

#include "windows.h"

int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{
	Beep(0x32, 1000);
	return 0;
}

The code above works. However, I like to rely on Intellisense so I originally had it written as "WINAPI::Beep(0x32, 1000)" which threw up a compile error "syntax error: missing ';' before '__stdcall'."

So what does this error mean? What is "WINAPI" in this instance, an abstract class, namespace, ...?

Secondly, I'm a bit confused about MSDN's "Syntax" section. For the Beep function, it is shown as:

C++
BOOL WINAPI MessageBeep(
__in UINT uType
);

So.. is this how the function is actually defined in the header? Is this C++ or C? I understand BOOL is the function's return value, what is WINAPI, the class?
Is the "__in" indicator there simply for documentation or is it actual code?

Thanks in advance guys, great site.

[minime]

Had a look here
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms679277%28VS.85%29.aspx
It appears you have used it correctly, have you tried entering as in decimal instead of hex?

[sevensilly]

Let me reiterate, this code works:

#include "windows.h"

int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{
	Beep(0x32, 1000);
	return 0;
}

This code DOES NOT (compile error I mentioned):

#include "windows.h"

int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{
	WINAPI::Beep(0x32, 1000);
	return 0;
}

So.. why is WINAPI::Beep(0x32, 1000); invalid?

[z05DSL3A]

WINAPI is a macro for the __stdcall calling convention.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zxk0tw93(VS.71).aspx

Edit:

__in is a header annotation. (more to help you understand how to call an API function).
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa383701(VS.85).aspx

The Windows API is C, just include the corect headers and call the functions.

[sevensilly]

Thank you Gray Wolf. Those links will be helpful.

About the Windows API being written in C- why then does the documentation on MSN have the syntax sections annotated with "C++?"

EG:

Syntax:
C++

BOOL WINAPI MessageBeep(
__in UINT uType
);

[z05DSL3A]

Maybe just esthetics, I'm sure the MSDN used to have it as C/C++ hadn't even noticed it change.
Technically, if you are writing in C or C++ the syntax is the same.

[sevensilly]

Thanks GW, you da man!