| Windows Template Library (WTL) | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Stable release | 10.0.10320 / November 16, 2020; 5 years ago (2020-11-16) |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Library |
| License | Common Public License,Microsoft Public License |
| Website | wtl |
| Repository | sourceforge |
Windows Template Library (WTL) is afree software,object-orientedC++ templatelibrary forWin32 development. WTL was created byMicrosoft employee Nenad Stefanovic for internal use and later released as an unsupported add-on toVisual Studio and the Win32 Framework SDK. It was developed primarily as a light-weight alternative to theMicrosoft Foundation Classes and builds upon Microsoft'sATL, another lightweight API widely used to createCOM andActiveX libraries.
WTL provides support for implementing various user interface elements, from frame and popup windows, toMDI, standard and common controls, common dialogs, property sheets and pages,GDI objects, and other common UI elements, such as scrollable windows, splitter windows, toolbars and command bars. WTL's main objective is to deliver small and efficient code, close in size and speed to "straight"SDK programs while providing a higher-level and more flexible object model to developers. Other classes such as a string wrapper that is syntax-compatible with MFC'sCString and some templated collections are also included.
Most of the WTL API is a mirror of the standard Win32 calls, so the interface tends to be familiar to most Windows programmers. Although no official documentation from Microsoft exists, theWTL Documentation Project is attempting to create a comprehensive reference for the library.[1] The WTL is not supported byMicrosoft Product Support Services.
While WTL is a template library and therefore code-based, the original license was similar to the one used for theMicrosoft Foundation Class Library (MFC) source code, although it contained no usage or distribution restrictions. In 2004 Microsoft made the completesource code available under theCommon Public License and released it throughSourceForge. Since version 9.1, the library is licensed under theMicrosoft Public License.[2]
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