Considering Development Systems

The LEADTOOLS C++ Class Library is designed as a set of standard C++ objects. These objects make use of the LEADTOOLS DICOM C DLL, which are standard Windows Dynamic Link Libraries. You should be able to use the LEADTOOLS C++ Class Library with any compiler that supports C++ class objects and Windows DLL calls. This topic explains some of the options.

Calling functions from a C/C++ program:

Most of the LEADTOOLS example programs and all of the documented code examples are for Windows programs written in C/C++. You can use LEADTOOLS as explained in Using LEADTOOLS with Your C/C++ Compiler.

The LEADTOOLS C++ Class Library objects can be used as base classes for classes that you wish to derive.

Also, there are some high-level classes that can be used to perform all of the user-interface work for you.

These high-level classes (LBitmapWindow, LAnnotationWindow, and LAnimationWindow) can be used in two different ways. Using the first method, you can use these class objects as windows, which process all of the window messages (such as WM_PAINT, WM_VSCROLL, etc.) for you. The classes contain various overridable functions that you can override to change or supplement the object's behavior. The 2nd method involves using the class object as a child window to another window. This will allow the class object to act like a normal Windows control, sending control notification messages to the parent window, which can handle them as needed.

For more information on using class objects as windows or as controls, refer to Using LBitmapWindow as a Window, Using LBitmapWindow as a Control, and LBitmapWindow:Window vs Control.

Most LEADTOOLS v15/16 libraries provide both ANSI and UNICODE support in the same dll. This is not the case for DICOM:

LEADTOOLS Version 15 supports UNICODE development only.
LEADTOOLS v16 also provides both UNICODE-only and ANSI-only versions of the C++ Class Library DICOM dlls. For information on the required dll name and import library, please refer to Files To Be Included With Your Application.