Microsoft Foundation Class Library (Mfc)

The Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), also known as MFC library, was initially released by Charles Petzold and Joe Newcomer as part of Charles Petzold's book "Programming Windows" in 1992. It was later included with Visual C++ 1.0 and became an integral part of the Visual Studio development environment. MFC provides a set of C++ classes that simplify building Windows applications by providing functionality such as window and control management, event handling and resource management. Over time, it has undergone several revisions and updates to support newer Windows technologies like Windows XP, Vista, and later versions.

A skilled MFC developer should possess expertise in object-oriented design principles, C++ programming fundamentals, including syntax, semantics, and best practices, as well as experience working with Windows API calls through wrapper classes provided by MFC. They should also understand how to utilize MFC components effectively, including document-view architecture, dialog boxes, property sheets, list views, tree controls, and database access through ODBC and ADO connections. Familiarity with resources, memory management, exception handling, and debugging techniques specific to MFC is essential. Knowledge of ATL (Active Template Library) and COM/DCOM concepts may also be beneficial for integrating third-party controls and extending MFC capabilities.