Many Windows programmers must learn how to make their Windows-based applications Internet-capable. This is an in-depth presentation of WinInet and helps Windows developers understand and incorporate Microsoft's Internet technology in their applications.

The era of stand-alone, self-contained applications is rapidly ending. Distributed, networked applications have become critical to meeting business needs in a fast-paced, dynamic world. Until now, building networked Windows applications wasn't easy. But now Microsoft has released a powerful new Windows Internet API (WinInet) that dramatically simplifies the process of creating Internet-enabled Windows applications.

WinInet makes it possible to create Windows applications that can download Web pages, access server applications, upload and download files, and traverse Gopher document systems--allowing developers to build such sophisticated Windows Internet applications as full-fledged Web browsers, home banking applications, and stock portfolio programs.

Essential WinInet is a comprehensive guide to this powerful Windows Internet API. It starts with a tutorial on WinInet basics and a methodical description of the API's protocol-specific functions for HTTP, FTP, and Gopher, then proceeds to explore more advanced topics, examining how WinInet works with other Internet tools and client/server technologies. This book addresses such essential topics as:

• Using WinInet with MFC and Visual Basic
• Understanding asynchronous WinInet
• Writing HTTP COM components
• Establishing dial-up connections, including applying the RAS API
• Introducing the concept of client/server Internet programming
• Implementing a complete client/server solution using WinInet with ISAPI and ASP

Numerous sample applications throughout this book explore WinInet's capabilities and show you how to put the API to work. The samples include a full-featured asynchronous FTP client for Windows; a stock portfolio application that can connect to real-time Internet stock quote providers; and a client/server application that incorporates WinInet, ISAPI, and ASP. Much more than just a tutorial, this practical resource contains the kinds of pointers, work-arounds, and creative solutions that will save you hours of frustration and inspire you to make full use of the API.

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WinInet allows developers to add Internet protocol functionality to their Windows applications. This book explores the options of Microsoft's new Internet API, which will also allow the downloading of web pages, the accessing of server applications and the uploading and downloading of files. The book also teaches developers how to use WinInet and how to avoid many of the common problems encountered with WinInet development.