The event loop is a programming construct that waits for and dispatches events. It works by polling some internal or external "event provider", which generally blocks until an event has arrived, and then calls the relevant event handler ("dispacthes the event"). The event-loop may be used in conjunction with a reactor, if the event provider follows the file interface (can be select()ed or poll()ed). An event handler is a part of a computer program created to tell the program how to act in response to a specific event (e. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

Windows Applications

The "heart" of most Win32 applications is the WinMain function, which calls GetMessage(), in a loop. GetMessage blocks until a message, or "event", is received. After some optional processing, it will call DispatchMessage(), which dispatches the message to the relevant handler, also known as WindowProc. Normally, messages that have no special WindowProc are dispatched to DefWindowProc, the default one. DispatchMessage calls the window-proc of the HWND handle of the message (Registered with the RegisterClass function). Windows API is a set of APIs, (application programming interfaces) available in the Microsoft Windows operating systems. ... Application has the following meanings: In general, an application is using something abstract for a more concrete use. ... A smart pointer is an abstract data type that simulates a pointer while providing additional features, such as automatic garbage collection or bounds checking. ...

See Also

• Message loop in Microsoft Windows

External Links

• WindowProc (MSDN)
• other windowing APIs (MSDN)