I learned programming through Unreal Engine and its integrated IDE, starting with Blueprints and eventually moving into C++. Most of my experience is with engine logic and APIs, so I haven't had much exposure to how standalone applications are structured or built.
I now need to process a large number of strings. The input would come from a spreadsheet, be exported as a CSV file, and then be imported into the tool. I know how to format the strings in C++, but I'd like to turn that logic into a small application that other people can use: they should be able to provide the input data, click a button, and receive a correctly formatted output file. A plain text file would be sufficient.
I'm not sure where to begin with file handling, parsing CSV data, creating a basic interface, and generating an output file. I'd appreciate advice on a practical starting point and suggestions for suitable languages or frameworks. I'd also prefer to build it myself rather than use an AI-based solution.
3 Answers
You can absolutely create the application in the same IDE you already use. For a simple Windows utility, a basic WinForms application would give you text fields, file selectors, and a button without requiring a complicated interface. Start with a small program that loads a file, transforms its contents, and saves the result, then add input validation and a nicer UI afterward.
A good first version would be a console application that accepts an input filename and an output filename. Read the CSV, process each string, and write the results to a text or CSV file. Once that works, you can add a graphical interface. Qt or GTK are possible C++ UI frameworks, and CMake can handle the build configuration. On Windows, a package manager such as vcpkg can help install libraries.
In C++, you’d need to learn the basics of file handling and how to organize and build a project outside the engine. You may also need a CSV or spreadsheet library and a UI framework, depending on the files you want to support. That’s all doable, but C++ can be unnecessarily cumbersome for string processing and desktop forms. C# with WinForms would likely be the easiest Windows-focused option, while Python or Java could also work. Since you already know some Java, refreshing it and using a desktop UI toolkit is a reasonable approach.
That clears things up. I had been thinking of the IDE as something only useful for engine work, but I’ll look into building a basic desktop application with it.