I learned programming through Unreal Engine, starting with Blueprints and eventually moving into C++. Since the engine and IDE handle most of the setup, I've mainly worked with gameplay logic and engine APIs rather than standalone applications.
I now need to process a large number of strings. The input would likely come from an Excel spreadsheet exported as CSV, and the tool would need to read the file, parse and organize the strings into the required format, then automatically generate an output file such as a text file or another CSV.
I understand how to write the string-formatting logic in C++, but I'm not sure how to turn it into a simple application that other people can use. Ideally, they would select or provide an input file, click a button, and receive the correctly formatted output.
What would be a good way to get started with building something like this? I'm open to using C++, but I'm also familiar with some Java and would consider another suitable language. I'd prefer to learn and implement the process myself rather than rely on AI tools.
3 Answers
A good first step is to build the simplest possible version as a command-line program. Have it accept an input filename and an output filename, read the CSV or text data, process each string, and write the results to a new file. That lets you focus on file handling and parsing before dealing with a user interface.
Once the command-line version works, you can add a GUI with a framework such as Qt or GTK. You’ll also want to learn the basics of CMake for building the project and, on Windows, a dependency manager such as vcpkg if you use external libraries.
You can absolutely create the application in the same IDE you already use. For a small Windows utility, a basic WinForms application in C# would be a relatively straightforward option: add text boxes or file selectors for the inputs, a button to start the conversion, and code that writes the result to a file.
Start with hardcoded sample data, then add file selection and validation once the formatting logic is working. Keeping the first version simple will make it much easier to understand what each part is doing.
I was referring to Rider, yes—I keep spelling it incorrectly. I’ll look into making a small C# application with a few input controls.
The core topics you’ll need are file I/O, CSV parsing, string manipulation, and creating an executable. A typical C++ course can cover the first and last parts, but spreadsheets and desktop interfaces tend to require extra libraries and setup in C++.
For this particular utility, a higher-level language may be more convenient. C#, Python, or Java all have good support for reading structured data and writing files. Since you already know some C++ and Java, C# with WinForms might be the easiest route for a simple Windows desktop tool, while Java could also work if you want it to run on multiple platforms.
I know a little Java already, so I may refresh those skills and build the first version with that instead.
That makes sense. I’ll look into command-line file handling first, then work my way toward a basic interface.