This chapter briefly describes the differences between Proto-C, C, and C++ languages and shows how to configure OPNET to program models in C++. A case study is also provided to help the reader grasp the important points on programming OPNET models in C++. If you are intending to program only in C style, this chapter can be ignored. If you are familiar with C++ and are interested in programming models in object-oriented C++ style, you may read this chapter. The chapter requires basic knowledge of generic C++ programming.

Proto-C, C, and C++: language and library differences

OPNET provides a programming language called Proto-C to allow users to model various systems. Proto-C preserves generality by incorporating all the capabilities of the C/C++ programming language, i.e., a user can program in Proto-C in a similar way to in C/C++, and in Proto-C you can use the libraries that are accessible to C/C++ as well. On the other hand, Proto-C provides a set of its own APIs to model communication networks. Proto-C supports modeling with the state transition diagram (STD) method, which makes it possible to accurately describe most systems. Figure 12.1 shows that Proto-C allows you to use both C/C++ and Proto-C libraries and write models in both C and C++ styles.