[AGDev-newbies] Keybored handling, Windows API and C++

[Sean Mealin]

Hi everyone;
Hope everyone is doing well; Long time no talk! 

Any way, I have a few questions; first one being how can I handle key
presses using the Windows API? A tutorial would be great; or if someone
wouldn't mind explaining it; just things like how to check if a key has
been pressed down; I thought something like a brake statement, but I am
not sure. Something like:

Key1
{
Stuff
}
Key2
{
Something else
}

(please ignore the syntax; I know it is wrong)
So what is Key1 though? How do you tell the program leftarrow or
rightarrow? Or, if you know of a tutorial that is DirectX instead of
windows API, I will take that. <grin>

Also, does anyone know of any tutorials to get up and running with
windows 32 bit programming? Just things like handling Windows messages;
painting a window and creating a window.
I think that I get C++ (of coarse not all of it, but just enough to get
by), but I would like to go from the command line to GUI.

Thanks so much! 

Sean