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Extended TComboBox
I realized that the VCL TComboBox does not expose a OnItemIndexChange property,
that is, an event handler that fires *only when the selected item index is changed*
either with mouse clicks, or with keyboard down /up keys, or with code.
Thus I built this little extra, making a new extended TComboBox, called TComboBoxExt,
that supports a new event-handler property called OnItemIndexChange.
click here for
more details
type TComboBoxExt = class; //forward TNotifyComboEvent = procedure(Sender: TComboBoxExt; const I: Integer) of object; TComboBoxExt = class(TCustomComboBox) private FLastItemIndex: Integer; FOnItemIndexChange: TNotifyComboEvent; procedure WndProc(var Message: TMessage); override;
public
constructor Create(AOwner: TComponent); override;
... property OnItemIndexChange: TNotifyComboEvent read FOnItemIndexChange write FOnItemIndexChange;
implementation { TComboBoxExt } constructor TComboBoxExt.Create(AOwner: TComponent);
begin
inherited;
FLastItemIndex := -1;
end;
procedure TComboBoxExt.WndProc(var Message: TMessage);
begin
inherited;
if ((Message.Msg = WM_COMMAND) and (TWMCommand(Message).NotifyCode = CBN_SELCHANGE))
or (Message.Msg = CB_SETCURSEL) then
begin
if Assigned(FOnItemIndexChange) and (FLastItemIndex <> ItemIndex) then
FOnItemIndexChange(Self, FLastItemIndex);
FLastItemIndex := ItemIndex;
end;
end;
Interactive basic
viewer
It's a long time I've been looking for a "basic interactive report viewer",
inherited from TGraphicControl, with little overhead, and html independant.
Not finding exactly what I wanted from outside, here is what I did:
1. digged into QuickReport
components source code.
2. adapted their QRX preview /browser, in modifying the layout.
3. proposed to QuickReport some necessary modifications to their library source
code
.. and voilà, here is the interactive report I was after -> Interactive
basic viewer.
Want some more details ? download [this].
NB: this demo requires QuickReport 5.05.2 build2 or upper
TCsvTransform class helper (ver 1.3)
Did'nt you ever need to simply store your data in a .csv (Comma Separated Value)
format, then load it in a TClientDataSet and play (CRUD) with it .. and then
save it back to the same (or other) .csv file ? Delphi does not provide any
built-in access to .csv data, but a TCsvTransform class helper makes it simply
come true.
How ? .. look at the example [here]
TFocusComboEdit
controls (ver 6.1)
Like TComboEdit or TDateEdit but showing a side-button displayed *only when
the control has the focus*.
Caution : These controls are TJvCustomXxxxEdit descendants and require JVCL
/RxLib installed.
version 6.1 supports LiveBindings -> can be used directly assigning TFocusComboEdit
to TLinkControlToField.Control property in object inspector.
TEventsHandler class
enables to run multiple events at once, simulating event multi-casting. example
of use :
var aEventsHandler: TEventsHandler; begin // create a new TEventsHandler with 'CreateNextForm' procedure as its main event aEventsHandler := TEventsHandler.Create(CreateNextForm); try // set 'Validate' procedure to be run before aEventsHandler's main event aEventsHandler.AddLinkedEventsHandler(odBefore, TEventsHandler.Create(Validate)); // set 'ClearStatusBar' procedure to be run after aEventsHandler's main event aEventsHandler.AddLinkedEventsHandler(odAfter, TEventsHandler.Create(ClearStatusBar)); // run all events at once in the specified order aEventsHandler.Execute; finally aEventsHandler.Free; end; end;
Vigenere encoding unit
simple string encoding using Vigenere algorithm
Ascii2XML utility (ver.1.1)
enables to transform any Ascii /flat file with fixed length fields to a XML
file, according the template of your choice.
For using it, follow these steps:
Nb: Requires JCLStrings.pas (from Jedi Component Library) and UParseReplace.pas
TEditableCtrlHolder (ver.3.3)
TEditableCtrlHolder is a data validator of any 'TEditableCtrl'(1) controls
of your TForm. For each of TEditableCtrl, you can set their DataType, MaxLength
and NullForbidden property. Check the validity of what you entered into each
TEditableCtrl against the properties defined above. You can also loop into all
TEditableCtrl to check if the entered values have been modified.
Version2 adds support to RxLib controls (TRxCheckListBox).
Version3 adds a OnValidate event-handler + support RxLib date-time picker controls
(TDateEdit and TDBDateEdit)
derived of TAlignedEdit from Peter Below (TeamB) that enables left, center or right justification of the text in a TEdit. This version enables text focusing when the TEdit becomes active, by removing the multi-line capability.
TDBTreeView (ver.1.04)
Represents TDataSet records in a standard TTreeView.
click [here] for the screenshot
for a Delphi5 compatible version, click [here]
TMELabel (ver.3.0)
Like a TLabel component with a MEFont property that sets the font on CMMouseEnter
Windows message.
Usefull with AboutBox type forms, when you want to link your TLabel with internet.
Nb: may be same component /behaviour as TJvLinkLabel from JVCL
GETVALUE function for QuickReport
Enable to refer to other TQRPrintable controls (TQRExpr or TQRLabel) to get
their value.
Usefull when you don't want to repeat TQRExpr expression every time you want
to use it in your calculations.
To use it:
Parse & Replace utility (ver.2)
You simply want to parse your html file that contains some custom tags, and
replace these tags by the required strings.
When used with TPageProducer, advantage of this method comparing with using the TPageProducer's OnHTMLTag
event handler:
Many programs are arleady built. Among them:
Executive dash-board: severall 'dash-board' based products are available, depending on your power /autonomy requirements:
Synoptic of all dash-board's capabilities |
Type of dash-board
|
||||
application fully-integrated | selectable | visual customizable | fully customizable | ||
user's report latitude | print /preview | ||||
select report | no | ||||
design report | no | no | |||
script on report | no | no | no |
In anyway and as a preliminary, these dash-boards must be connected to any either specific or open database, the one of your entreprise.
Scrivitt : a program that enables to build standardised letters, simply in adding custom paragraphs.
Document-Explorer: Store your documents in a folder, and organize them as you wish with my TDBTreeView component.
Archieve-Explorer: Store your favourite magazines in the programm, and search them with the fields and key-words of your choice.
BdCC: a front-office configurator to your ERP, and add comprehensiveness and security to your business.
BCRx: a web application that enable order entry and query +e-mail communication between customer and company.
Data Dictionnary: a simple data-dictionnary management software. Store your data in the required XML format, and view /filter them in your browser with the required presentation. Implemented with Delphi +XML +XSLT.
Reminder: don't
forget what you and your co-workers have planned !!
1. setup an open and unique database with the events you (or your co-workers)
want to be reminded for
2. receive at the right time an e-mail reminding you the event.
NB: for more infos, please contact me
Application
Tethering
Reading data from one application to another is a trivial need in today's world,
where it is more and more matter of decoupling, sharing, open-access of a single
application or between two or more application.
Before RADStudio XE6, for achieving this, we needed what we called "Interprocess
Communication" routines, based on the current OS Messaging system. (On Windows,
we have the function SendMessage(hWnd: HWND; Msg: UINT; wParam: WPARAM; lParam:
LPARAM))
From RADStudio XE6 on, we can get rid of this OS dependant routines, by using
the new Tethering controls: TTetheringManager and TTetheringAppProfile.
We can now use these controls for building a simple client /server application
group, that shows the different ways how a client application can receive data
from a server application:
1. the 'passive' way: the connected client receives data sent by the server
2. the 'request' way: the connected client requests for data, and receives them
from the server.
3. the 'observer' way: the connected client is observing for data change on
the server, and if they change, it reacts to the event.
Want to know more? download [this demo].
TTask vs TThread
RAD Studio XE7 came with a very interesting RTL new feature, the "Parallel
Programming Library" (PPL).
But why moving from the existing TThread to it?
Mainly because it eases the development of multi-thread /task operations:
1. Better integration with the application main thread.
2. Automatic memory management with interface implementation.
3. Heritage not needed.
4. Code more compact.
Want some more details? download [this
simple demo].
How to adjust
colums /rows to the grid's size?
When you create a TCustomGrid descendant (TStringGrid or TDrawGrid), the
required colums and rows are never adjusted to the grid.
If the grid is too wide /high for the contained cells, an empty space remains
to the right /bottom of the grid.
If the grid is too narrow /short for the contained cells, the cells are truncated
/hidden and accessible using the direction keys or the scroll-bar (depending
on the ScrollBar property).
If you want that all the cells precisely fit their container grid, then you
will have to set two properties:
1. ScrollBox := ssNone; because the scroll-box is useless in this case
2. ClientWidth, and ClientHeight set to the size of all internal parts (cells,
grid-lines, ..)
Note: ClientWidth /ClientHeight is representing the size of the internal border
of the grid.
The result is shown as following:
Why
Getters and Setters for Properties?
I very often read /write the following when declaring Properties:
property MyProperty: Integer read FMyProperty write FMyProperty; // Properties without accessors - getters and setters -
Well .. that seems easier and sufficient at first glance.
But there are some reasons why you should use getters and setters.
Want some more details? download [this
simple demo].
Class helper for
TComboBox
A colleague asked me if the new Delphi XE5 improved the TComboBox in adding,
to the underlying string list, an other linked list of whatever type.
"What for?" did I ask.
He replied "because I don't want the underlying list be limited to *only
a list of string*. The selected string should be linked to whatever else I want
(integer, object, ..)".
I replied ".. but you can do that, using a TObject with method AddObject('a
string for my combo', MyObject), and now you have an object linked to your string".
Ok, he said, but for handling the 'setting' and the 'getting' to /from this
object, I need a new component with an item accessor by the object. Moreover,
the AddObject method is too vague if one want to add an integer only (not an
object)".
I replied "If it's just what you need, then you should avoid creating a
new component just for that : you should consider the use of a 'class helper
for TComboBox'".
Want some more details? download [this
simple demo].
Pointers ? Why
still using them ?
Pointers are nowadays rarely used by Delphi programmers, but they are still
usefull.
When you need to read information from dll's, it's frequent the dll provides
access to its data through pointer variables. The data you are accessing can
be of any type (simple, complex, class, ..), provided its length is known by
the compiler (ie no dynamic types like "String" or dynamic arrays)
.. but there are workarounds to this limitation.
Want to know more? look at [this
simple demo].
Vanishing
/unstiking component property value issue
Have not you ever been in the situation where, from the IDE, you set a property
value for one of the component used, then test your program, be happy with it,
save it, then re-open it ... and noticing that the value that you set for your
component's property has changed ?
Here can be the reason:
1. if you set from your IDE the same propertie's value as the default one, then
Delphi will not save the value in the .dfm at the time you will save your project.
2. the problem raises when you re-open your project : as no propertie's value
is specified in the .dfm, the propertie's value that will appear in your object
inspector is the one set in your component's constructor (if one set), or the
default for the propertie's type.
When you build your own components and you want to set default for properties,
be carefull to be consistent with the value given in the constructor.
Whether you use your own components or third party components, one good way
to notice this trap, is to closely look at how properties are displayed in the
object inspector. If the values are displayed in normal weight font, it means
your propertie's value fits with its default. If the values are displayed in
bold font, it means your propertie's value differs from the default, or that
no default have been set.
Thus, when you first drop your component on your form, have precisely a look
at a property displayed in bold, and that becomes in normal weight when changing
manually its value.
LiveBinding
TObject
Delphi is an IDE that enables OOP (Object Oriented Programming) and designs
the user interface. Hence why not presenting the evidence : "editing TObject
instances on a form".
Object (TObject's instance) can be of a simple TObject class, or of a more complex
type like a TObjectList<T>. The UI controls that will handle the display
do not need being data-aware controls.
LiveBindings makes this possible, using TBaseObjectBindSource descendant.
Downloadable demo project group (below) shows :
- simple object (TObject) binded to control - FireMonkey project -,
- object list (TObjectList<T>) binded to control,
- two object lists (TObjectList<T>) linked in a master /detail relation,
both binded to a TStringGrid.
Want some more details ? download [the demo project group].
import
/export with XML
The question is quite frequently asked all around and is sometimes answered
with complex structures /process .. and the question is : "how to import
XML data in my RDB (relational database), then edit them (CRUD -create, update,
delete-) using standard UI controls, then export them back to a potentially
other XML format ?".
Of course the question can be only any part of the above, ie "how to (only)
import from XML" or "how to (only) export to XML".
The answer is quite simple if you use standard VCL components /structure, that
are:
For accessing data: TSQLConnection, TSQLDataSet, TDataSetProvider, TClientDataSet.
For transforming data: TXMLTransformClient or TXMLTransform.
For displaying data: either data-aware controls (TDBxxx), or standard VCL UI
+ LiveBindings controls.
Want some more details ? download [this].
NB: this demo requires SQLite dbExpress driver provided with XE3 Professional
(or higher)
deFocusControl
data event in LiveBindings
Posting a record with a null value for a required field fires a 'database error'
exception. Before this exception is being fired, a procedure TField.FocusControl;
is executed. The intention behind that is to set focus on the UI control linked
with this TField, highlighting it for further correction (ie or cancel the edit,
or post a non null value)
LiveBindings does not support the deFocusControl data event (ie procedure FocusControl(Field:
TFieldRef); is absent in Data.Bind.DBScope TDataLink desendants), probably because
TBindLinkDataLink is control-agnostic.
To overcome this, traditional DB-aware architecture comes to rescue : simply
create a TFieldDataLink that will hold the link between LiveBinded DataSource
and the UI control, like
with TFieldDataLink.Create do begin Control := aEdit; FieldName := 'aField'; DataSource := BindSourceDB1.DataSource; end;
Want more details through a live example, download [this].
Monitoring
SQLite® database
With RAD Studio XE3®, Embarcadero added native SQLite database driver within
their dbExpress framework. XE3
feature matrix says : "New in XE3! TSQLMonitor support for SQLite".
This requires some tweaks (via the Object Inspector) in the current TSQLConnection
: under SQLiteConnection.Driver property, add a DBXTrace Delegate Driver.
Want more details through a live example, download [this]
Generic classes:
through another example of composition, typecasting avoiding
Each time there's a novelty in the language, I'm wondering how this is going
to be useful in my current /coming projects.
With Generics (or parametrized types), one obvious with it is that it flattens
class hierarchies: instead of 2 levels and multiples classes, you can get the
same done with only one *generic* class.
But another clean-code plus is that you can avoid typecasting.
How ? .. look at the example [here]
Anonymous Method use
case
Delphi 2009 came with some novelties among them 'Anonymous Method' (AM). Reading
litterature about it made me think "nice .. but what for specific use may
I need it ?" or in other words "what stuff cannot be made without
it (AM) easily or nicely ?".
After searching and searching again, I found a situation where AM makes a more
concise /readable code : when you want that a procedure variable be declared
in the local context (not in the application scope).
For more details, download the demo [here]
Sometimes you need make
communicate 2 applications on the same PC *without the hassle of a middleware
layer*.
It's very easy : on the Sender application, send the message with [Winapi.Windows.SendMessage]
procedure; on the Receiver application, create a procedure that will capture
the message; the link between both application procedures will be the message
Id (integer).
Download a simple demo [here]
How about using records
instead of objects
since Delphi7, records are more alike objects (read this).
But the advantage of using records instead of objects is that you don't need
to create them. And , of course, if you don't have to create them, you won't
need to free them.
For frequently used entities, this leads to increasing run-time performance,
with gaining in readability.
Let's look at an example:
1. declaring a record:
TFieldListRecord = record private FItems: array of TFieldRec; function GetCount: integer; inline; public procedure Load(const aJvCsvTableName: TFileName; const KeyFields: string; KeyValues: Variant); function IndexOf(const s: string): integer; property Count: integer read GetCount; procedure SetItem(const FieldName: string; const FieldValue: Variant); function GetItem(const FieldName: string): Variant; function TransformToXML(const RootTag: string): string; end;
2. using this record:
var FL: TFieldListRecord; begin FL.Load(aFile, 'id', 10); //no need a Constructor Edit1.Text := FL.GetItem('name'); end;
How to add
fields to a TDataSet at run-time
with TStringField.Create(aDataSet) do // create a TStringField, but can be any other field. begin FieldName := 'aFieldName'; FieldKind := fkLookup; DataSet := aDataSet; Name := DataSet.Name + FieldName; KeyFields := 'aKeyFields'; LookupDataSet := 'aLookupDataSet'; LookupKeyFields := 'aLookupKeyField'; LookupResultField := 'aLookupResultField';
aDataSet.FieldDefs.Add(FieldName, TStringField, 25, False); end;
WebSnap
simple project
Have you ever heard of WebSnap technology being deprecated by CodeGear
/Embarcadero®?
I hope they won't do that, because WebSnap is a really nice technology
to work with if you have any web development to do with Delphi.
Here is a simple project /tutorial that shows some things that are neither hard
to understand nor to implement, and that you simply cannot do with WebBroker
framework.
[here] the source code of the project.
How to get selected a text drawn on a TCustomControl descendant, depending on mouse click:
[here] the source code of the example and
the component.
How to buid an intranet search engine using MS index server and ADO DB connection
Main steps will be to:
How to check memory leaks on a CGI web application (use Delphi5 professional)
NB: with higher versions of Delphi, use FastMem memory checker and the IDE web app debugger
Le Mot le Plus Long (v 1.01) , d'après le célèbre jeu télévisé .. | |
|
[cliquez ici] (262 Ko) |
|
[cliquez ici] (23 Ko) |
|
[cliquez ici] (638 Ko) |
Le Compte est Bon, d'après le célèbre jeu télévisé .. | |
|
[cliquez ici] (171 Ko) |
|
[cliquez ici] (3 Ko) |
Tutorials |
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my favourite .. | ||
web site in french |
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Libraries & Components |
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newsgroup via http |
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RAD Studio documentation | documentation | |
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Updated on january 21st 2017 |