List of Figures

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Delphi

Figure 1-1: The Delphi IDE

Figure 1-2: The Tool Palette

Figure 1-3: The Designer Surface

Figure 1-4: The Object Inspector

Figure 1-5: The Structure View

Figure 1-6: The Code Editor

Figure 1-7: Customizing toolbars

Figure 1-8: Creating a new project

Figure 1-9: A simple console application

Figure 1-10: Project source code

Figure 1-11: Project Options dialog box

Chapter 2: Delphi and C++ Language Basics

Figure 2-1: The To-Do list

Figure 2-2: The Add To-Do Item dialog box

Figure 2-3: The updated console application

Figure 2-4: A compiler error

Figure 2-5: Output of the Write statement

Figure 2-6: Result of the Write/WriteLn width parameter

Figure 2-7: Formatting real values

Figure 2-8: Calculating the total cost

Figure 2-9: Creating a C++Builder console application project

Figure 2-10: The New Console Application wizard

Figure 2-11: The .bpf file

Figure 2-12: Delphi and C/C++ console applications

Figure 2-13: Precompilation settings

Figure 2-14: A console application compiled without the #pragma argsused directive

Figure 2-15: Displaying all warning messages

Figure 2-16: Error message when placing statements after the return statement

Figure 2-17: Displaying text with the cout object

Figure 2-18: Variables containing random values

Chapter 3: Conditions

Figure 3-1: The result of the if-then statement

Figure 3-2: Using code templates

Figure 3-3: The code template list

Figure 3-4: Boolean evaluation option

Chapter 4: Iterations

Figure 4-1: Result of the for loop

Figure 4-2: Char counter output

Figure 4-3: The ASCII table

Figure 4-4: The multiplication table

Figure 4-5: An erroneous repeat-until loop

Figure 4-6: The result of the strange loop from Listing 4-21

Chapter 5: Procedures and Functions

Figure 5-1: Short-circuit evaluation bug

Figure 5-2: New unit

Figure 5-3: Default Project Options dialog box

Figure 5-4: Directories dialog box

Figure 5-5: The for loop doesn't like global variables

Figure 5-6: Code Insight parameter information

Figure 5-7: The result of infinite procedure recursion

Figure 5-8: The result of the CountDown procedure

Figure 5-9: Code Insight feature showing overloaded parameter lists

Figure 5-10: Stack size settings

Figure 5-11: Static local variables preserve their value between multiple function calls.

Figure 5-12: Static global variables and static functions can't be used outside of the unit in which they're declared.

Chapter 6: Arrays and Strings

Figure 6-1: Initializing arrays in C++

Figure 6-2: Specifying the display width in Delphi and C++ console applications

Figure 6-3: Initialized multidimensional arrays

Figure 6-4: Using character arrays

Chapter 8: Basic File I/O

Figure 8-1: Copying a text file

Figure 8-2: Passing parameters to the application

Chapter 9: Pointers

Figure 9-1: Typecast memory block

Chapter 10: Object-Oriented Programming

Figure 10-1: Methods inherited from the TObject class

Figure 10-2: Including VCL headers

Chapter 11: Designing the User Interface

Figure 11-1: VCL Forms application project

Figure 11-2: Modifying the Caption property

Figure 11-3: VCL Forms application at run time

Figure 11-4: Events of the main form

Figure 11-5: Application compiled without the form file

Figure 11-6: Contents of the Delphi form file

Figure 11-7: Adding a component to the Designer Surface

Figure 11-8: Selected component

Figure 11-9: Drawing a component on the Designer Surface

Figure 11-10: Multiple copy selection

Figure 11-11: The deselect button

Figure 11-12: Filtering components on the Tool Palette

Figure 11-13: The OnChange event

Figure 11-14: An empty event handler

Figure 11-15: The OnChange event handler

Figure 11-16: The user interface of the reverse string application

Figure 11-17: Multiple component selection

Figure 11-18: The reverse string application

Figure 11-19: Don't remove method implementations manually.

Figure 11-20: TGroupBox components in the Project Options dialog box

Figure 11-21: Parent-child relationships on the form

Figure 11-22: Changing the component's parent at design time

Figure 11-23: Displaying parent and owner information

Figure 11-24: TPanel and TBevel frames

Figure 11-25: The Anchors property

Figure 11-26: A very simple C++Builder VCL Forms application

Figure 11-27: Removing the main form from the project

Figure 11-28: A multi-language VCL Forms project

Figure 11-29: Building with or without runtime packages

Chapter 12: Using Forms

Figure 12-1: Control focus

Figure 12-2: Assigning a control to an object property

Figure 12-3: A translucent form

Figure 12-4: Title bar buttons

Figure 12-5: Form with BorderStyle set to bsNone

Figure 12-6: A completely customized form

Figure 12-7: The original bitmap

Figure 12-08: The Picture Editor

Figure 12-9: Reusing existing event handlers

Figure 12-10: SetFocus causes an error because the form isn't visible.

Figure 12-11: The user interface of the example application

Figure 12-12: Calling the TButton constructor

Figure 12-13: A dynamically created button

Figure 12-14: A dynamic component calling a dynamically assigned event handler

Figure 12-15: The Use Unit dialog box displays available units.

Figure 12-16: Second form displayed with the Show method

Figure 12-17: Accessing a component on another form

Figure 12-18: A dynamically created form

Figure 12-19: Managing auto-created forms

Figure 12-20: A bsDialog dialog box

Figure 12-21: A simple dialog box

Figure 12-22: The finished application

Figure 12-23: A splash screen

Chapter 13: Delphi and C++ Exception Handling

Figure 13-1: An exception handled by the application

Figure 13-2: An exception handled by our exception handler

Figure 13-3: The simple calculator

Figure 13-4: Local handler handling EConvertError and the default handler handling the reraised exception

Figure 13-5: The EConvertError exception raised in the CustomStrToInt function

Figure 13-6: Using the exception object

Figure 13-7: Working with a custom exception

Figure 13-8: Logged exceptions

Figure 13-9: A customized default exception handler

Chapter 14: Using Components

Figure 14-1: The user interface of the TCheckBox example

Figure 14-2: Using the is operator

Figure 14-3: Different dialog boxes displayed by the MessageDlg function

Figure 14-4: The user interface of the TRadioButton example

Figure 14-5: Assigning a single event handler to multiple events

Figure 14-6: The TListBox component

Figure 14-7: Previewing installed fonts

Figure 14-8: A MultiSelect TListBox component

Figure 14-9: The String List Editor

Figure 14-10: Speed gained by using the BeginUpdate and EndUpdate methods

Figure 14-11: Components used in the IndexOf example

Figure 14-12: Adding items to a list box

Figure 14-13: Name-value pairs

Figure 14-14: A simple dictionary that uses the Values property

Figure 14-15: The Text and Items properties of the TComboBox component

Figure 14-16: Often used TComboBox styles

Figure 14-17: The TRadioGroup component

Figure 14-18: Components needed to implement image scrolling

Figure 14-19: Scrolling an image with the TScrollBar component

Chapter 15: Standard VCL Components

Figure 15-1: The Menu Designer

Figure 15-2: The undefined TMenuItem instance

Figure 15-3: Adding a top-level menu

Figure 15-4: Menu item that contains an ampersand character

Figure 15-5: Menu item variations

Figure 15-6: A hint

Figure 15-7: Displaying hints in the status bar of the application

Figure 15-8: Assigning hints to menu items

Figure 15-9: Showing hints in the status bar

Figure 15-10: Assigning a pop-up menu to the form

Figure 15-11: The Image List Editor

Figure 15-12: A TImageList component that contains several glyphs

Figure 15-13: Adding images to the pop-up menu

Figure 15-14: Testing a common dialog control at design time

Figure 15-15: The TColorDialog component

Figure 15-16: The TFontDialog component

Figure 15-17: The TOpenDialog component

Figure 15-18: The Filter Editor

Figure 15-19: Code completion

Figure 15-20: The code completion list

Figure 15-21: A simple VCL Forms application

Figure 15-22: The empty user interface

Figure 15-23: The Action List editor

Figure 15-24: Adding a new action to the list

Figure 15-25: Using actions

Figure 15-26: Adding standard actions to the application

Figure 15-27: List of available standard actions

Figure 15-28: Standard Edit actions

Figure 15-29: Standard Edit actions at run time

Chapter 16: Building a Text Editor

Figure 16-1: The text editor that we're going to create in this chapter

Figure 16-2: Main menu groups

Figure 16-3: The basic user interface

Figure 16-4: The File menu

Figure 16-5: TOpenDialog Filter settings

Figure 16-6: Inserting a menu item

Figure 16-7: Result of the ofOverwritePrompt value

Figure 16-8: The File menu

Figure 16-9: Notepad properly protects user data.

Figure 16-10: The CloseCurrentDocument function at work

Figure 16-11: The Edit menu

Figure 16-12: The Find dialog

Figure 16-13: Using the Find dialog to search for text

Figure 16-14: The TReplaceDialog component

Figure 16-15: The Format menu

Figure 16-16: The status bar

Figure 16-17: The images used in the text editor

Figure 16-18: Normal and disabled image lists

Figure 16-19: The best text editor in the galaxy

Chapter 17: The Multiple Document Interface

Figure 17-1: An MDI image viewer

Figure 17-2: The Explorer-style interface

Figure 17-3: The tabbed interface

Figure 17-4: The child form

Figure 17-5: Child forms are, by default, only minimized when you try to close them.

Figure 17-6: The Window menu

Figure 17-7: Inverting colors in an image

Chapter 18: Working with Files

Figure 18-1: The Root Directory Browser

Figure 18-2: The Registry

Figure 18-3: Keys and values written using the TRegistryIniFile class

Chapter 19: Desktop Database Programming

Figure 19-1: The TClientDataSet DVD Catalog application

Figure 19-2: Several data-aware controls

Figure 19-3: Selecting one of the available fields

Figure 19-4: Viewing database data at design time

Figure 19-5: The FieldDefs Collection Editor

Figure 19-6: New fields

Figure 19-7: The application's user interface

Figure 19-8: Adding actions to the TActionManager

Figure 19-9: Placing the actions in a category

Figure 19-10: Creating a menu by dropping a category from the TActionManager to the TActionMainMenuBar

Figure 19-11: File menu actions

Figure 19-12: The Add New Movie dialog box

Figure 19-13: The Add New Movie dialog box at run time

Figure 19-14: Using the Locate method to activate the selected item

Figure 19-15: Deleting records

Figure 19-16: Incremental filtering at run time

Figure 19-17: An XML file that contains both normal data and the change log

Chapter 20: Advanced Development Topics

Figure 20-1: Simulating the Delphi Tool Palette

Figure 20-2: Add class names to the list box

Figure 20-3: Drag and drop between components

Figure 20-4: Moving controls on the form using drag and drop

Figure 20-5: Handling the WM_MOVE message

Figure 20-6: Moving both forms by clicking in the client area of the main form

Figure 20-7: Using the MM_CHANGECOLOR custom message

Figure 20-8: Dragging and dropping from the Windows Explorer

Figure 20-9: TPageControl pages

Chapter 21: Dynamic Link Libraries

Figure 21-1: Selecting the DLL Wizard

Figure 21-2: Creating a test application for the DLL

Figure 21-3: The FirstLib.dll test application

Figure 21-4: Dynamically loading a DLL

Figure 21-5: Properly displaying VCL forms

Figure 21-6: The MessageDlg text is from the DLL.

Figure 21-7: Bad things happen when the host application tries to release memory allocated in the DLL.

Figure 21-8: The New Dynamic-link Library wizard

Figure 21-9: DLL and client application project files

Figure 21-10: Testing the DLL

Chapter 22: Graphics Programming

Figure 22-1: Creating custom colors with the RGB function

Figure 22-2: Drawing lines .

Figure 22-3: Pen styles

Figure 22-4: Rubber-banding

Figure 22-5: Brush styles

Figure 22-6: Drawing text

Figure 22-7: The TextRect method

Figure 22-8: The DrawText function

Figure 22-9: Using TextWidth to determine character width

Figure 22-10: The result of all that code in Listing 22-10

Figure 22-11: Painting in the non-client area of the window

Figure 22-12: A messed-up gradient

Figure 22-13: A simple gradient

Figure 22-14: Another gradient

Figure 22-15: Drawing a real gradient with custom colors

Figure 22-16: Drawing bitmaps on the canvas

Figure 22-17: TTimer animation

Figure 22-18: "Snow"

Figure 22-19: Drawing on the desktop

Chapter 23: Creating Win32 API Applications

Figure 23-1: Our first API application

Figure 23-2: The API application

Figure 23-3: The Icon Viewer

Figure 23-4: The main menu loaded from the resource file

Chapter 24: Component Development Essentials

Figure 24-1: A run-time/design-time package

Figure 24-2: Selecting the ancestor class

Figure 24-3: Defining the component's class name

Figure 24-4: Adding the new component to the opened package

Figure 24-5: Successful installation of the package

Figure 24-6: The TSimple component at design time

Figure 24-7: The MyString string property

Figure 24-8: Simple properties

Figure 24-9: This happens when you delete published properties

Figure 24-10: Boolean and enumerated properties

Figure 24-11: A set property

Figure 24-12: The result of the default directive

Figure 24-13: The output of the SayHello method

Figure 24-14: Calling the virtual method Hello

Figure 24-15: Using the Limited property

Figure 24-16: The result of accessing the Limited property

Figure 24-17: The new OnAccess event

Figure 24-18: Using the OnAccess event

Figure 24-19: The TStringsCache component

Figure 24-20: The TSimple and TStringsCache components on the Designer Surface

Figure 24-21: Creating a Tool Palette icon in the Image Editor

Figure 24-22: The new component icon

Figure 24-23: Grouped properties

Figure 24-24: The MyProperties property group

Figure 24-25: Building a component without an opened package

Figure 24-26: A simple C++Builder VCL component

Chapter 25: Customizing Existing Components

Figure 25-1: Adding the form to the Object Repository

Figure 25-2: Removing a form from the project

Figure 25-3: Creating a new animated form

Figure 25-4: Visually inheriting a form

Figure 25-5: The animated form caught in the middle of the fade effect

Figure 25-6: The sample rich text document

Figure 25-7: Running Compile.bat

Figure 25-8: The TResRichEdit component

Figure 25-9: Loading the sample document from the DLL

Chapter 26: Advanced Component Programming

Figure 26-1: The TCharacterBox Component dialog

Figure 26-2: Creating the TCharacterBox component

Figure 26-3: Trying to do things that can't be done in the constructor

Figure 26-4: The IDE cannot properly create your component if you modify the Parent property in the constructor.

Figure 26-5: The TCharacterBox component still without custom drawing

Figure 26-6: The TCharacterBox component

Figure 26-7: The Cache Editor

Figure 26-8: The Cache Viewer

Chapter 27: Printing, Creating PDF Documents, and Refactoring

Figure 27-1: The result of AssignPrn printing

Figure 27-2: The TPageSetupDialog component at run time and its properties

Figure 27-3: Locale settings

Figure 27-4: Printing with the TPrinter class and the global Printer object

Figure 27-5: Printing the contents of a TMemo component

Figure 27-6: Using the Declare Variable command

Figure 27-7: The Declare Variable dialog box

Figure 27-08: Printing with the TTextPrinter component

Figure 27-9: The Rename symbol dialog box

Figure 27-10: The Refactorings window

Figure 27-11: The Sync Edit icon

Figure 27-12: The Sync Edit mode

Figure 27-13: Extracting resource strings

Figure 27-14: The code segment that should be extracted with Extract Method refactoring

Figure 27-15: The Extract Method dialog box

Figure 27-16: The above PDF document in Linux and Windows

Figure 27-17: Viewing document properties in Adobe Reader and Foxit Reader

Figure 27-18: The Helvetica font's font metrics file

Figure 27-19: A dialog box that allows the user to customize PDF output

Chapter 28: Image Processing

Figure 28-1: The test application

Figure 28-2: The result of the Invert Colors effect

Figure 28-3: The Solarize effect

Figure 28-4: This happens when the bitmap's PixelFormat and code aren't compatible

Figure 28-5: Adjusting the brightness of the image

Figure 28-6: The troublesome Delete glyph

Figure 28-7: The final version of the Delphi Text Editor that uses the TImageListEx component

Figure 28-8: The difference in the size of the executable after using the TImageListEx component

Chapter 29: .NET Framework Programming

Figure 29-1: Creating a C# console application

Figure 29-2: Project references

Figure 29-3: The Add Reference dialog box

Figure 29-4: C# Project Options dialog box

Figure 29-5: XML documentation generated by the compiler

Figure 29-6: Using ILDASM to view assembly contents

Figure 29-7: Boxing and unboxing

Figure 29-8: Adding a custom assembly reference

Figure 29-9: Custom assemblies are copied to the application directory

Figure 29-10: Viewing an assembly in the IDE

Figure 29-11: Delphi for .NET compiles units as classes.

Figure 29-12: CIL code emitted for the ShowAbout procedure call

Figure 29-13: Throwing and rethrowing exceptions in C#

Figure 29-14: Displaying text files with the Wordware.IOLibrary.TextFileReader class

Figure 29-15: Building Windows.Forms applications in Delphi

Figure 29-16: Windows.Forms application that illustrates multicast events

Figure 29-17: A dynamically created Windows.Forms.Button calling a dynamically assigned event handler

Figure 29-18: A Windows.Forms MDI application

Chapter 30: Advanced Win32 and .NET Programming

Figure 30-1: The Browse for Folder dialog box

Figure 30-2: Images exported using the for-in loop and the TImageCacheEnumerator class

Figure 30-3: Using a custom delegate in Delphi for Win32

Figure 30-4: Using a TMultiClickButton

Figure 30-5: Reading a text file using delegates and events

Figure 30-6: GDI+ essentials

Figure 30-7: Using more advanced GDI+ classes