What s New in CBuilder 6?

What's New in C++Builder 6?

As with the staggered releases of new versions of Borland C++Builder and Borland Delphi in the past, C++Builder 6 introduces new features first seen in Delphi 6 and then adds some more. There are many new features and enhancements in the areas of Web programming, distributed application development, database application development, and developer productivity, among others. Most of the new features and enhancements are covered in more detail throughout this book.

C++Builder 6 is available in three versions: Standard (Std), Professional (Pro), and Enterprise (Ent). Standard has the fewest features, but is still a powerful development environment for Windows programming and includes more than 85 components for RAD programming, the award-winning compiler, advanced debugger, and more. The Professional version has more than 150 components and adds features including the CodeGuard tool, multiprocess debugging, and standard database functionality. The Enterprise version has more than 200 components , including Internet Express, CORBA development, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle support, distributed development, a full suite of internationalization tools, TeamSource version control manager, and more.

Missing from C++Builder 6 is Merant (formerly Intersolv) PVCS Version Control.

NOTE

The full-feature matrix, which highlights all the new features in each version (Standard, Professional, Enterprise) of C++Builder 6, is available from the Feature List link on the C++Builder Web site at http://www.borland.com/cbuilder/.

You can also see information on the new features in the "What's New" section of the C++Builder online help.

The features listed in the following sections are available in the Professional and Enterprise versions of C++Builder and not in the Standard version, except where noted. In the remainder of the book, we will not designate which versions of C++Builder the new features apply to. Consult the full-feature matrix if necessary.

Compatibility with Previous Releases ”Projects

When you load a package from an earlier version of C++ Builder, if possible, it will be converted to the C++Builder current version format. Because of the many changes in a typical major release, this doesn't always work for complex projects, so, in the event you have problems compiling, running, or debugging your prior version project, be prepared to create a new project to incorporate your code. It is recommended that you create a backup of your project and its directories before converting it to the current version.

Also note that prior version symbol files are generally not compatible with the current version ”thus, you should rebuild your project immediately after converting.

In an effort to simplify future project conversions, it looks like Borland has decided to remove version numbers from their package names , so vcl50.bpi will for release 6 and the future be just plain vcl.bpi; however, runtime packages still have version numbers to enforce compatibility.

Compatibility with Previous Releases ”Standard C++ Library

Prior versions of C++ used the Rogue Wave implementation of the C++ standard template library (STL). In version 6, Borland has switched to the STLport implementation. This implementation is an open -source product produced by a company that is also called STLport. Borland suggests that there might be some changes in the way code using this library operates, but that you can expect your STL code to compile without difficulty.

Compatibility with Previous Releases ”Database Program Changes

Some changes in the new version affect your database programs (this does not, of course, affect owners of the Standard Edition, but only the Professional and Enterprise Edition).

One of the most important changes is that Borland has changed the way LoginPrompt works with your Tdatabase - or Tconnection -based component. There is now no default login dialog box: you need to #include DBLogDlg.hpp or your program will not prompt for the username.

Compatibility with Previous Releases ” `DsgnIntf` Renamed and Split Up

Some advanced packages contain references to dsgnintf.hpp , which is the header file needed for creating property and component editors.

For whatever reason, Borland has now renamed that package, adding a few vowels : now you must reference designintf.hpp . You might also need the new packages DesignEditors.hpp , VCLEditors.hpp , and RTLConsts.hpp .

Other New Features

Support for WebServices (Professional and Enterprise Editions only)
Improved Web page generation from Web modules (Professional and Enterprise Editions only) ”for more information, see Chapter 22, "Web Server Programming with WebSnap."
SOAP support for multitier database applications (Enterprise Edition only) ” for more information, see Chapter 19, "SOAP and Web Services with BizSnap," and Chapter 20, "Distributed Applications with DataSnap."
A non-BDE database component set called dbExpress, which allows for easy deployment of client server database applications (Interbase, DB2, Oracle, MySQL, Informix) ”for more information, see Chapter 12, "Data Access with dbExpress."
Enhancements to Actions ”for more information, see Chapter 3, "Programming with C++Builder."
Enhancements to the IDE ”for more information, see Chapter 2, "C++Builder Projects and More on the IDE."

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