Mastering Delphi 2

Table of Content

Here is the TOC of the book, with new or heavily corrected parts in bold. Consider, anyway, the full text and many examples have been updated to make use of new Delphi 2 features, such as long strings or radio menus.

Chapter 1: A Form Is a Window

Creating Your First Form
Adding a Title
Saving the Form
Using Components
Changing Properties
Responding to Events
Compiling and Running a Program
Changing Properties at Run-Time
Adding Code to the Program
A Two-Way Tool
Looking at the Source Code
The Textual Description of the Form
The Project File
Summary

Chapter 2: Highlights of the Delphi Environment

Different Versions of Delphi
Asking for Help
Delphi Menus and Commands
Using the Menus
The SpeedBar
The SpeedMenus
Working with Forms
The Components Palette
The Object Inspector
The Alignment Palette
Writing Code
Managing Projects
The Project Manager
Setting Project Options
Compiling a Project
Exploring a Compiled Program
The Integrated Debugger
The Object Browser
Additional Delphi Tools
The Files Produced by the System
Summary

Chapter 3: The Object Repository and the Experts

The Object Repository
The Pages of the Object Repository
Delphi Experts
The Database Form Expert
Customizing the Object Repository
Adding New Application Templates
Adding New Form Templates to the List
The Object Repository Options
Summary

Chapter 4: The Pascal Language

Pascal Data Types
Predefined Data Types
Specific Windows Types
Typecasting and Type Conversions
The Variant Data Type
User-Defined Data Types
Pascal Strings
Long Pascal Strings
C-Like Character Arrays
Coding Style
Comments
Use of Uppercase
White Spaces
Pretty-Printing
Syntax Highlighting
Pascal Statements
Expressions and Operators
Simple and Compound Statements
Pascal Conditional Statements
If Statements
Case Statements
Pascal Loops
For Statements
While and Repeat Statements
The With Statement
Pascal Procedures and Functions
Reference Parameters
Constant Parameters
Open Array Parameters
What Is a Method?
Forward Declarations
External Declarations
Procedural Types
Summary

Chapter 5: Object Pascal as an OOP Language

Introducing Classes and Objects
The Delphi Object Model
The First Delphi Example with Classes
Declaring a Constructor
Classes and Information Hiding
Private, Protected, and Public
Public and Published
Classes and Units
The Interface of a Class
Units and Scope
Encapsulating Changes
A Date Unit
Units and Programs
Advanced Topics Relating to Methods and Classes
The Self Keyword
Class Methods and Class Data
Method Pointers
Class References
Inheriting from Existing Types
Inheritance and Type Compatibility
Virtual and Dynamic Methods
Overriding Virtual and Static Methods
Virtual versus Dynamic Methods
Message Handlers
Abstract Methods
Run-Time Type Information
Handling Exceptions
An Example of the Use of Exceptions
The Finally Block
Summary

Chapter 6: The Visual Component Library

The Conceptual Foundation
The VCL Hierarchy
Components
Objects
Exceptions
Using Components and Objects
Properties
The Name Property
Properties Related to Component Size and Position
The Enabled, Visible, and Showing Properties
The Tag Property
Properties Related to Color and Font
Component Methods
Component Events
Delegation Is the Key
Events Are Properties
Using Delphi Collections
The VCL Source Code
Summary

Chapter 7: A Tour of the Basic Components

Windows' Own Components
Clicking a Button
The BUTTONS Example
Clicking the Mouse on a Component
Adding Colored Text to a Form
The LABEL_CO Example
The Standard Color Dialog Box
Dragging from One Component to Another
The Code for the DRAGGING Example
Accepting Input from the User
Handling the Input Focus
Entering Numbers
Sophisticated Input Schemes
Creating a Simple Editor
The Font Dialog Box
Creating a Rich Editor
Selecting a Choice
Grouping Radio Buttons
The PHRASES Example
A List with Many Choices
The Form for PHRASES2
Working with the List Boxes
Removing a Selected String from the Other List Box
Allowing Multiple Selections
The Third Version of PHRASES
Many Lists, Little Space
Choosing a Value in a Range
The Scroll Color Example
Summary

Chapter 8: Creating and Handling Menus

The Structure of a Menu
Different Roles of Menu Items
Changing Menu Items at Run-Time
Editing a Menu with the Menu Designer
The Standard Structure of a Menu
Menu Shortcuts
Using the Predefined Menu Templates
Responding to Menu Commands
The Code Generated by the Menu Designer
The Code of the MENU_ONE Example
Checking and Disabling Menus
Changing Menu Items
Changing Pull-Down Menus
Changing the Menu Structure at Run-Time
Short and Long Menus
Customizing the Menu Check Mark
Changing the System Menu
The NOTES Program Menu
Loading and Saving Files
Pop-Up Menus (and the Right Mouse Button)
The LOCAL Example
Changing a Pop-up Menu When It Is Activated
Handling Pop-Up Menus Manually
Summary

Chapter 9: Back to the Form

Forms versus Windows
Overlapped, Pop-Up, and Child Windows
The Application Is a Window
Setting Form Styles
Creating Topmost Forms
Avoiding Topmost Flickering
The Border Style
The Effect of the BorderStyle Property
The BORDERS Example
The Border Icons
Setting More Windows Styles
Forms in Different Screen Resolutions
Manual Form Scaling
Automatic Form Scaling
Setting the Form's Position and Size
The Size of a Form and Its Client Area
The Maximum and Minimum Size of a Form
Automatic Form Creation
Closing a Form
Getting Mouse Input
Using Windows without a Mouse
The Mouse Events
Drawing on the Form
The Drawing Tools
Drawing Shapes
Drawing and Painting in Windows
Painting a Single Shape
Painting a Number of Shapes
Delphi Output Components
Summary

Chapter 10: Graphical Components

Improving the User Interface with Graphics
A Bitmap in a Button
A Car in a Button
An Animated Bitmap in a Button
A Two-State Button
Many Images in a Bitmap
The Rotating World
A List of Bitmaps, the Use of Resources, and a PaintBox
An Image Viewer
Drawing in a Bitmap
Drawing Shapes
Graphical Lists
The Outline of the Book
A Tree of Chapters
The Nodes of the Outline
A Graphical List
Building Grids
A Grid of Fonts
Mines in a Grid
Choosing Colors
Summary

Chapter 11: A Toolbar and a Status Bar

Grouping Controls with Panels
Building a Toolbar
A Simple Toolbar
Enabling and Disabling Toolbar Buttons
Adding Hints to the Toolbar
Adding Hints to a Form
Customizing Hints
Adding Features to a Toolbar
A Combo Box in a Toolbar
A Toolbar You Can Drag
Creating a Status Bar
Menu Hints in the Status Bar
Speed Button Hints in the Status Bar
Summary

Chapter 12: Multiple Forms and Dialog Boxes

Dialog Boxes versus Forms
Adding a Second Form to a Program
Modal and Modeless Forms
Two Forms, Two Menus
Merging Form Menus
Creating a Dialog Box
Modal Dialog Boxes
A Modeless Dialog Box
Using Predefined Dialog Boxes
Windows Common Dialogs
Message Boxes Parade
A Dialog Box as a Main Window
Extensible Dialog Boxes
Special About Boxes
Using the System About Box
Building a Custom Hidden Screen
Visual Form Inheritance
Inheriting from a Base Form
Polymorphic Forms
Summary

Chapter 13: Scrolling and Multipage Forms

When Forms Are Too Big
Scrolling a Form
The Scroll Testing Example
Automatic Scrolling
Scrolling an Image
Scrolling and Form Coordinates
Building Notebooks with Delphi
TabControl, PageControl, and TabSheets
A Notebook with a Tab Set
Changing the Page of a Notebook
Tabbed Notebooks
Notebooks without Tabs and Tabs without Notebooks
A Presentation in a Notebook
An Image Viewer with Tabs
An Image Browser with Tabs
A Multipage Toolbar
Summary

Chapter 14: Splitting Windows

Form Splitting Techniques
Splitting with a Header
Using the HeaderControl component
Using the Header Component
Setting a Maximum and Minimum Size
A Header behind the Scenes
Splitting with Panels
Drawing a Split Line
Direct Mouse Splitting
Dragging the Mouse
The Dragging Code
A Custom File Manager
Components Used in the File Manager
Adding a Preview Pane to the File Manager
Summary

Chapter 15: Creating MDI Applications

MDI in Windows: A Technical Overview
Frame and Child Windows in Delphi
A First Delphi MDI Demo
Building a Complete Window Menu
Building a Child Window
MDI Applications with Different Child Windows
Adding a Bouncing Shape
The Menu Bar of the New Child Form
Changing the Main Form
A Fast Start with MDI
Summary

Chapter 16: Using OLE Controls

What Is an OLE Control?
OLE Controls versus Delphi Components
OLE Controls in Delphi
Installing a New OLE Control
The TOLEControl Class
Using OLE Controls
Building a Chart
But What about Writing OLE Controls in Delphi?
Summary

Chapter 17: Building Database Applications

Data, Files, Databases, and Tables
What Is a Table?
Operations on Database Data
Delphi Database Components
Tables and Queries
Other Data-Access Components
Delphi Data-Aware Components
Building Database Applications by Hand
A Grid of Countries
Customizing the DBGrid
Navigating through Countries
Using a Query
A Query with Parameters
Using the Database Form Expert
Accessing the Fields of a Table or Query
The TField Components
An Example of a Calculated Field
Using Fields to Manipulate a Table
Looking for Records in a Table
Changing the Data and Computing New Values
Exploring the Tables of a Database
Choosing a Database and a Table at Run-Time
A Table Viewer
A Field Editor
An Outline for a Table Browser
Creating a Graphical Table
The Form and Its Startup Code
Creating a New Table
Choosing a Table with the Proper Fields
Adding or Removing Records
A Multi Record Grid
Moving Control Grid Panels
Building a Master Detail Form with the Expert
Making a Join with SQL Queries
Providing a Closed Selection in a Combo Box
A Lookup in a Grid
Summary

Chapter 18: Client/Server and Advanced Database Applications

Accessing a SQL Server
A First InterBase Application
Accessing a SQL Server
InterBase Server Tools
Upsizing an Existing Program
Copying a Table
Porting the Application
Using the Visual Query Builder
From Porting to Upsizing
Joining Tables with the Visual Query Builder
A Join with Three Tables
A Join with More Tables
From a Two-Tier to a Three-Tier Architecture
Creating a Data Module
A Data Module for Multiple Views
Setting Fields Properties and Initial Values
Standard Tables Filtering
Custom Table Filtering
Custom Filtering and Client/Server Development
Delphi Data Dictionary
Summary

Chapter 19: Discovering the Application Structure

Using the Application Object
Showing the Application Window
Checking for Multiple Instances of an Application
Testing to See if Another Instance Is Running
Activating the Previous Instance
Handling User-Defined Windows Messages
Searching the Windows List
Programming without Components
The Smallest Delphi Program?
Reading the Command Line
Using the Command Show Parameter
Events, Messages, and Multitasking in Windows
Event-Driven Programming
Windows Message Delivery
Building a Clock with a Timer
Behind the Timers: The Clock
A Full-Scale Graphical Clock
Painting the Seconds Hand with Raster Operations
Idle Computing and Multitasking
Background Processing
Computing Prime Numbers the Dumb Way
Multithreading in Delphi
The TThread Class
A First Example
Setting Threads Priorities
Synchronizing Threads
A Final Multithreading Example
Using the Screen Object
Getting Screen Information
Handling the Forms List
Saving Status Information
Using Windows INI Files
Using the Registry
Summary

Chapter 20: Exploring the Behavior of a Program

Debugging with the Debugger
Debug Information
Setting Breakpoints
Inspecting Values
More on Breakpoints
Tracing through the VCL Source Code
Alternative Debugging Techniques
Debugging with a Terminal Window
Debug and Release Versions
Viewing a Compiled Program with the Object Browser
Exploring the Message Flow
Using WinSight
A Look at Posted Messages
The Memory Image of an Application
Windows System Memory
Free System Memory
Summary

Chapter 21: Using Resources

Resources in Windows
Using Resource Editors
Loading Resources in Delphi
The Icons for Applications and Forms
Adding Alternative Icons for Different Conditions
Using the Cursor in Delphi
Designing a Custom Cursor
A Flexible Cursor
Using String Table Resources
Translating the Strings into Another Language
Summary

Chapter 22: Adding Printing Capabilities to Delphi Applications

Printing a Whole Form
A Custom Print Dialog Box
The Standard Print Dialog Boxes
Accessing the Printer Object
Printing Graphics and Using Print Preview
Painting to the Printer
Printing Text
Printing Database Records and Tables
The QuickReport Components
A Quick Example
Creating ReportSmith Reports
Building a Custom Report
Writing a ReportSmith Macro
Quicker Than ReportSmith
Summary

Chapter 23: Adding File Support to Applications

Files and the Pascal Language
Handling Text Files
A Text File Converter
Saving Generic Data
File Support in Delphi Components
File System Components
Streaming Data
The Idea of Persistency
Summary

Chapter 24: Exchanging Data

What Is the Clipboard?
The Clipboard in Delphi
Copying and Pasting Text
Copying and Pasting Bitmaps
Copying Delphi Components to the Clipboard
Copying Custom Data to the Clipboard
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE): A Technical Overview
DDE Conversations
Roles of the Server and Client
DDE in Delphi
A Simple Example of DDE
Copying and Pasting DDE Links
Copying Link Data to the Clipboard
DDE with Timers and Graphics
The Automatic Server
A Graphical DDE Client
Summary

Chapter 25: The Power of OLE

What Is an OLE Object?
The Flavors of OLE
OLE Behind the Scenes
OLE Support in Delphi
Building the Minimum OLE Container
The Minimal Menu of an OLE Container
Visual Editing and Toolbars
The OLE Standard Dialog Boxes
Multiple OLE Containers
Creating OLE Containers at Run-Time
Dragging Components and Activating OLE Containers
OLE Automation
Sending Data to Word
Writing an OLE Automation Server
Automating an MDI application
Registering the Automation Object
Writing a Test Program
The future of OLE
Summary

Chapter 26: Multimedia Fun

Windows Default Sounds
Every Box Has a Beep
From Beeps to Music
The Media Player Component
Playing Sound Files
Running Videos
A Video in a Form
Working with a CD Drive
Summary

Chapter 27: Creating Components

Extending the VCL
Delphi Components Are Classes
Static Linking Components
Rules for Writing Components
Introducing Some Simple Components
The Fonts Combo Box
Using the Fonts Combo Box
Creating a Tabbed List Box
Testing the Tab List Component
Building Brand-New Components
A Graphical Component Built Step by Step
Defining an Enumerated Property
Drawing the Arrow Component
Testing the Arrow
The Point of the Arrow, Plus a Pen and a Brush
Testing the Second Version of the Arrow
Defining a New Custom Event
Testing the OnArrowDblClick Event
Adding a Bitmap for the Components Palette
The Final Test of the Arrow Component
Correcting Bugs in the Arrow Component
Arrows and Shapes
The Clock Components
The Digital Clock
The Analog Clock
A First Test
Installing the Clock Components
Defining an Array Property
The New Tabbed List
Using Dialog Box Units
Installing the Component
A Header and a Tabbed List Box
Writing a Property Editor
Forms Are Components, Too
A Dialog Box in a Component
Using the Nonvisual Component
Summary

Chapter 28: Dynamic Link Libraries

The Role of DLLs in Windows
What Is Dynamic Linking?
What Are DLLs for?
The System DLLs
Differences between DLLs and EXEs
Rules for DLL Writers
Win16 and Win32 DLLs
Using Existing DLLs
Calling a C++ DLL
Creating a DLL in Delphi
Routines, Methods, Objects, and DLLs
A First Simple Delphi DLL
Placing a Form in a DLL
Calling the DLL Form from Delphi
Calling a Delphi DLL from Other Languages
A DLL of Icons
Loading the Icons from the DLL
Calling a DLL Function at Run-Time
A DLL in Memory
Summary

Appendix A: A Short Overview of OOP Concepts

Abstraction in Programming Languages
Classes
Inheritance
Polymorphism
A Definition of OOP
OOP Languages
Object-Oriented Analysis and Design
Summary

Appendix B: An Introduction to SQL

What Is SQL?
The Select Statement
The Where Clause
Avoiding Duplicates
Making a Join
More Select Clauses
Choosing an Order
Computing Values
Defining Groups
Beyond Select
Summary

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Mastering Delphi 2

Table of Content

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