Mastering Delphi 7

Commented Table of Contents

1: Delphi 7 and its IDE
An updated overiview of Delphi's IDE, covering many tips and tricks (not an introductory tutorial: you can find one in my Essential Delphi online book)
2: The Delphi Programming Language
All you need to know about the OOP features of the Delphi language to program effectively. Coverage is similar to past edition, only more condensed.
3: The Run Time Library
Updated coverage of RTL functions, including a few nice additions to Delphi 7, like PosEx.
4: Core Library Classes
Updated coverage of the core VCL library, from TComponent to other TPersistent-derived classes. A brand new section covers Delphi 7 compression streams.
5: Visual Controls
A comparative introduction to the VCL and CLX visual libraries. There isn't a lot of new material in this area...
6: Building the User Interface
Although there isn't much new in Delphi 7 to cover, I've reworked this section improving many examples and underlining the user of the ActionsList and Actionmanager components even more than in past editions.
7: Working with Forms
Forms, dialog boxes, and the like, plus a lot of managing objects in memory, but not much new compared to Mastering Delphi 6.

8: The Architecture of Delphi Applications
From the Application and Screen objects to the use of VFI, frames, and MDI.
9: Writing Delphi Components.
A core chapter, with lots of material, even if little is new.
10: Libraries and Packages
DLLs but even more packages, including the development of dynamic applications based on packages, as in Mastering Delphi 6.
11: Modeling and OOP programming (with Model Maker)
A totally brand new chapter, of course.
12: From COM to COM+
Condensed coverage of COM, including some new material on .NET interoperability.

13: Delphi�s Database Architecture
Although Delphi's database foundations haven't changed much, this has been completely rewritten to be based on the ClientDataSet rather than on BDE and Paradox tables.
14: Client/Server with dbExpress
As the title implies, BDE has been totally shifted out from this chapter covering client/server development. There is also some coverage of IBX and an introduction to InterBase.
15: Working with ADO
A limited update to an a solid chapter introducing dbGo and related topics.
16: Multi-Tier DataSnap Applications
Formerly called MIDAS, the most relevant new feature of DataSnap in Delphi 7 is that there is no more a deployment fee, but the technical information hasn't changed much.
17: Writing Database Components
Expanded from Mastering Delphi 6, in which this material was introduced this chapter accountrs for a detailed coverage of data-aware and cusotm dataset components. I've added an introduction to an object-based dataset towards the end of the chapter.
18: Printing and Reporting (with Rave)
Another brand new chatper, providing an introduction to reporting with Rave.

19: Internet Programming: Sockets and Indy
This chapter has been largely rewritten to use Indy sockets components instead of Borland native ones, as in previous editions. Many examples have been extended.
20: Web Programming with WebBroker and WebSnap
a core chapter in which I tracked a few changes in the WebBroker and WebSnap technologies, but nothing radical compared to the last edition.
21: Web Programming with IntraWeb
This is the third brand new cahpter of the book, providing a solid introduction to the IntraWeb technology that ships with Delphi 7. It was written with some help by Chad Hower.
22: XML and XSLT
An expanded chapter on a key technology. The material has been largely extended, and the entire XML coverage now spans two chapters.
23: Web Services and SOAP
A spin of the XMl chapter of Mastering Delphi 6, the chapter on SOAP sees many relevant udpates, new examples, and soverage of the many new features of Delphi 7, including even a simple UDDI browser.

24: The Microsoft .NET Architecture from the Delphi Perspective
This is of course another brand new chapters introducing .NET for those who still haven't had a serious look to the new Microsoft architecture and presenting some introductory examples.
25: Delphi for .NET Preview: The Language and the RTL
From the language to the RTL and VCL many things are going to chagne in Delphi for .NET, and this is an introduction covering the November 2002 update provided by Borland. There is also an introduction to ASP.NET using the Delphi language.

Appendix A: Extra Delphi Tools by the Author
A few pages to summarize where to find tools discussed int he book (all freely available, mostly with source code)
Appendix B: Extra Delphi Tools from other Sources
Just a few poitners to web apges and tools.
Appendix C: Free companion books on Delphi
A list of the material from me you can find online, again for free, complementing the book (seom introductory material but also some other advanced chapters on graphics, debugging, and more).