I have deveoped a custom file type, together with a custom editor (basically a tree with several data pages attached and a few extra buttons). OK, I can run it stand alone and that is fine, and even add it to the tools menu, but I would like to integrate it into the Delphi IDE so that my custom editor (or a similar new version) appears in the IDE, rather like a DFM file has a custom editor. I can find references to most extensions in the Delphi IDE, but not this one. Any guiding hands? Note that this is not a property or component editor (the file type has nothing to do with either of these) nor is it simply syntax highlighting of a text file.
AFAIK it currently isn't possible to reliably integrate a custom editor into the Delphi IDE. The required API simply isn't there. See QC89028 Custom Module support.
During the Delphi 2010 and XE betas I spent most my spare time trying to get a resource editor integrated. Although the effort had the official blessing of Embarcadero and got some, half hearted, support from the IDE engineer, I was never able to get them to deliver on their promises and surface the module API. I eventually abandoned the project.
Update: I've now checked my old correspondence regarding this and it turns out part of the problem was that IOTAModuleCreator (used to implement File|New for custom file types) and IOTAEditorContent (used to transfer data to/from the custom module) only supports text data. Binary data gets mangled.
You can probably do this via an IDE plugin that uses the ToolsAPI (see ToolsAPI.pas in the IDE's source folder (e.g. Program Files (x86)\Embarcadero\Studio\source\ToolsAPI\ToolsAPI.pas.)
For information on writing a plugin in general, see David G Hoyle's excellent blog. Once you know the basics - i.e., write a 'wizard' and get it to do something - you will need to work on integrating your editor.
I have never done this, and so I can't guarantee it is possible. However, some interfaces that look worth investigating and implementing are INTACustomEditorView, which represents a 'view' (file tab when that file is open - think the code editor, Welcome view, type library editor, etc) and IOTAEditorViewServices, to register your custom view. I do not know how you associate a view type with a file type, sorry - possibly something to do with the personality interfaces. You might also be interested in INTACustomEditorSubView which is what creates a tab on the bottom of a file.
Good luck, and if you find a solution please write here so that other people can learn too!
Related
I'm working with Progress-4GL, release 11.6, appBuilder and procedure editor.
While working with OCX components, a WRX-file gets automatically created by the appBuilder. I would like to see the content of that WRX-file.
Currently, I've found this website, which also mentions that Progress IDE should contain such a viewer, but even after checking all Pro*tools, I didn't find any tool.
Does anybody know which tool of the Progress-4GL appBuilder/procedure editor toolchain allows viewing WRX-files?
Thanks in advance
According to Progress Knowledgebase, WRX files contain only design and runtime license keys (if required by the ActiveX Controls) along with any custom property settings that were made to any ActiveX Control in the windows. WRX files do not contain any ABL source or .r code.
If it indeed is an OCX you want to look into you can use the Com Object Viewer.
It can be found a couple of different ways.
Quick Access Search in Developer Studio:
Via Pro*Tools under the Tools menu in the AppBuilder
Once started you can use it to open OCXes and Automation Objects to look at the internal API's of those.
You need to locate the file it's stored in. This could be either by knowledge of it's location or other way. If you add an OCX to a ABL Windows/Dialog program you will see the location of the control there:
Then you can open it in the Com Object Viewer to see methods, events and such and also get some short coding help.
Different Delphi versions (in my case 2007, XE and XE2) seem to use the same code-template repository, such as ..\Documents\RAD Studio\code_templates. Since XE2 uses namespaced units, this causes problems when one have to use a unit name in a template.
For instance I have a template when I write winbeep which completes to windows.Beep(300, 100); and selects and stops on frequency etc.. This does not compile on XE2 unless I remove the Winapi. part of the Windows unit in the uses clause (or of course add the prefix manually). I have to have the unit name because otherwise SysUtils.Beep gets referred.
I couldn't find an option entry or a registry key or an environment variable specifying the place of the templates. It is not even related to BDSUSERDIR, in fact I don't even have a directory in my computer having the path of BDSUSERDIR (which is ..\Documents\RAD Studio\9.0). Is this my oversight and in fact there's an option to relocate code templates? If not, is it possible to make the IDE use unit aliases in uses clause for new forms?
edit:
Here it is stated that (emphasis by me) "Templates that you create (and templates provided by third party add-ins) are saved by default in the \My Documents\RAD Studio\code templates\ directory." That would imply there should be way to save them in a non-default place. But the article does not mention how.
You can put your templates in "Delphi installation folder"\ObjRepos\en\Code_Templates to make them visible only on one Delphi version.
Edit
As Sertac points out in the comments, Template libraries are related to project templates, not code templates. Leaving this answer in place because it may help people looking for ways to structure / share / split their project template repositories.
In Delphi XE2 you have a "Template libraries" option under the "Tools" menu. When you open that, you get this dialog:
The "Add" button allows you to add a folder, the "Properties" button allows you to view and manage the contents of that repository.
So it would seem to me that you can simply copy the template library, change it XE2 specific stuff, and then point XE2 to its own repository. Or you could do that only for the templates that require specific XE2 unit handling.
Some people are saying that I must update the controls in Win3.1 palette (especially TFilterComboBox) with modern ones. But does Delphi provide such new controls?
I need to create a GUI (somehow similar to Windows Explorer, consisting in a DirectoryListBox, FileListBox and a FilterComboBox) where I allow the user to easily explore for files of a specific type. Since the interface is centered around this Explorer, a TOpenDialog will be like hitting the customer with a hammer in the middle of his head. I need an 'easy to use' solution.
Unfortunately Shell Controls are not stable enough to be used as replacement.
The Shell Controls that come as a demo with Delphi only have to be installed, and you'll have some nice shell controls. There is, IMO, no big need to get 3rd party components for that.
Look for ShellCtls (or similar, can't check right now) in your demos folder. That Demos folder can be accessed from the Windows Start menu for your version of Delphi.
Update
They are not in a Demos folder, it is called Samples now. They can be found in Samples\Delphi\VCL\ShellControls. Install vclshlctrls.dproj first and then dclshlctrls.dproj.
In our application we use tpShellShock which works rather well. You may need to tweak it a little for Unicode Delphi, but if I recall correctly that was pretty simple to do.
Here's what it looks like:
At the moment, whenever I need a custom dialog, however simple, I use Delphi's form designer to create a new dialog form. The form is then wrapped in an easy to use ShowMessage() type function.
In some situations it would be easier if forms could be created at run-time from a script. The script would detail all form components and their properties, much like Delphi's .DFM files.
Creating GUIs from scripts could be useful in other situations as well. For example, a GUI of a mini application could be embedded into the window of an existing application. Or the GUI script could be modified at run-time to create GUI variations.
I could create something to do this myself, but I assume other people have already tackled this problem. However I can't find anything using google. Is there anything currently available offering this kind of functionality? (Free or otherwise) Or does it already exist in Delphi?
Check out some of the scripting solutions for Delphi. For example, the TMS Scripting Studio, dwScript, RemObject's, FastScript, etc. I believe some of them are able to use DFM's for this purpose.
http://www.torry.net/pages.php?id=280 Delphin v.1.21, it can process DFM files, maybe you just want the DFM to code converter.
You might try XI Library (commercial): http://xilib.com/
I have never used it, it's just something sitting in my bookmarks, but it looks like it fits the bill. Not a scripting engine, more of a way to define dialog boxes via XML. There's sample XML code right on the front page, just click "Show the example".
Remember the old class hierarchy posters that used to come w/Delphi?
I'm wanting a full class hierarchy browser for ALL my Delphi classes, including the custom ones I've built and installed on the palette, plus third-party components. Ideally easily searchable by class name (including "whole word only" searches, so partial matches don't count).
I've only seen two things that come close:
1) GExpets Class Browser - Works great, BUT doesn't automatically load ALL installed components / classes, which is what I want. You have to import all the source units manually, as far as I can tell.... which can be quite a hassle. It also doesn't allow "whole word only" searches, so sometimes searching for a class w/a common "sub name" takes forever.
2) Eagle / DevExpress CDK - It loads the full class list automatically, and seems to work brilliantly, but it's only usable in D7 and prior, and it's not really focused on being a class browser per se, so much as an "inherit from" chooser.
Is there anything out there which does this already? If not, how difficult would it be to write an app that, at bare minimum, builds a self-referencing class-name table, so I could at least throw it into a database / treeview component to easily view inheritance / ancestry, etc.?
I think ModelMaker Code Explorer has this feature, but I don't use it
ESSModel is another nice class browser tool, and it's open source. I don't know if there's any way to get it to load a list of units automatically. Not sure, but you may be able to manually import all the units you want and then save that as a base project that you start from with all your individual projects. Not sure how performance would be with that much loaded, or how easy it to view the part(s) you want.
http://essmodel.sourceforge.net/
Assuming you need a Delphi IDE Expert (you've mentioned somewhere in your post: "...installed on the palette, plus third-party components"), DelphiDiver is good for you (Source code available on the DelphiPraxis, registration needed).
Look and feel:
If you feel like delving into the IDE in order to get more indepth details, click Inspect the IDE hence the name of the Expert (DelphiDiver) ;-)
Click Inspect the Packages so as to browse any other third party component(s) or whatever package(s)/component(s) you've installed.
It makes use of the advanced RTTI and requires Delphi 2010 version onward.
I've personally installed it using Delphi XE on my box.
I hope it can serve as a base for the more focused Full VCL Class Browser you are looking for.