I have to analyze a lot of Delphi code in XE4.
For that I'm missing a feature to highlight a variable or function/procedure name by just clicking on it (like Eclipse or Netbeans does).
Is there an option for this I haven't found so far or can this be fixed with an addon?
I recommend you to try CnPack. It greatly enhances IDE and also adds this feature.
You can also use the built-in Find function. When you do, it highlights all of the matches in the entire file. Best of all, no add-on is required!
Related
Just upgraded from Delphi XE to Tokyo, and was hoping for some updated IDE features.
One nice to have feature would be automatically providing options to add a unit to the uses clause. For example, if you reference something in code that isn't in a uses, it would be nice if the IDE prompted you to add the related unit(s).
For example, keeping it simple, in IntelliJ, you might declare a Button, but not yet have added the associated Library to the Import clause.
When this happens, the offending line is highlighted (just like in Delphi), but the IDE will let you add the necessary library with an Alt-Enter. If there are multiple libraries (it knows about it) it will prompt you for the one you want.
Anything like this for Delphi?
Delphi 2007 and later versions support this for most types that it knows about (in the search or library path). (It may have been available in D2005/2006; I don't have them installed anywhere now to check. I know it was not in Delphi 7.)
Put in the type, and use the Refactor menu (Refactor->Find Unit) or press Ctrl+Shift+A.
Here's an example:
It's not 100% effective, but it's a vast improvement over the old way.
(And yes, I know about TArray<string>, before someone chimes in. I just grabbed a quick type that I knew wouldn't be in the default VCL form uses clause for an example.)
MS Visual Studio has a great feature: it automatically suggests the units to add in using clause when you typing the code with refrences to absent standard classes.
Is there any 3-rd party tool to implement similar feature for Delphi?
I'm tired to add all those SysUtils, Windows, Messages etc in each new unit.
If the unit which contains the reference is not yet in the uses list, this is how I save many manual steps:
right-click on the underlined (error-insighted) text
choose “Refactoring | Find Unit…“.
A dialog will present the available unit which contains the unknown type or symbol, and a mouse click adds the selected unit to the uses list of the current file.
CNPack Input Helper can sugest and autocomplete units (sorry for another answer, but I can't comment other).
CNPack unfortunately don't auto-add units from place of code input but you can:
Copy a word from cursor place (CNPack->Editor enchancements->Tabset/Button->Clipboard operations->Cut/copy token...).
Eventually search this word in source files (grep) to identify unit.
Use CNPack->Toggle Uses/Include Field (Ctrl+u) and start typing and use CNPack->Input Helper sugestion/autocompletion, or IDE/GExperts/CNPack use unit future
Back to place of code edition
The JCL includes the "Uses Wizard." It watches for compilation errors mentioning "Undeclared identifier," and when it sees one, it automatically adds the unit where that identifier is declared.
The package JclUsesExpert.dpk is only available for certain Delphi versions. I don't know if that's because the plug-in doesn't work in later versions, or if someone merely neglected to copy the project into later versions' folders.
This is not a tool to suggest references, it only cleans up unneeded unit clauses.
CnPack IDE Wizards is an excellent opensource plugin for Delphi.
http://www.cnpack.org/index.php?lang=en
I use its Uses cleaner feature a lot.
There is a menu item:
CnPack->Project Enhancements->Use Unit
I think this can be helpful for your needs.
Or maybe you can try this:
http://www.epocalipse.com/products.htm
Unit Expert
"A freeware Delphi add-in that allows you to quickly open units and also add them to the uses clause."
I never tried this expert but it semms promising.
The rFindUnit IDE extension is the enhanced version of built-in "Refactoring | Find Unit…" function suggested by #mjn above.
i have this problem; i need call filectrl unit in a my unit. Of course, i do: uses filectrl in interface section but it not is detected. I have tried too with system.filectrl but not found too this.
I have searched in help (online and local) but there is wrote that unit is correct. I use delphi xe2, too you have same problem? Have solved it? If yes as you done?
Thanks very much.
The full name of this unit in Delphi XE2 is:
uses VCL.FileCtrl;
The scoped name you need is Vcl.FileCtrl.
You can either use Vcl.FileCtrl, as others have already written, or you can add Vcl to the Namespace prefixes in the project options. The ellipsis button for that shows an editor for such prefixes. To be like XE, you can e.g. add System, Vcl and Winapi as prefix.
But I would only do the latter (Namespace prefixes) if I were using old code.
I want to change the hot-key to invoke code insight in Delphi 2010, being the original Ctrl enter, i want to change it to spacebar without installing CnWizards, how can I archive this?
While you could write an IDE wizard to do something like this, using a common key like space to trigger code insight would have many annoying side effects. I can't recommend using such a common keystroke. Consider Ctrl+Space or Ctrl+Shift+Space.
There is no built-in Delphi functionality to change that hotkey.
You can write your own IDE expert to do that. Since cnWizards already provides the functionality you want, the sources of cnWizard are a good start to see how to write your own IDE expert.
--jeroen
Following up on this question, I'm working on a large Delphi 7 codebase which was not written very nicely.
I'm looking at code like this, as a small example:
if FMode=mdCredit then begin
Panel8.Caption:='Credit';
SpeedButton3.Enabled:=false;
SpeedButton4.Enabled:=false;
SpeedButton5.Enabled:=false;
SpeedButton5.Enabled:=false;
SpeedButton6.Visible:=False;
SpeedButton10.Visible:=False;
end;
Followed by another 6 very similar blocks. The whole thing is in this style.
So I'm thinking that this would be much easier to read if the controls were named sensibly.
I could just use a global search and replace, but I'll run into problems when multiple forms use the same names, and also I'd have to be careful to change (eg) SpeedButton10 before SpeedButton1.
Is there some plugin which has the ability to perform a "smart" rename for me?
Edit:
Sorry, I should have mentioned this before: I tried both GExperts and Castalia's "Rename Component" feature, but they both seem to be intended for use when adding the component to the form initially.
They don't do a search+replace in the code, or rename existing events (SpeedButtonXClick() -> cmdCreditClick()).
Have I missed something?
Not exactly a plug-in, but you can use one of the more recent versions of Delphi and the refactoring feature in there. Maybe you could use the free Turbo Edition . . .
You might try ModelMaker for Delphi 7. It has refactoring support that might work for you.
The Rename Symbol refactoring in recent Delphi versions will work across units in a project. Since you say Delphi 7 I guess that's not going to help you, and in the past I've just used TextPad, a great editor that (like many others) will do powerful search/replace across files (with or without confirmation).
HTH
Edit: Craig's right - GExperts will do this, as will Castalia.
I think GExperts has a search and replace like this.
Don't know if it can work in your case, but you could try to load your project in a later version of Delphi that has the refactoring capability and use it to change the components names while taking care of all the dependencies. Then you just have to do a diff and see what has been changed.
Why not use Sync Edit? Its part of the IDE (at least in 2006+):
The Sync Edit feature lets you simultaneously edit indentical identifiers in selected code. For example, in a procedure that contains three occurrences of label1, you can edit just the first occurrence and all the other occurrences will change automatically.
(copied from the BDS2006 Help)
You will have to rename your components first, but it takes the pain out of most of this. I prefer the GExperts wizard of renaming components as they are added to the form, but as you pointed out, it only works when the component is added to the form, and doesn't reach into the individual usages of the components in code. The reason for the renaming of the components first is that when you select the entire block of code to do the rename, it won't make the appropriate changes in the dfm file...just your locally selected code block.
To use the feature, select your entire implementation block, then press the button in the gutter that has two pencils "linked" by a line...then press tab until you get the first one you want to edit...when you change its name, it will change globally in the rest of your source file. Press ESC when your done.