Issue in Converting my Project from D7 to XE4 - delphi

Question

I've now decided to convert my Delphi 7 project to XE4 , But in One of my Code lines i get an issue of witch i tried to Fix it but with no Hope , So i wish someone can help me in Fixing It .
Here's the issue :
In a Shared Unit used between a Server and Client App ( hotel rooms management system ) i have this Record type:
Type
THotelClientDetails = packed record
LSize: Integer;
ClientName: array[0..25] of char;
ClientRoomN: Integer;
RWithInternet: Boolean;
RoomStatus :Integer;
//... etc
end;
PHotelClientDetails = ^THotelClientDetails;
In the Client App i use the follwing Procedure :
procedure TCForm.SendClientDetailsClick(Sender: TObject);
var
pClientDetails: PHotelClientDetails;
iSize: Integer;
begin
iSize:= SizeOf(THotelClientDetails)+Length(ClientNameEd.Text)+1;
GetMem(pClientDetails,iSize);
ZeroMemory(pClientDetails,iSize);
pClientDetails.LSize := iSize;
StrCopy(pClientDetails.ClientName,PChar(ClientNameEd.Text));
pClientDetails.ClientRoomN :=StrToInt(ClientNEd.text);
pClientDetails.RWithInternet:=ClientWInternet.Checked;
pClientDetails.RoomStatus :=ClientRoomStatus.ItemIndex;
StrCopy(Pointer(Cardinal(pClientDetails)+SizeOf(THotelClientDetails)),
PChar(ClientNameEd.Text));
SendClientsBuffer(pClientDetails,iSize);// to the Server for Check
FreeMem(pClientDetails);
end;
And in the Server App i use the Following Procedure :
Procedure TSForm.GetClientDetails(pClientDetails:PHotelClientDetails; Cntx: Pointer);
var
ClientName: string;
begin
ClientName:=PChar(Cardinal(pClientDetails)+SizeOf(THotelClientDetails));
//*** just a test to get the ClientName
ShowMessage(ClientName);
//***
end;
So my problem is when using Delphi 7 i get the full name sent by the Client App :
for example if i want to send the Client " simon " or "matthew" to the Server
i get the correct name in :
ShowMessage(ClientName);//simon or matthew
But when using the same Procedures in XE4 i always get
sim for simon
and
matt for matthew
that means the Server is not receiving the full Client's Name as with Delphi7 project .
Although is added the unit " System.AnsiStrings; " in Both Projects .
So please how can i fix this Issue ?
and So many thanks .
Simon

Answer 1

Delphi 7 uses ANSI strings (single-byte Chars), while versions of Delphi from 2009 and up use Unicode strings (multi-byte Chars).
The most straightforward fix for your code is to change from Char to AnsiChar, string to AnsiString, and PChar to PAnsiChar:
Type
THotelClientDetails = packed record
LSize: Integer;
ClientName: array[0..25] of AnsiChar;
ClientRoomN: Integer;
RWithInternet: Boolean;
RoomStatus :Integer;
//... etc
end;
StrCopy(pClientDetails.ClientName, PAnsiChar(ClientNameEd.Text));
// and
StrCopy(Pointer(Cardinal(pClientDetails) + SizeOf(THotelClientDetails)),
PAnsiChar(ClientNameEd.Text));
Procedure TSForm.GetClientDetails(pClientDetails:PHotelClientDetails; Cntx: Pointer);
var
ClientName: string;
begin
ClientName := PAnsiChar(Cardinal(pClientDetails)+SizeOf(THotelClientDetails));
//*** just a test to get the ClientName
ShowMessage(ClientName);
//***
end;
There are literally dozens (if not hundreds) of questions relating to porting Delphi code from D2007 and earlier to D2009 and later here. You should spend some time browsing the delphi-2009, delphi-xe, and delphi-xe2 tags here.

Answer 2

I post this as an answer because it easier to format than comments to the question.
Some remarks on things you might want do:
With the Unicode support in Delphi 2009 and up, do not assume that Length will get you the actual number of bytes of a string.
In between Delphi 7 an XE4 the concept op methods on records have been introduced (I think in Delphi 2006). Move parts of the logic SendClientDetailsClick into methods of THotelClientDetails
Since THotelClientDetails.ClientName is limited to 26 bytes (25 AnsiChar character bytes plus a null terminating byte), there is no need for
iSize:= SizeOf(THotelClientDetails)+Length(ClientNameEd.Text)+1;
Which means that iSize:= SizeOf(THotelClientDetails).
The only reason you have a pointer pClientDetails: PHotelClientDetails is that you call
SendClientsBuffer(pClientDetails,iSize);// to the Server for Check
which you can replace by
SendClientsBuffer(ClientDetails,iSize);// to the Server for Check
There is no length guard to prevent copying of more than 25 bytes in
StrCopy(pClientDetails.ClientName,PChar(ClientNameEd.Text));
Use StrLCopy there, not StrCopy.
Why are you performing a copy action from ClientNameEd twice?
StrCopy(pClientDetails.ClientName,PChar(ClientNameEd.Text));
//...
StrCopy(Pointer(Cardinal(pClientDetails)+SizeOf(THotelClientDetails)),
PChar(ClientNameEd.Text));
If you insist on pointers, the FreeMem should be in a finally block.
Something like this is more appropriate:
procedure TCForm.SendClientDetailsClick(Sender: TObject);
var
ClientDetails: PHotelClientDetails;
iSize: Integer;
begin
iSize := SizeOf(THotelClientDetails);
ZeroMemory(#ClientDetails, iSize);
ClientDetails.LSize := iSize;
StrLCopy(ClientDetails.ClientName, PAnsiChar(ClientNameEd.Text), SizeOf(ClientDetails.ClientName)-1);
pClientDetails.ClientRoomN := StrToInt(ClientNEd.text);
pClientDetails.RWithInternet := ClientWInternet.Checked;
pClientDetails.RoomStatus := ClientRoomStatus.ItemIndex;
SendClientsBuffer(#ClientDetails,iSize); // to the Server for Check
end;