I am working on a big legacy application written in Delphi. Most of the components are VCL and DevExpress QuantumGrid components.
I would need to update the UI to support various styles and a more modern look and feel. Originally
I was planning to switch to the DevExpress ExpressSkins library (I already have the full DevExpress VCL subscription) and replace all components with DevExpress components. However since than I have upgraded the project to Delphi XE2 and with it came the VCL Styles technology.
What are the pros and cons of these libraries?
I haven't used VCL styles because I too have Dev Express and like to use their skins. But here are my two cents for DX skins.
Pros for DX skins:
look great
always coming out with more skins
styles chooser widget built in for the end user, if you use the DX ribbon in your app
DX has great support for their components
Cons for DX skins:
unusable in a Citrix or Terminal Services environment due to slow screen painting
each skin adds an entry to your USES clause which can be cumbersome for version control
Related
I'm using delphi 2010, and in order to create components i'd like to see the source of delphi components such TEdit, TButton... But the problem is this option is unavailable in my IDE, the type of any added component is written in black (and not in blue so i can see the source). So how can i get this option?
Thanks for your replies.
You seem to be using either a trial version or starter edition of Delphi. The source is deliberately not available. You would have to acquire / pay for a higher edition of Delphi, such as Pro, Enterprise, Ultimate, or Architect.
If you wish to study how components / controls work, find a popular third-party one. For example, I've been experimenting with Chrome Tabs lately.
We have VCL applications that use the DevExpress TdxRibbon or XE2 TRibbon components, with one being written using the MVP design pattern.
We now want to create a web version of that app, so I'm looking for IntraWeb components that can reproduce a similiar ribbon bar.
There wasn't a suitable component in the TMS Software IntraWeb Component Pack, and DevExpress don't make web versions of their controls. A Google search didn't locate anything suitable in the first 10 pages of results I looked at.
Does anyone know of a Intraweb component that can produce the effect I'm after, or do I need to script it directly into the page?
I'm looking at Delphi web server apps, and the first thing I notice when I go into the New Items dialog is that there are several different frameworks.
WebBroker looks the nicest from a conceptual standpoint, but in the documentation it looks like its DB and session-management code is tied to the BDE, which makes it somewhat less than useful today.
WebSnap looks very similar, but the documentation says it's deprecated and IW ("VCL for the Web") should be used instead.
So I look at IW, and I can't make heads or tails of how it's supposed to work. The sample code is full of stuff that looks like it belongs in a desktop app, like clicking a button to fire an event handler to change the caption of a form element. (Wouldn't that have to be done client-side in JavaScript if we're creating a webpage?)
So what's the current standard framework for building a web server in Delphi?
While there are several commercial options available for writing web apps with Delphi, in my opinion Delphi no longer ships with a modern web development solution included as part of the package.
If I had to give an answer to your question though I would say that the current out of the box Delphi web framework is WebBroker. WebBroker is the only web framework included with Delphi that isn't deprecated or restricted in its functionality.
WebBroker was introduced perhaps as far back as Delphi 4. It's a good honest work horse but it hasn't really been improved much since it was first introduced. It leaves you to do most of the heavy lifting but it also doesn't get in your way. WebSnap and IntraWeb were built using WebBroker as their foundation which gives you idea of the level of services it provides.
A full version of IntraWeb has been bundled with Delphi Enterprise for many years but as of Delphi XE it now has several limitations (no SSL, no ISAPI deployment, 20 minute idle timeout) that will very likely mean you'll need to buy a license from AtoZed to use it seriously.
The version of IntraWeb bundled with Delphi Pro has always been far too limited to be considered anything other than an evaluation version.
Old question but still deserves an up-to-date answer.
Current 'settled in' solutions are:
IntraWeb:
https://www.atozed.com/intraweb/
uniGUI:
http://unigui.com/
Introduction
uniGUI Web Application Framework extends Web application development experience to a new dimension. uniGUI enables Delphi developers to create, design and debug web applications in IDE using a unique set of visual components. Each component is designed to provide same functionality of its counterpart visual component in Delphi VCL. This provides a very comfortable development environment very close to native VCL application development with an easy learning curve. uniGUI Web applications can be deployed to a server using one of the available deployment options such as Windows Service, Standalone Server or ISAPI Module.
Product Highlights:
Based on industry's most advanced JavaScript library Sencha Ext JS.
Includes OEM license for Sencha Ext JS. (Please see licensing for details).
A unique platform to create stateful web applications.
Complete IDE support for creating projects, designing forms, frames and handling data modules.
Advanced support for scripting client side JavaScript events.
Library core is fully optimized to achieve highest level of scalability.
Including advanced Stress Test Tool utility.
Comes with various deployment options: ISAPI Module, Standalone Server and Windows Service.
Supported Delphi versions: Turbo Delphi Pro, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi XE, XE2, XE3, XE4, X5, XE6, XE7, XE8, Delphi 10 Seattle, 10.1 Berlin, 10.2.3 Tokyo and 10.3.3 Rio (Win32 & Win64 platforms). (Linux support is in the roadmap)
C++ Builder supported.
Supported Browsers: IE 9+, Microsoft Edge, FireFox, Chrome, Safari and Opera
New state-of-the-art uniGUI HyperServer technology.
TMS WebCore:
https://www.tmssoftware.com/site/tmswebcore.asp
RADical Web
Modern SPA web application model
Pure HTML5/CSS3/Javascript based applications
Standard component framework for common UI controls and access to browser features
Debugging in Pascal code via the browser
Backed by a solid & proven Delphi Pascal to Javascript compiler that was years in development
Reuse skills and components Component based RAD development integrated
in the Delphi IDE A truly revolutionary & innovative TMS FNC component
framework that is now also web enabled, allowing to create UI controls
that can be used on VCL, FMX, LCL and WEB! Open to consume other
existing Javascript frameworks & libraries Open to use HTML/CSS for
design Open to use other jQuery controls or even other Javascript
frameworks Offers Pascal class wrappers for jQuery controls from the
jQWidgets library Easy interfacing to REST cloud services including to
TMS XData for database
Easy Deployment Application consists of HTML & Javascript files only
that can be easily deployed on any light or heavyweight webservers Use
any existing load-balancing software and/or techniques for highest
performance Small and convenient debug webserver is included for fast
RAD development
http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/en/DataSnap_Overview_and_Architecture
DataSnap has been there for a long time, and the latest releases is DCOM-free. You can utilize it to build up server side piece (S in both C/S and B/S). Its current role is almost like WCF in .NET world.
Then if you are building a web site front end, you can use IW. But DataSnap makes it even possible to build up front end using PHP or other web technologies.
https://github.com/relativ/pascalweb
PascalWeb use pascalscript compiler , you can create web app, like php or python
Is there a synedit package that works with firemonkey (or someone working on it) ?
From what I can gather there was a VGScene port earlier (see: this site), but it seems to been removed.
Also see this site:
There most likely is not (at the moment):
From the homepage:
It is a pure-VCL/CLX control, meaning it is not a wrapper for Microsoft Windows
controls and so no run-time library is required.
CLX or Component Library for Cross Platform is the cross-platform equivalent of the VCL - Borland's widget library.
From Nakeymonkey - native controls for firemonkey
With the VCL, Borland never had to worry about all of this because they just wrote a wrapper around the Windows API Rich Edit control. So why didn’t Embarcadero do the same thing with Firemonkey? Because Firemonkey also needs to compile for OS X and the Windows API Rich Edit control doesn’t exist there.
Links:
Embarcadero Delphi
Qt.pas pascal bindings for QT
First of all (before this question get down voted): I am a developer developing 99,99% of my programs using Delphi targeting Win32 (developing in Delphi 7 still, very slowly migrating to Delphi 2010).
When Delphi 2006 or 2007 (can't remember which version at the moment) came out I bought the RAD Studio edition to be able to start developing .net applications using Delphi.net and VCL.net.
I played around with it for some short time, but in the end, due to work load just kept using Delphi 7 as development platform.
When Delphi 2010 came was released, I decided to give .net a go once more, and (foolishly) bought the Studio License once more thinking the include PRISM was the previous Delphi.net (to be developed in the Delphi IDE).
Now that I have installed PRISM (and the Visual Studio 8 IDE - o horror), I am just wondering whether PRISM is a new version of Delphi.Net or not (probably not). And if I can use some of my Win32 code under Prism.
UPDATE AFTER SOME REPLIES: I keep the question open because you get more answers when a answer has not been selected yet.
I do miss the Delphi IDE though. It's all a mather of taste but having to develop in two different IDE's (where f.i. the keyboard shortcuts are different - and I don't want to give up the Delphi ones, thank you)) is not my idea of spending my development time.
Prism is a replacement for Delphi .Net - it has been developed by RemObjects and its original names were Oxygene and Chrome ( http://www.remobjects.com/ ).
Because it's much more mature than Delphi .Net in the .Net segment it now is included in Delphi RAD Studio instead of Delphi .Net.
You won't be able to use all of your W32 code, but the syntax is very similar and most algorithms will probably work without any change.
See http://prismwiki.codegear.com/en/Win32_Delphi_vs._Delphi_Prism for a detailed comparison of Delphi W32 and Delphi Prism.
No. Delphi.NET was designed specifically to be backwards-compatible with Win32 Delphi code. Prism is not. It was not developed by the Borland/CodeGear team, doesn't include VCL support, and has a handful of minor language differences. It's better to think of it as a new dialect of Object Pascal than as Delphi.NET.
The main difference was that Delphi.Net was mainly a port of the RTL/VCL to .Net, as well as an adaptation of Object Pascal to be a .Net language.
It had to include a full blown IDE with a special Delphi.Net Form Designer.
The goal was to help move a VCL Forms application to .Net with a minimum of changes, or create new application without having to re-learn the IDE and the library.
Delphi Prism is also an adaptation of Object Pascal to the .Net world but with more emphasis on being a fully fledged .Net language (even more so than C#) and much less worries on being compatible with Delphi.
It is just the language, hosted in Visual Studio, and does use whatever designer is provided by the IDE.
So in the end pure Pascal code will be very much similar, and easily ported, but rich GUI applications will need more rewriting/redesigning.
Yes and no.
Oxygene (FKA Delphi Prism) replaces Delphi for .NET, but it is not a new version of it.
They have different design philosophies and are not 100% compatible. As Francois pointed out, Prism does not include the VCL.Net. Instead it focuses completely on supporting the .NET GUI Frameworks: WPF, Silverlight, Prism, WinForms, ASP.NET, etc.
Delphi for .NET was all about migrating and backwards compatibility. Delphi Prism is all about being a full featured .NET development language and "forward compatibility."
You can create you pure business logic as code compatible between Delphi native and Delphi Prism, but all the GUI and IO code (anything that makes use of the VCL or RTL) will be specialized.
Check out the Oxidizer and ShineOn for more help in migrating and code compatibility with Delphi Prism.
No, Prism has been labeled Delphi more to make it more popular, like Delphi PHP.
It's not like Delphi.NET, with a VCL-alike etc, or even a compatible language (it uses method instead of procedure and many other deviations).
So you can see if you like it, but from what I have seen from it, having used Delphi won't be much of an help, and neither do existing codebases.