HI,
I want to write a small Delphi IDE Expert for D2007-D2009 (aka. Galileo IDE) in order to show a window with a TMemo instance on it, with all the component names and classes from the form designer in the above memo. The selected component will be marked with a '*'. The expert should appear on a menu/toolbar and have a shortcut assigned.
How do I do?
Ps: Actually the real code is more complicated than that, but I want to have a general framework to get started.
TIA
I did my first OTA with help of these links:
Erik's Open Tools API FAQ and Resources (The author of GExpert)
Delphi Open Tools API from Jim Kueneman - Mustangpeak
Delphi Open Tools API from RayRay Lischner
They are not updated to the latest versions, but they will you good start point and most of the code will work with the last version, I tried them with D2007.
There are links to articles describing how to write an OTA plug-in here:
http://delphi.about.com/od/objectpascalide/a/wizardsexperts.htm
Related
In Delphi XE2, there was an IDE feature which allowed me to create in-line XML code documentation (following Microsoft standards) in an editor window. It would describe each class, type, method, etc. in the interface section of a unit. However, in Delphi XE7, I cannot find it. I've done some searching, but as you can imagine, Delphi XE7 XML Code Documentation does not return the results I'm looking for.
In XE2, I remember the shortcut to toggle this window was either CTRL + SHIFT + D or CTRL + ALT + D. Neither of them do anything in XE7. I know I could manually write this myself, but that's a bit inconvenient. All I can find in the documentation is how to write the text yourself, and nothing about the editor window I was used to in XE2. I never installed any Delphi add-ons other than what came with Delphi itself (besides IDE Fix Pack).
Where can I find this feature in Delphi XE7 Enterprise? Or was it removed for some reason?
The feature you are describing is not directly implemented into Delphi but comes as third party addon that does integrate into Delphi. It is called Documentation Insight.
http://www.devjetsoftware.com/products/documentation-insight/
Documentation insight had come as free third party addon till Delphi XE6 when it was suposingly removed. Don't ask me why as I don't know.
So I'm afraid that you will have to buy this third party IDE extention now.
EDIT: Or you could use newest version of Delphi for development of your program and older version of Delphi like XE2 to generate documentation.
For a library I am working on, I have created a help file (Help 2 format). It would be very convenient if the other developpers of my team that use the library, could search the help from inside the Delphi IDE.
Is it possible to make Delphi XE2 search in a custom help file when I press F1 in the Delphi IDE? And if so, how should I do that?
Yes, it is, the same way third-party component vendors do. As you say, use the free Microsoft Help 2 compiler, Help 2 Workshop, available through MS.
Once you've written and compiled your help, you incorporate it into the IDE's help system via H2Reg.exe, which you can find in your $(BDSDIR)\Help\Doc folder. Read the comments in h2reg.ini (in that same folder) for details regarding how to do so.
I decided to have a concerted effort to get the excellent DWScript (Delph Web Script DWS) integrated into a simple IDE using SynEdit. DWScript is currently being agressively developed and has a number of advantages over other Pascal Script libraries, however it does not contain an editor or any IDE example beyond a simple memo control to prove execution capability. It does contain a number of hooks for editor / debugger integration and in fact when DWS was reawakened a while ago, releases did contain an example of a SynEdit / DWS2 (as it was then) integration. An example can be found in the file dws2src20-20030907.zip in the \dws2rel\dwstools\idedialog\source where there is a 'mini-IDE' with editor window, call stack, breakpoint window etc. Really nice. I did get this working some months ago using an old SynEdit and the DWS2 that was included in this file.
So, I have now tried achieve this (or a similar) ide using the latest SynEdit (downloaded from SVN) and the latest DWScript (also from the SVN). Both libraries are installed fine into XE and their demos run fine. I then tried taking the ide example from the old "\dws2rel\dwstools\idedialog\source" and updating the code but much has changed. Frustratingly, not so much has changed that I gave up quickly - I tried searching for the various 'old' type definitions in old source and matching them up with 'new' definitions. Finally though, after several hours mired in code I decided that someone, somewhere must surely have been down this route?
Has anyone got an example of a DWScript - SynEdit integration using recent DWScript code please? I'm very happy with something simple that I can learn / build upon.
Thanks
SynEdit component has received little maintenance, and even some projects as Inno Setup have changed to Scintilla, Inno Setup is not using DWS but the code can serve you as a basis for new IDE
Dws have a editor on the demos with debuger and remote debuger just download all versions of dws one
Where I can find DeskUtil documentation/help? I am trying to build Delphi add-in and I have some troubles with saving/registering/loading the add-in docking form into the active IDE desktop. I am using the DeskUtil methods after reading some examples here and there, but, examples don’t go deep in how these methods work, and in the mechanism of the IDE loading/destroying. Is there any official documentation/help about the DeskUtil or the OpenTools Api? In other words, how and where can developer like me get deep knowledge (not articles or demos) about IDE and OpenTools Api?
Thanks for your help.
You can have a look at the GExperts "Erik's Open Tools API FAQ" and also search for examples in the GExperts code.
Also see articles by Allen Bauer:
Opening Doors: Notes On the Delphi ToolsAPI by its Creator
Opening Doors: Notes On the Delphi ToolsAPI by its Creator - Part 2
Opening Doors: Getting Inside the IDE
Units and Forms required to create Dockable IDE Forms
For Delphi IDE, Is there any tool/expert to know the name of the function where the cursor is, without scrolling the code editor?
CnPack offer that too for free ;-)
Castalia is the tool you want, for all IDE's including the post-Delphi 7 versions.
Castalia at TwoDesk
The Structure Pane provides this information when a code window is open.
Funny, nobody mentioned GExperts - that's a free addon for Delphi, works flawlessly with all editions from Personal to Architect. And has a lot useful stuff in it. Personally I don't even touch Delphi if there's no GExperts installed - but that's me :D
I never used it personally, but CodeRush for Delphi might be the tool you are looking for (on the linked page search for "breadcrumb").