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Jeroen W. Pluimers on .NET, C#, Delphi, databases, and personal interests

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Archive for the ‘Delphi XE’ Category

New Book: MVVM in Delphi by John Kouraklis should be available at the beginning of november.

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/09/13

John Kouraklis last week announced a new book: MVVM in Delphi.

It will be available early november and is already listed at the APress site: MVVM in Delphi – Architecting and Building Model View ViewModel Applications [WayBack] where you can pre-order.

It’s good to see that the last years more Delphi books have been published and I hope this MVVM book falls in the more advanced category.

Since I’ve given a few Delphi MVVM talks (latest at https://github.com/jpluimers/Conferences/tree/master/2013/20131121-BE-Delphi) I’m genuinely interested. So I will get this book and – time permitting – write a review.

Nick Hodges did the technical review, and since Nick’s book are great I have high hopes (:

From the APress site:

Full Description

Dive into the world of MVVM, learn how to build modern Windows applications, and prepare for cross-platform development. This book introduces you to the right mindset and demonstrates suitable methodologies that allow for quick understanding of the MVVM paradigm. MVVM in Delphi shows you how to use a quick and efficient MVVM framework that allows for scalability, is of manageable complexity, and provides strong efficiency.

One of the biggest challenges developers face is how to convert legacy and monolithic Delphi applications to the MVVM architecture. This book takes you on a step-by-step journey and teaches you how to adapt an application to fit into the MVVM design.

What you’ll learn

  • Gain the fundamentals of MVVM
  • Visualize MVVM as a design philosophy
  • Create easy-to-use frameworks for building your own MVVM applications
  • Develop a methodology for converting legacy applications to the MVVM pattern
  • Architect cross-platform and multi-lingual applications using the MVVM pattern

Who this book is for

Delphi developers with a good knowledge of Delphi or programming experience in a different language. In addition, this book is attractive to Delphi developers who want to modernize existing applications based on the MVVM design.

and

Table of Contents

1. MVVM as Design Pattern
2. Setting Up the POSApp
3. MVVM as Design Philosophy
4. Two-way Communication
5. MVVM and Delphi
6. Planning the Application
7. Developing the Application
8. How to Convert your App to MVVM
A. Appendix: Other MVVM Delphi frameworks

–jeroen

via: New Book: MVVM in Delphi… [WayBack]

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 10.1 Berlin (BigBen), Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

Delphi version info table: C# Builder, Delphi 8 through 10.3 Rio and Appbuilder

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/09/06

I’ve published the Delphi version info table as a Gist: https://gist.github.com/jpluimers/b5891600b73642788b492393710c6070.

Note I need help with these:

The updated script that forms the base of this table is here: https://bitbucket.org/jeroenp/wiert.me/src/tip/Native/Delphi/Scripts/List-Delphi-Installed-Packages.ps1

You can pass any of these args to get information

  • Individual columns:
    • CompanyNames, Versions, ProductNames, ProductVersions, BetaNames. ReleaseDates, Architectures, CharacterSets, Defines, CompilerVersions, RTLVersions, DllSuffixes, ProjectVersions, Frameworks, ProductVersions, ProductFullNames, BaseKeyPaths, HKCU-BaseKeyPaths, HKLM-BaseKeyPaths
  • Base of the below table:
    • ProductSummaries
  • Installed info (installation status obtained through the registry):
    • InstalledProductVersions, InstalledProductFullNames, InstalledProductSummaries, InstalledPackages

An elaborate wrapper around the Define column is jedi.inc which is used in many projects (both open source and closed source) to distinguish between various Delphi versions, libraries and platforms at compile time (URL: github.com/project-jedi/jedi/blob/master/jedi.inc)

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in .NET, C#, C# Builder, Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 10.1 Berlin (BigBen), Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | 5 Comments »

Delphi: Alt+Down Arrow is the keyboard shortcut for ellipsis buttons

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/09/01

Thanks Primož Gabrijelčič for reminding me on Stack Overflow that Alt + Down opens the dialogs behind ellipsis buttons in the Delphi IDE.

It’s the CUA and Windows short-cut to open drop-down lists (comboboxes) and for opening drop-down list for a property in the object inspector, but I never realised also would work for these ellipsis buttons.

This was my original stack-overflow question: Is there a keyboard shortcut for the ellipsis buttons of the Project Options in the Delphi IDE?

The Project Options in the Delphi IDE has a few option (like the Search Path) each with an ellipsis button (the one on the right having only three dots ... in the image below) to pop-up a dialog.

What keyboard shortcut activates that button?

Project Options with ellipsis button

–jeroen

Via: Object Inspector Keyboard Shortcuts – RAD Studio

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 10.1 Berlin (BigBen), Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi x64, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Keyboards and Keyboard Shortcuts, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

Workaround for Printing from Delphi (or the Delphi IDE): three strikes and you get “Printer is not currently printing.” – yes I mentioned “Delphi 8!”

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/08/31

Recently when printing the 3rd time and up, you get this error in many Delphi programs and the Delphi IDE:

Printer is not currently printing.

Printer is not currently printing.

In the past this only occurred when you used a TPrinter and forgot to call BeginDoc.

But now it always occurs after reusing the same TPrinter instance for the 3rd time and up. Since the Delphi Galileo based IDEs (8 and higher; likely older ones as well: the source code printing hasn’t changed in a long time). The error actually occurs twice: after starting a source code print job, but also after cancelling the same failed source code print job.

The second error stroke me as odd, so I went searching for “printer is not currently printing” “IDE” leading to this stack overflow question: c++builder – Why is TPrinter (XE7) suddenly having problems today? – Stack Overflow [WayBack].

The pattern there is using the Printer() function which has been the way the (un)official code examples have shown for ages (Delphi 2007 Printers.Printer Function [WayBack]; earlier examples like Delphi 7 [WayBack] usually in PDF files).

Like in the Delphi 7 “5-32 Developer’s Guide” page example:

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject); 
var
  r: TRect;
  i: Integer;
begin
  with Printer do
  begin
    r := Rect(200,200,(Pagewidth - 200),(PageHeight - 200)); 
    BeginDoc;
    Canvas.Brush.Style := bsClear;
    for i := 0 to Memo1.Lines.Count do
      Canvas.TextOut(200,200 + (i * Canvas.TextHeight(Memo1.Lines.Strings[i])),
    Memo1.Lines.Strings[i]); 
    Canvas.Brush.Color := clBlack;
    Canvas.FrameRect(r);
    EndDoc; 
  end;
end;

(Yes, that’s back in the D7 days when examples were still using with and not using try/finally statements for resource cleanup).

Actual cause and permanent fix

The printing problems are caused by various recent Windows updates part of MS16-098:

Though MS16-098: Security update for Windows kernel-mode drivers: August 9, 2016 mentions the issue without a fix, KB3177725 in MS16-098: Description of the security update for Windows kernel-mode drivers: August 9, 2016 mentions both the issue and a permanent fix:

After you apply this security update and you print multiple documents in succession, the first two documents may print successfully. However, the third and subsequent documents may not print.

To resolve this issue, install update 3187022. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

3187022 Print functionality is broken after any of the MS16-098 security updates are installed

This article describes printing issues that occur after any of the security updates that are described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-098 are installed in Windows. You can fix these issues by installing the update that is described in this article. Before you install this update, check out the Prerequisites section.

This update applies to the following operating systems:

  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows RT 8.1
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
  • Windows 7 SP1
  • Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
  • Windows Vista SP2

No solution for Windows 10 yet…

Until you install the fix: workarounds

For your own code (Thanks Remy Lebau for your answer), add this code for your BeginDoc call:

MyPrinter.Copies := MyPrinter.Copies;

You might want to keep including this in your code as you’re never sure when the end-users apply which Windows update.

For the Delphi IDE either:

  1. Press the “Setup…” button in the “Print Selection” dialog when printing source code, then “OK” in the “Print Setup” dialog:
    Print Selection dialog

    Print Selection dialog

    “Print Setup” dialog.

  2. Uninstall the security updated marked in blue (Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB3177725):

    Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB3177725)

    Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB3177725)

–jeroen

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 10.1 Berlin (BigBen), Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi 8, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | 2 Comments »

Why sometimes you *want* to to have your DFM files stored as binary

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/08/25

Delphi Component/Tool vendors have to support a truckload of Delphi and C++ Builder versions which can be a pain: they have to work around problems in Delphi and C++ Builder versions that have long been abandoned by Borland/CodeGear/Embarcadero/Idera/…

This means that sometimes the Delphi Component/Tool vendors have to work around stuff in a way normal applications vendors would never do.

Recently I learned that sometimes this can be a painful thing: keeping DFM files in binary state.

I’m not kidding about either the DFM file format nor about supporting old versions:

  • Delphi has supported text based DFM files since like Delphi 2 for most of the features (yes, ‘most’ is the crucial word here) and by default stored DFM files in text format since Delphi 5.
  • For the Component/Tool Vendors, even Delphi 7 makes money though usually less than Delphi 2007 or the C++ Builder side of things.

The ‘most’ applies to this nice ARM compiler bug in Delphi 19.0.13856.4978 (for mere mortals, that’s Update 1 for RAD Studio XE5, Delphi XE5 and C++Builder XE5; I wish vendors would list those numbers/products in a central place):

  • [Android] MsBuild (dccAarm) error when compile FireMonkeyMobile projects with fmx forms
  • Project:  Delphi
  • Build #:  19.0.13856.4978

Source: [WayBack] QualityCentral

That’s why TeeChart still has most DFM files stored as binary files (again the ‘most’ word).

For version control and searching this is a pain, so normal application developers (the ones not using Delphi XE5 Update 1 for Android work) should run convert.exe with the -t (target=text) switch on DFM binary files.

Oh: this is fixed in version 19.0.13856.4978 (yes, that’s XE5 Update 2).

–jeroen

Via:

 

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 10.1 Berlin (BigBen), Delphi 2, Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi 3, Delphi 4, Delphi 5, Delphi 6, Delphi 7, Delphi x64, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Kylix, QC, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

Canonical overview on Writing to the Windows Event Log using Delphi – Stack Overflow

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/07/26

A while ago, StackOverflow user Kobus Smit did some brilliant editorial work that – due to current state of StackOverflow – sort of fired backwards: his question got marked as duplicate before he could post his excellent answer. After that answer was posted, the oh-so pride SO-demi gods never took any energy to revisit to see which answers were best.

His simple question:

How can my Delphi app easily write to the Windows Event Log?What is the difference between TEventLogger and ReportEvent? How do I use the ReportEvent function?

Which somehow should be encompassed by this Delphi 5 question (apparently that 15+ year old Delphi version is still considered current by the SO demi-gods).

The answer summarises and extends existing answers spread out over StackOverflow and adds an EventLog git repository wrapping the ReportEvent and RegisterEventSource (which somehow is always a pain: Delphi services for instance often forget that).

Lesson learned when doing editorial work:

  1. prepare both the answer and question in markdown off-line
  2. ensure you mention in the question that the answer is meant as collection of “best of” answers found elsewhere
  3. post the question and answer in rapid succession
  4. cross your fingers for the StackOverflow demi-gods being in a good mood

–jeroen

via: Writing to the Windows Event Log using Delphi – Stack Overflow

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 10.1 Berlin (BigBen), Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi 5, Delphi 6, Delphi 7, Delphi 8, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | 1 Comment »

Delphi include files and the search strategy are different for the compiler and IDE

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/07/12

Recently I bumped into a thing that I’d long forgotten: the Delphi compiler treats searching for include files (any files used with the {$I} or {$include} directive differently:

  • The compiler first searches the directory where the file that is including resides and then uses the project and IDE search paths.
  • The IDE only uses the project and IDE search paths.

This means that when you press Ctrl-Enter on the filename to be included you might edit a different file than the compiler will include.

So when a product has multiple include files with the same name in different sub-directories, then you must modify them all.

I’m not sure this is a bug or feature, so Embarcadero is free to put this in either their QA system or documentation system.

–jeroen

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | 2 Comments »

A future Delphi won’t download start page content from the Embarcadero site

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/04/05

The “Official statement” of Embarcadero about their recent hacks are in the form of comments on public messages mentioning the hacks, some asking to take discussions offline.

They forgot to comment on Delphi: disable or change your welcome page to not use the Embarcadero site (as that site has been hacked twice this weekend) « The Wiert Corner – irregular stream of stuff, so here is their comment from the G+ thread I posted:

FYI: Future versions will no longer have the banner pulled from the website on the start page.

Source: This weekend, the Embarcadero web site was hacked by AnonCoders. once…

I hope it will be the upcoming Delphi 10.1 Berlin version, but given their speed at responding to security threats, I won’t hold my breath.

–jeroen

PS: what a coincidence that I wrote this yesterday on G+:

I know of a few companies that could benefit from more openness.

Ilya Grigorik originally shared: Edge team announced new (EdgeHTML) open issue tracker: http://bit.ly/1S3uhp5 – yay! The times, they are changing.File away!

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

The Default magic function in Delphi

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/17

Stefan Glienke worded it perfectly: Default(typeIdentifier) is a “magic” function that is implemented into the compiler and causes it to generate the correct code – like for records with managed fields it generates a call to FinalizeRecord and some instructions to zero the remaining fields.

Source: I know I can write MyRecordVar := Default(TMyRecordType) because I asked a qu…

–jeroen

Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

Delphi: disable or change your welcome page to not use the Embarcadero site (as that site has been hacked twice this weekend)

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/14

Initial hack

Initial hack – image via the forums server.

This weekend, the Embarcadero web site was hacked by AnonCoders. Not once (see also [WayBack] G+ link and [WayBackDelphiPraxis link and [WayBackimage) but at least twice (see also [WayBackG+ link and [WayBackimage and [WayBackDelphi Praxis link and [WayBackimage) where the initial hacked simple text “Hacked By AnonCoders ~ Cyber Caliphate” after having been reverted back to the site – hopefully by Embarcadero staff – was replaced with [WayBack] more graphical content later on.

Hack presenting itself in the IDE

Hack presenting itself in the IDE – image via the forums server.

The Welcome Page inside the Delphi IDE uses the Embarcadero web site, so the Delphi IDE Welcome Page was also affected (see also [WayBackthis G+ link).

Because the IDE uses this on-line content, potentially any code could be executed inside the IDE (apart from that page being loaded over http, so any man-in-the-middle could abuse this, but I digress). This imposes a security risk as many developers run the IDE from accounts having more rights than the average user.

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Posted in Delphi, Delphi 10 Seattle, Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Delphi XE5, Delphi XE6, Delphi XE7, Delphi XE8, Development, QC, Software Development | 13 Comments »