Chapter 1
Introduction

The Developer's Guide describes intermediate and advanced development topics, such as building client/server database applications, writing custom components, and creating Internet Web server applications. It allows you to build applications that meet many industry standard specifications such as CORBA,TCP/IP, MTS, COM, and ActiveX. The Developer's Guide assumes you are familiar with using Delphi and understand fundamental Delphi programming techniques. For an introduction to Delphi programming and the integrated development environment (IDE), see the online Help.

What's in this manual?

This manual contains five parts, as follows:

Part I: "Programming with Delphi," describes how to build general-purpose Delphi applications. This part provides details on programming techniques you can use in any Delphi application. For example, it describes how to use common Visual Component Library (VCL) objects that make user interface programming easy such as handling strings, manipulating text, implementing the Windows common dialog, toolbars, and cool bars. It also includes chapters on working with graphics, error and exception handling, using DLLs, OLE automation, and writing international applications.
The chapter on deployment details the tasks involved in deploying your application to your application users. For example, it includes information on effective compiler options, using InstallShield Express, licensing issues, and how to determine which packages, DLLs, and other libraries to use when building the production-quality version of your application.
Part II: "Developing database applications," describes how to build database applications using database tools and components. Delphi lets you access many types of databases. With the forms and reports you create, you can access local databases such as Paradox and dBASE, network SQL server databases like InterBase and Sybase, and any data source accessible through open database connectivity (ODBC). To implement the more advanced Client/Server database applications, you need the Delphi features available in the Client/Server and Enterprise editions.
Part III: "Writing distributed applications," describes how to create applications that are distributed over a local area network. These include CORBA applications, and Web server applications such as CGI applications or NSAPI and ISAPI dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). For lower-level support of distributed applications, this section also describes how to work with socket components, that handle the details of communication using TCP/IP and related protocols. The components that support CORBA and Web server applications are available in the Client/Server and Enterprise editions of Delphi. The socket components are available in the Professional version as well.
Part IV: "Creating custom components," describes how to design and implement your own components, and how to make them available on the Component palette of the IDE. A component can be almost any program element that you want to manipulate at design time. Implementing custom components entails deriving a new class from an existing class type in the VCL class library.
Part V: "Developing COM-based applications," describes how to build applications that can interoperate with other COM-based API objects on the system such as Win95 Shell extensions or multimedia applications. Delphi contains components that support the ActiveX, COM-based library for COM controls that can be used for general-purpose and Web-based applications. This part also describes how to write servers that can reside in the MTS runtime environment. MTS provides extensive runtime support for security, transactions, and resource pooling.
Support for COM controls is available in all editions of Delphi. To create ActiveX controls, you need the Professional, Client/Server, or Enterprise edition. To create MTS servers, you need the Client/Server or Enterprise edition.

Manual conventions

This manual uses the typefaces and symbols described in Table 1.1 to indicate special text.

Table 1.1 Typefaces and symbols

Typeface or symbol	Meaning
`Monospace type`	Monospaced text represents text as it appears on screen or in Object Pascal code. It also represents anything you must type.
[ ]	Square brackets in text or syntax listings enclose optional items. Text of this sort should not be typed verbatim.
Boldface	Boldfaced words in text or code listings represent Object Pascal keywords or compiler options.
Italics	Italicized words in text represent Object Pascal identifiers, such as variable or type names. Italics are also used to emphasize certain words, such as new terms.
`Keycaps`	This typeface indicates a key on your keyboard. For example, "Press `Esc` to exit a menu."

Developer support services

Inprise also offers a variety of support options to meet the needs of its diverse developer community. To find out about support offerings for Delphi, refer to http://www.borland.com/devsupport/delphi.

Additional Delphi Technical Information documents and answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are also available at this Web site.

From the Web site, you can access many newsgroups where Delphi developers exchange information, tips, and techniques. The site also includes a list of books about Delphi.

Ordering printed documentation