 | Borland Delphi |
Contents
Product Summary
RADical performance Windows development
Delphi is the only Windows development tool to combine the Rapid Application Development (RAD) benefits of visual component-based design with the power of an optimizing native code compiler and scalable database access.
Delphi represents the next generation in
Performance--with the world's fastest compiler
Rapid Application Development--via visual Two-Way-Tools()
Component Reuse--a true object-oriented environment
Scalable Database Access--the fast track to client/server
The fastest way to the fastest applications
Delphi is the next-generation Windows development tool, combining the visual design environment with the unrivaled performance of a world-class optimizing native code compiler. Delphi includes the world's fastest compiler, capable of compiling Windows applications at more than 350,000 lines per minute, resulting in executable files (EXEs) that are robust and lightning-fast.
Delphi executables are also immediately deployable and completely royalty-free, and no runtime interpreter Dynamic Link Library (DLL) is required. Delphi applications typically execute up to 10 to 20 times faster than interpreted p-code.
Only Borland can offer this unique combination of integrated tools including its award-winning report writer, ReportSmith, the Borland Database Engine, and the Local InterBase Server.
Product Features
RAD, from prototype to production
Delphi accelerates Windows development by providing a comprehensive suite of visual design and debugging tools that move you seamlessly from prototyping to deployment of finished applications. Delphi's Two-Way-Tools help you optimize your programming time by switching effortlessly between visual design and the underlying source code.
You'll create high-performance applications in record time with the gallery of reusable forms, project templates, programming experts, and context-sensitive intelligent help.
And smart computer-based tutorials guide you through your project and help explain concepts. The Object Inspector provides complete access to properties and events of a selected component, with smart Property Editors for rapid design changes. The Project Manager provides an overview of all forms and code for a development project, while the ObjectBrowser provides a graphical view of the overall object hierarchy.
The sophisticated GUI Debugger jumps directly to the point in the source code where problems occur, so you can find and fix problems quickly and easily. And full support for conditional breakpoints, watchpoints, call stack monitoring, single-step execution, and trace mode are included.
A suite of powerful Windows resource editors lets you create and modify menus, icons, cursors, and bitmaps for low-level debugging. The WinSight utility allows you to monitor the Windows messaging flow, while WinSpector instantly provides comprehensive diagnostic details.
Visual Two-Way-Tools for power programming
With Delphi, you can always get to your code, and everything you can do visually can also be done in code. Innovative Two-Way-Tools maximize your productivity by letting you move seamlessly between the visual design environment and the synchronized underlying source code.
Switching between the visual design mode and the intelligent BRIEF style source code editor is rapid and intuitive. It supports advanced editing features such as Color Syntax Highlighting, macro recording, column block marking, and regular expression support.
Reuse components to maximize productivity
The comprehensive Visual Component Library (VCL), a collection of more than 75 objects such as dialogs, buttons, and list boxes, includes a host of additional reusable objects including database controls, notebook tabs, grids, multimedia controls, and much more!
Delphi's Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is fully customizable. Custom reusable components, external DLLs, and commercial VBXs can be rapidly added to Delphi's Component Palette. The completely customizable Integrated Development Environment can be tailored to individual or corporate preferences. Custom reusable components and commercial VBXs are easily added to the fully reconfigurable Component Palette. You can create and install your own application and form templates. And the Delphi component-based architecture allows you to seamlessly integrate DLLs, VBX controls, and OLE 2.0 servers into your applications.
Delphi is a true object-oriented development tool, including polymorphism, inheritance, and encapsulation. Delphi's component-based architecture allows you to seamlessly integrate DLLs, VBX controls, and OLE 2.0 servers into your applications.
Integrated database support and reporting capabilities
Delphi incorporates the BorlandDatabase Engine (BDE), providing direct access to data stored in dBASE, Paradox, and the Local InterBase Server, and to other data formats via ODBC. And Data-aware controls allow manipulation of live data at design time, improving project turnaround time.
A comprehensive selection of Visual Data Objects helps make sophisticated database application design a breeze. And the included Database Desktop utility lets you create or restructure tables and manage connections, insulating compiled Delphi applications from changes in database locations.
Delphi also includes the PC version of ReportSmith Borland's award-winning database reporting and query tool that supports live data access at design time. ReportSmith supports a wide range of popular database formats, and provides a variety of graphing, tabulating, and charting options.
The ultimate complementary tool
If you prefer to work with a variety of programming tools, Delphi is the perfect addition to your toolset. It allows you to create reusable DLLs that can be called from applications built with C++, Paradox, dBASE, PowerBuilder, Visual Basic, and other popular development tools. Delphi can also use standard VBX controls, OLE2.0 servers, DLLs created by other development tools, Microsoft multimedia, MAPI, and pen computing APIs. No matter what you program with today, the Delphi component-based design makes it a valuable addition that leverages your existing investment in code.
Delphi gives you the control and flexibility you demand with complete access to the Windows API, while shielding you from the complexities of Windows programming.
Object-Oriented Programming
The underlying Object Pascal language has been enhanced to fully support exception handling. All your GPFs, disk I/O errors, and other dreaded problems are automatically trapped. And it offers all of the benefits of a structured programming language and a true object-oriented development tool, including polymorphism, inheritance, and encapsulation. So Delphi applications are incredibly robust and deliver superior solutions for all of your mission-critical projects.
Enhanced compiler features such as conditional compilation and smart linking make it even easier to rapidly design professional applications intended for a variety of target environments.
Fast track to Windows 95
Delphi applications developed for the Windows 3.1 operating environment will also run under Windows 95 and Windows NT. Upgrading them to full 32-bit performance simply involves a single-click recompile with the forthcoming Windows 95 version of Delphi. No rewriting of code is necessary!
Smooth scaling to client/server
Delphi provides an easy path to the fast-growing market of client/server applications development. Transparent local SQL development is possible with Delphi, using the built-in Local InterBase Server, which enables you to rapidly develop high-performance ANSI SQL-92 compliant applications for standalone systems.
To make the transition from Delphi to professional client/server development and deployment using external database hosts, upgrade to Delphi Client/Server. It's a quick and easy process requiring no additional coding. Delphi Client/Server features high-performance native drivers for Oracle, Sybase, Informix;, and InterBase, along with team development support, a Visual Query Builder tool, and much more.
Delphi - Developer's Solution
Quickly and easily customize the Component Palette.
Delphi gives you everything you need for Rapid Application Development.
Manage all your code and visual objects with the Object Inspector.
Two-Way-Tools give you complete control of your code.
The Visual Component Library lets you build complete database applications in
minutes.
Product Specifications
Optimizing Native Code Compiler
Compiles at over 350,000 lines per minute ( Pentium 90 Mhz)
Create fast standalone EXEs with no runtime interpreter Dynamic Link Library
(DLL)
Applications run up to 10 to 20 times faster than interpreted p-code
Create DLLs that work with C++, dBASE, Paradox, Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, and
others
Access to all Windows API functions and messages
Optimized case statements, sets, 32-bit math operations, string and file routines, and
more
Math coprocessor and emulator support
Automatic built-in MAKE facility
Conditional compilation
Smart Linker removes unused objects and code
Command-line compiler and MAKE facility
Built-in assembler for tuning performance
Linker optimization for smaller EXEs
Integrated Development Environment
Integrated visual form designer with over 75 components
Two-Way-Tools automatically synchronize code and visual representations
Object Inspector allows visual customization of components without writing code
Built-in tools for alignment, scaling, sizing, and tab order
ObjectBrowser displays object hierarchy, units, globals, and code references
Project Manager displays all files and forms
Customizable environment including SpeedBar, Component Palette, editor, and
browser
Intuitive Icon, Bitmap, and Menu editors
Open environment for adding your own tools, experts, components, and Property
Editors
Visual Component Library (VCL)
Customizable palette of over 75 reusable components
Support for the latest Microsoft systems technologies including OLE 2.0, DDE, VBXs,
DLLs, MAPI, and ODBC
Standard components for menus, bitmapped buttons, masked edit fields, panels,
graphics, notebook tabs, grids, outlines, list boxes, combo boxes, check boxes, labels, and
more
Visual Data Objects for accessing databases, tables, queries, reports, SQL stored
procedures, as well as data-aware grids, navigators, lookup lists, edit fields, list boxes,
combo boxes, memos, bitmaps, and more
"Live" design-time data access
Extend the VCL at any time with third-party libraries or with your own objects
created with Delphi
Database Field Editor for validation rules, display format, edit mask, and field width
Standard dialog objects for file operations, printing, font and color selection, and
searching
System objects for accessing OLE 2.0 servers, DDE, multimedia and file, and directory
lists
Support for MDI, printing, and graphics
2-D and 3-D charts with included ChartFX control
Compatible with hundreds of VBX controls
Includes sample objects with complete source code written in Delphi
VCL source code available separately
Object Pascal Language
High-performance, structured, object-oriented language
Complete support for inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation
Control over privacy with Public, Private, Protected, and Published reserved words
Create components with properties and events
Use inheritance to customize any object
Automatic runtime type information and object persistence
Automatic, extensible exception handling
Support for open arrays, user-defined types, objects, and pointers
Advanced language support for delegation and class references
Separate compilation of units and DLLs
Over 150 library routines for mathematical operations, string manipulation, text
formatting, and file management
WinCRT unit for creating standard Pascal "console" programs
Compiles Borland Pascal 7.0 for Windows code
Powerful Editing
Full-featured BRIEF-style editing
Unlimited undo and redo
No limit on file size
Macro record and playback
Column block marking
Regular expression (GREP-style) search
Customizable Color Syntax Highlighting
Selectable editor keystrokes with support for BRIEF and Epsilon
Integrated Debugging
Integrated GUI Debugger with single-step and trace
Conditional breakpoints and watchpoints
Call stack view for tracing code execution
Evaluate and modify expressions and variables
WinSight Windows message trace utility
WinSpector postmortem analysis tool
Compatible with Turbo Debuggerfor Windows (available separately)
Borland Database Engine
High-performance engine with native drivers for dBASE, Paradox, and Local
InterBase Server
Fully scalable support for migrating applications from desktop to client/server
Royalty-free deployment of database engine
Space-efficient deployment of database applications
Includes Database Desktop for managing database aliases as well as creating and
restructuring tables
ODBC support for Access, Btrieve, Excel, DB2, AS/400, Ingres, HP ALBASE/SQL,
and gateways like IBM DDCS/2, Micro Decisionware and Sybase Net-gateway. (available
separately)
Delphi Client/Server includes SQL Link native drivers for InterBase, Oracle, Sybase,
Microsoft SQL Server, and Informix. (available separately)
Local InterBase 4.0 Server
High-performance ANSI SQL-92 compliant
Ideal for "off-line" development and single-user applications
Computed fields
Outer joins and join expressions in the where clause
Complex data including Binary Large Objects (BLObs()) and multidimensional
arrays
Advanced features including stored procedures, triggers, and constraints
Fully scalable to InterBase on NT, NetWare, and UNIX platforms
Local InterBase Server Deployment Kit available separately
ReportSmith 2.5
Award-winning database reporting and query tool
Access ReportSmith from the Delphi Tools menu and TReport component
Features "live" report writing
Adaptive data access works with any size database
Prebuilt report templates and styles
Crosstab and mailing label reports
Multilevel sorting
Custom group specifications
Onscreen Print Preview mode
Free distribution of ReportSmith runtime module
Fully compatible with ReportSmith SQL edition
Documentation and Help
Extensible gallery of application templates and experts
Seven Interactive Tutors() with "live" interaction
Over 5Mb of on-line help
Five manuals with over 1,200 pages of documentation: Delphi User's Guide,
Component Writer's Guide, Database Application Developer's Guide, Creating Reports,
and InterBase User's Guide
Quotes
"Delphi is Visual Basic done right." --PC/Computing, Februrary 1995
"It's going to change our lives, you know." --J.D. Hildebrand, Editor
Windows Tech Journal
"When it comes to keeping required coding to a minimum, Delphi excels..."
--Windows Sources December 1994
"Delphi gives developers exactly what they need to create complete applications,
posthaste." --Susan Ryan InfoWorld
"5 Stars--Excellent" --PC/Computing February 1995
System Requirements
Intel 386-based PC or higher
Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later, 100%-compatible version
6Mb of extended memory or higher
30Mb hard disk space
CD-ROM drive (3.5" disks available separately)
Networks Supported
Any Microsoft Windows 3.1 compatible network, including OS/2 2.1, Novell NetWare,
Windows for Workgroups 3.11, and Windows NT 3.11.
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Copyright © 1996 Asylum Software Pvt. Ltd. This is an ASPL production.
Produced in conjunction with ASPL DELPHI TEAM.
Last revised November 27, 1996.