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Delphi Info

Printed From: Debenu Quick PDF Library - PDF SDK Community Forum
Category: For Users of the Library
Forum Name: I need help - I can help
Forum Description: Problems and solutions while programming with the Debenu Quick PDF Library and Debenu PDF Viewer SDK
URL: http://www.quickpdf.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=360
Printed Date: 18 May 24 at 10:38PM
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Delphi Info

Posted By: chicks
Subject: Delphi Info
Date Posted: 10 Mar 06 at 12:34PM

Delphi gurus:

I have never used Delphi, but looking at the source code for this product, it looks like a decent language.

Most of my "real" development is in languages like Java, C++, php, javascript, etc. My "hobby" development is in PowerBASIC, which I use for QuickPDF projects.

I am more and more disillusioned with PowerBASIC, which appears to be stuck in the early 1990's, and would like to start tinkering with Delphi.

I have heard that there are free "personal" versions of Delphi available, but haven't been able to find them on the Borland site (only keys).

Are the personal versions still available? Is there a low-cost version of Delphi available, perhaps in a book on Delphi? Any other recommendations?

Thanks

Replies:

Posted By: hbarclay
Date Posted: 10 Mar 06 at 1:24PM

Borland has done an extremely poor job of marketing Delphi, one of their major mistakes (in my opinion at least) has been in not providing an inexpensive version of Delphi to be used as an entry level version.

Currently the IDE core of BDS is in the process of splitting off from Borland and will soon exist as an independent company. Once that transition has taken place I would expect that the new company will be much more likely to provide free or inexpensive entry level versions.

For now, your best bet is probably to just download the evaluation version. That is a time limited product, but perhaps by the time it expires there will be better options available. You may also find you really like some of the features of the professional version and find it to be worth purchasing.

Harry

Posted By: Frank
Date Posted: 10 Mar 06 at 4:37PM

Hi Chicks

Delphi 2005 Personal Edition comes with an interesting license:
http://www.delphipraxis.net/topic39064.html - www.delphipraxis.net/topic39064.html

Unfortunately Borland does NOT provide it for download:
http://www.borland.com/downloads/download_delphi.html - www.borland.com/downloads/download_delphi.html

German users are lucky. The german version was included in some computer magazines and now even can be downloaded:
http://www.dsdt.info/delphi2005download.php - www.dsdt.info/delphi2005download.php
http://www.delphipraxis.net/delphi2005download.php - www.delphipraxis.net/delphi2005download.php

A free license you can get from:
http://ussvs-bes1.borland.com/WebDownload/userRegistration.jsp?sid=553 - http://ussvs-bes1.borland.com/WebDownload/userRegistration.jsp?sid=553

The english version I have not found for download. Maybe it also was included on CDs of english computer magazines. You may ask a seller of those magazines or try web search more thorough as I did.

Frank

Posted By: hbarclay
Date Posted: 10 Mar 06 at 5:20PM

Chicks,

I would recommend that you avoid trying to get started using Delphi 2005. I used Delphi 2005 and had very little trouble with it, but many people reported so many issues that I would be afraid it may give you a negative impression of Delphi.

Try to get Delphi 2006, if you can't get that, then either Delphi 6 or 7 would be preferable to 2005.

Harry

Posted By: Frank
Date Posted: 11 Mar 06 at 2:51AM

Maybe some of these links can be helpful for you and other Delphi beginners (as I am too).

English:
http://delphi.about.com - http://delphi.about.com
http://www.delphiarea.com - www.delphiarea.com
http://www.delphibasics.co.uk - www.delphibasics.co.uk
http://home.hccnet.nl/p.zylstra/index.htm - http://home.hccnet.nl/p.zylstra/index.htm
http://www.blong.com/Conferences/DCon2001/VCLvsCLX/VCLvsCLX.htm - www.blong.com/Conferences/DCon2001/VCLvsCLX/VCLvsCLX.htm
http://www.epinasoft.com/linkcollection/wrapnt_delphi_kylix20.html - www.epinasoft.com/linkcollection/wrapnt_delphi_kylix20.html

German:
http://www.delphimeister.de - www.delphimeister.de
http://www.epinasoft.com/delphikurs - www.epinasoft.com/delphikurs
http://www.delphipraxis.net - www.delphipraxis.net
http://www.delphi-tutorials.de - www.delphi-tutorials.de
http://www.dsdt.info - www.dsdt.info

Bilingual:
http://www.swissdelphicenter.ch/en - www.swissdelphicenter.ch/en
http://www.swissdelphicenter.ch/de - www.swissdelphicenter.ch/de
http://www.dummzeuch.de/delphi/english.html - www.dummzeuch.de/delphi/english.html
http://www.dummzeuch.de/delphi/deutsch.html - www.dummzeuch.de/delphi/deutsch.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi_programming_language - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi_programming_language
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi_Programmiersprache - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi_(Programmiersprache )

Posted By: chicks
Date Posted: 11 Mar 06 at 2:45PM

Thanks, I managed to find Delphi7 Personal on Borland's site in Poland, and have been tinkering for a few hours.

Already looks to be about 1000X more productive than PowerBASIC...

Posted By: chicks
Date Posted: 12 Mar 06 at 12:32AM

OK, over in the "Sample Code" section of this forum, cpri shows a couple of Delphi examples in the "PDF view" topic.

I was able to get both of them to compile (after fighting with "end;" vs. "end." for a while).

The first example runs and displays my PDF just dandy. The second one runs and does nothing at all. I'm assuming the second example is a component of some sort (a VCL?), and that I'm supposed to somehow compile it differently, then somehow use it in another application. Help?

Posted By: Frans
Date Posted: 14 Mar 06 at 2:36PM

Sorry for not answering earlier, but my hard disk crashed Sunday and my spare time has gone into saving the savable and getting things up and running. If anybody has really earned an answer it is you (and Jim and a couple of others like our hosts).

I use C++Builder and not Delphi, but I know just enough Pascal to get by. Cpri (dag cpri!) has built a simple VCL component derived from TScrollBox which takes a PDF as input and displays it (using Borland native JPEG capabilities). To get this component you have to create it in a form, set necessary properties, and call methods.

Since I don't have Delphi I can't give you complete source code, but here is the basic recipe, which no doubt will have a couple of problems:

Create a project with a form.

Put a panel and a button on the form. Stick this declaration into the private section of the form.

PdfPage: TQuickPDFViewer;

In the form show event put.

PdfPage.Create(panel); // this hosts the component inside the panel

In the button click event put:

PdfPage.LoadFile := 'path to your PDF file';

PdfPage.Show;

To be very neat, add PdfPage.Free in the form close event. Very basic, but I hope this helps you on your way.

Greetings,

-------------
Frans

Posted By: Frans
Date Posted: 15 Mar 06 at 7:52AM

Since the panel is owner of the TQuickPDFViewer, it is responsible for destroying it. Please disregard the PDfPage.Free comment.

Greetings,

-------------
Frans

Posted By: chicks
Date Posted: 15 Mar 06 at 10:54AM

Thanks for the info, Frans. I'll try it out next chance I get...

Posted By: cpri
Date Posted: 16 Mar 06 at 8:28AM

Frans Thaks for explaining my code