+ +
+ + MacPgmr (at) fastermac (dot) net
+ +Note: You can also post to the Lazarus forum if you want your bug reports +and suggestions to be seen by the entire Lazarus community.
+ +The XDev Toolkit source code is here: http://web.fastermac.net/~MacPgmr/XDev/downloads
+ +All source code included in the XDev Toolkit is released under the Modified LGPL license. + +
+
+ +fpc -Sd DfmToLfm.pas + +
+ +dfmtolfm + +
+ +Once you've converted a Delphi app to Lazarus you can continue to +develop the app with Delphi on Windows and use Lazarus to compile +the app on other platforms. This type of app can provide the best of both +worlds: taking advantage of the Windows-specific features of Delphi while +utilizing Free Pascal and Lazarus to add cross-platform capability to the app. + +
+
+
+
+
+
+cvthelp myapp.htm myapp.html +
+
+Application.HelpFile := ChangeFileExt(ParamStr(0), '.html');
+HelpManager := THelpUtilManager.Create; +
+HelpManager.Free; +
+Application.HelpContext(1); +
+ +
+ +chmod +x create_app_mac.sh
+ +
+ +./create_app_mac.sh myapp "My Application"
+
+ +
+ +TRichEdit is a handy control for creating or displaying simple reports, +but if you try to use it for more than that you will be quickly disappointed +because TRichEdit has serious limitations. For one thing, Borland never added +support to TRichEdit for newer versions of the Rich Edit library (RICHED20.DLL). +And although it's possible to hack the Delphi ComCtrls unit to add support +for RICHED20.DLL, Microsoft never fixed some of the bugs in this library +or supported more than just a subset of RTF.
+ +Since Lazarus is a cross-platform tool, it doesn't provide a TRichEdit control. +And even if it did, this type of control might not meet your needs. After all, +TRichEdit is trying to be a word processor, something the creators of Word +and OpenOffice.org have spent many years developing. Wouldn't it make more +sense just to use an actual word processor to create and display reports? + +
+ +Fortunately Free Pascal includes a unit named RtfPars that includes the +TRtfParser class. While this class was designed to parse and proof existing +RTF documents, you can also run it "backwards" to create RTF documents as well.
+ +To simplify use of the TRtfParser class, the XDev Toolkit includes unit RtfDoc, +which introduces a TRtfParser descendant, TRtfDoc, which can be used +to create RTF files without knowing how TRtfParser works. For information +on how to use it, look at the RtfDoc.pas file and TestRtfDoc.pas example +program. You'll also want to look at the Free Pascal rtfdata.inc file for +a list of constants that you'll need to use with TRtfDoc.
+ +For more information on the RTF specification, refer to Microsoft's documentation.
+ +
+ +Why would you need to clean up after launching the word processor? Usually +this step is necessary because the report document will be a temporary file +that you'll want to delete. You probably shouldn't require your users to name +each report document that your program creates. This will quickly annoy them; +it also forces your users to clean up the clutter of saved report documents. +Instead, you should use the GetTempFilename function (in the Lazarus FileUtil +unit) to get a file name to use for your temporary file, then delete this file +yourself at some point after launching the word processor. (Don't use the same +file name for all reports since this will restrict your users to viewing only +one report at a time.)
+ +But how can you delete a file if it's open in another program? Remember, your +word processor is running externally to your program and locks the file as +long as it's open. The file and the word processor won't be closed until the +user decides to close them. And even if the file has already been closed, +are you sure you want to delete it? What if your user made changes to the +report and saved it?
+ +The solution that ViewDocument uses is to start the word processor with +a switch that tells it to create a new document based on the report file +(that is, using it as a template). ViewDocument can also add the report file +to a list of temporary files to be deleted when your program shuts down. Even +though your program still can't delete the temporary file as long as the new +document based on it is open in the word processor, this does mean that if +the user saves the new document, it won't be with the report file's name.
+ +To delete the temporary files created by your program, call the DeleteViewedDocs +function in your main form's FormCloseQuery handler. If DeleteViewedDocs +returns False, you can remind your user to save or close any reports still +open in the word processor. DeleteViewedDocs is also called by the ViewDoc +unit's finalization code to clean up whatever it can when the program finally +does shut down.
+ +One final note: With OS X, the normal way to start a program from a terminal +command line or when shelling is to use the Open command. Unfortunately, the +only parameter that Open passes along to the program is the name of the file +to open, so there's no way to pass any switches to Word or NeoOffice. With OS X, +ViewDocument instead sets the temporary report file to read-only, thus forcing +the user to use a different name when saving the report. A disadvantage of this +approach is that the word processor shows the name of the temporary file in +the title bar (for example, rpt1.tmp) rather than Document1 or Untitled1 as it +normally does with a new document. ViewDocument also uses this approach with +AbiWord, which doesn't appear to support a command line template switch. + +
+
+ +http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Multiplatform_Programming_Guide
+ +http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/OS_X_Programming_Tips
+ +http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Deploying_Your_Application
+
+
+ +