2010/02/01 - New Embarcadero Upgrade Rules
As of February 1st, 2010, there are new upgrade rules from Embarcadero. Until this date, you can upgrade from any previous version of Delphi to a newer version of Delphi (i.e. from Delphi 5 to Delphi 2010). As of 1-2-2010, you can only upgrade to Delphi 2010 if the version you upgrade from is no more than three versions older than the version you're upgrading to. So from Delphi 2006 you can still go to Delphi 2010, but you cannot get an upgrade to Delphi 2010 if you have a version which is older than Delphi 2006.

2003/08/01 - Delphi 5 De-Supported
Delphi 5 is now officially de-supported, and is no longer eligible for Technical Support.

2001/05/01 - Borland Preps Delphi 6.0 For Release
In an article from SD Times, we can read how Borland is preparing Delphi 6 with native XML and SOAP support for web services to augment Linux portability.

2001/04/30 - AQTime 2.0 from AutomatedQA
AutomatedQA is proud to announce the release of AQtime 2.0. For those who know the AQA family, this is the successor to Qtime, includes all the functionality of MemProof, and automatically integrates five profilers into AQtest.

2001/04/26 - VisiBroker 3.3 for Delphi 5 - Server & Client Edition
Borland has just released the complete VisiBroker 3.3 for Delphi 5 (with CORBA Client and CORBA Server support).
I've written two white papers about VisiBroker 3.3 for Delphi 5, which have been published in PDF format, including a recent and detailed one which was based on an article for my monthly column in The Delphi Magazine

2001/04/19 - Dr.Bob Examines... ADO and ClientDataSets
In this new Dr.Bob Examines column, I'll show how to convert ADO XML or ADTG (Advanced Data TableGram) file formats to the ClientDataSet binary or XML formats. Source code examples are given using C++Builder 5 Enterprise and Delphi 5 Enterprise.

2001/04/18 - Dr.Bob on DevX #2
I have written my second article in the new monthly column (10-Minute Solution) as Delphi Pro on DevX. This second 10-Minute Solution article shows how to obtain all values from multivalue input fields in WebBroker applications.

2001/04/08 - Dr.Bob Examines .NET and C#
In this Dr.Bob Examines column I'll share my first experiences with Microsoft Visual Studio.NET Beta 1, and especially C# (writing a classic demo).

2001/03/31 - Building Delphi 6 Applications
Available from Amazon.com (with a nice discount): the first book about Delphi 6 (or at least the first title that appears with Delphi 6 in the title - even before Delphi 6 itself is announced or available): Building Delphi 6 Applications by Paul Kimmel.
I have ordered this book myself, received it yesterday, and can only say one thing: don't buy this book! There is no real Delphi 6 information (a few mentions of Delphi 6 Beta 2 features), and even for a "regular" Delphi 5 book, it never raises above the "intro" level. The topics of the chapters are interesting, but the content itself is very disappointing.

2001/03/22 - More FreeCLX Info
A new article on the Borland Community website contains more information about FreeCLX, the Open Source project for Borland's CLX Component Library for X-platform development.

2001/03/20 - Dr.Bob Examines... #14: BDE Data to Linux
In this Dr.Bob Examines article I'll show you how you can move your BDE data (like dBASE and Paradox tables) from Windows to Linux (i.e. from Delphi to Kylix) by transforming data into XML.

2001/03/16 - Dr.Bob on DevX #1
I have started a new monthly column (10-Minute Solution) as Delphi Pro on DevX. The first 10-Minute Solution article explains how to dynamically load components from packages at run-time.

2001/03/12 - Delphi 6 in the Newsgroups...
John Kaster has again mentioned Delphi 6 in the borland.public.delphi.non-technical newsgroup. This time, when asked about new features in Delphi 6 (apart from CLX), John answered: "SiteExpress, SOAP support, dbExpress, better CORBA support, new components, improved VCL components, hundreds of new run-time functions, ..."
We'll get details next quarter, so stay tuned!

2001/03/09 - Heard in the Newsgroups...
Last week, someone asked in borland.public.delphi.non-technical a question about file case sensitivity in Delphi 6 (so that files in a USES clause become case-sensitive). That way, if you get the filename right but the casing wrong while working in D6, you wouldn't have to wait until you went over to your Linux box with Kylix to discover the problem.
John Kaster's public answer: "Delphi 6 gives you warnings when file cases mismatch. On Linux, of course, it's an error."

2001/03/08 - Review: TurboPower Essentials Vol.1
I'm the proud owner of many of the TurboPower libraries, and every now and then I collect my findings and write a little review about of one of these libraries or collection of components. The one I'm going to review today has been around for some time, and is called TurboPower Essentials vol.1 (version 1.08)

2001/03/07 - Borland Kylix Available
According to the Borland press release: Kylix should be available as of today, March 7th, 2001. However, in the "pricing and availability" section of the press release it states that "Kylix Server Developer and Kylix Desktop Developer will be generally available before the end of the first quarter 2001." and "Kylix Open Edition will be available by mid-2001.", so we probably still need to wait a little while before we receive our copy, but stay tuned...

2001/02/18 - Dr.Bob's C# Visions
C# is one of the cornerstones of Microsoft's .NET, and the language itself contains many similarities to languages and environments like Delphi, Java and C++ (but without header files!). Since we believe that C# can play an important role in tomorrow's software engineering, we've started a special C# section on Dr.Bob's website, called Dr.Bob's C# Visions

2001/02/09 - CodeSite 2 Available!
Raize Software today announced the availability of CodeSite 2, the latest release of my favorite debugging tool for Delphi and C++Builder.
CodeSite 2 comes in Standard and Professional Editions. The Professional Edition adds several features to the CodeSite Viewer, such as filtering, multiple views, and custom inspectors (using a plug-in architecture), and also supports sending CodeSite messages to remote computers using TCP or UDP, or via HTTP to a special CodeSite web module which redirects messages to their final destination. The Professional Edition of CodeSite 2 also includes the source code for the CodeSite Interface unit, which contains the CodeSite Object (i.e. the code that is linked into an application to enable it to send CodeSite messages).
CodeSite 2 supports Delphi 3, 4, and 5, and C++Builder 3, 4, and 5.

2001/01/31 - Kylix Announced
The official announcement has just been made, and the Borland Kylix website is in place. For more news about Kylix, check out the Kylix-section of this website called Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks.

2001/01/29 - Kylix Released Feb 15 - Delphi 6 in Q2
On the eWeek website, Roberta Holland writes in her article "Borland's Kylix tool for Linux comes into focus" that Borland will announce that Kylix will be released Feb 15th!
Moreover, Ted Shelton said that "the Windows version [Delphi 6] is due out at the beginning of the second quarter." This means just over two more months before we'll see Delphi 6.

2001/01/22 - Inprise no more: Borland is back!
Well, it's official: as of today Monday, January 22nd, the name Borland is back (including BORL as the Nasdaq ticker symbol instead of INPR).

2001/01/21 - Dr.Bob's Tip-Of-The-Hat
Dr.Bob's Tip-Of-The-Hat is a new weekly column in which I present small tips & tricks for Delphi and C++Builder developers (sometimes related to Kylix as well). In response to feedback on my previous ENTER as TAB tip, I've now added a new item that shows how you can perform this trick inside a TDBGrid.

2001/01/12 - ADOExpress Update Pack #2
The ADOExpress Update Pack #2 for Delphi 5 and C++Builder 5 is freely available for immediate download from Borland Developer Support.

2001/01/04 - Tool Review: TurboPower's OnGuard
Let's start the new year with a good new tradition: a monthly review (next to our monthly columns). This first time, I've taken a look at TurboPower's OnGuard, which is a serial number/unlock key generator/checker (this short description doesn't really do it justice I'm afraid) that can be used with Delphi and C++Builder.

2000/12/29 - Dr.Bob Examines... #12: The Best of Y2K
In my last Dr.Bob Examines column (of this year, that is) I'll look back at Y2K and list my favorite hardware, software, book, magazine, event, user group, website, movie/DVD as well as a few personal predictions and wishes for the next year(s) to come.

2000/12/23 - Book: C++Builder 5 Developer's Guide
Although this book is about C++Builder 5, it contains a lot of information relevant for Delphi developers too (such as MIDAS 3 techniques). Only 1398 of the 2048 pages could be bound in one book, but the entire book is also available as PDF-file on the CD-ROM (some chapters are only available on CD).
You can order C++Builder 5 Developer's Guide from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (with nice discounts).
Click here for the Table of Contents of this book (for which I wrote more than 120 pages myself on topics like WebBroker, InternetExpress, MIDAS, Active Server Pages/Objects and ActiveForms.

2000/12/21 - VisiBroker 3.3 for Delphi 5
John Kaster of Borland Developer Relations has just revealed that Borland is planning to release full VisiBroker 3.3 support for Delphi 5 (both CORBA Server and CORBA Client development - including an IDL2PAS), before Delphi 6 ships.
Some people have even demonstrated the technology at Borland Conferences around the world, like my own session about a prerelease of VisiBroker 3.3 for Delphi 5 at the Inprise UK Conference last September.

2000/12/16 - HeadConv v4.20 Wizard
I've just released HeadConv v4.20, the latest version of my free C DLL Header Converter. New in this release is a two page dialog (Wizard) as side-kick for the command-line edition. HeadConv v4.20 is capable of generating implicit and explicit Delphi import units (16/32-bit compatible) for C DLL header files.

2000/11/16 - Dr.Bob Examines.... Dynamic WebBroker Images
In my Dr.Bob Examines column, I'll explain how to use WebBroker to return dynamic images (like .gif and .jpg) from web server applications written in Delphi (or C++Builder).

2000/10/23 - Syntax-Highlighting Extensions Editor
John Kaster has written an article on the Borland Community about Delphi/C++Builder IDE Syntax-Highlighting Extensions Editor which provides a convenient interface for adding file extensions to the IDE editor's syntax highlighter.

2000/10/16 - Dr.Bob Examines... VisiBroker for Delphi
This month, Dr.Bob Examines techniques how to create CORBA Servers and Clients using Delphi 5 Enterprise, both with and without the VisiBroker for Delphi plug-in.

2000/08/30 - Free Turbo Debugger for Download
Inprise/Borland today announced a free download of Turbo Debugger on its website. The free Borland C++ Compiler and Turbo Debugger combination provides developers with a good foundation and seamless path to C++Builder 5 development.
What does this have to do with Delphi, you might ask? Well, Brett McLean asked me if this debugger also worked on Delphi executables. I tried, and sure enough, it works! So here is a DOS-based external Turbo Debugger for Delphi programs as well...

2000/08/21 - Open Letter to Delphi / C++Builder Community
Simon Thornhill, Vice President and General Manager of the Borland RAD Tools Group, has written an open letter to members of the Delphi and C++Builder community, to update you on the progress they've have made and their future plans.

2000/08/19 - Book Review: Advanced Delphi Developer's Guide to ADO
Based on the title Advanced Delphi Developer's Guide to ADO (from Alex Fedorox and Natalia Elmanova - available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (with nice discounts), I expected "only" coverage of ADOExpress in Delphi. However, that's only a part of this book. The book consists of 23 chapters, starting with the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), OLE DB Providers, ADO and its role in the Delphi Database Architecture. ADOExpress components like TADOCOnnection, TADOCommand, TADODataSet etc. are covered in a lot of detail - as expected. However, apart from these "basics", the book also contains chapters that explain how to actually build ADO Applications, and how to do Business Graphics and Reporting with ADO. Even after those chapter, we're only still halfway the book.
Further topics include OLAP and ADO, ADOX in Delphi, JRO Objects, and a very helpful chapter on deploying ADO applications. Chapter 19 and later introduce Distributed Computing; Windows DNA (Distributed interNet Applications), including RDS and MTS with ADO. There's even a chapter on MIDAS ADO Applications. There are also a number of appendices; and the most interesting one covers BDE to ADO migration issues!

2000/08/05 - The Matrix screensaver
The Matrix screensaver, used at BorCon 2000 was written in Delphi 5 by Andy Kern, and is now available for download.

2000/08/01 - Dr.Bob Examines... ActiveForm Updates
This time, Dr.Bob examines a technique to ensure that your ActiveForm Updates will be deployed correctly (by enforcing the use of version information).

2000/07/19 - dbExpress Internals
At the Borland Conference in San Diego, we were introduced to dbExpress, the new cross-platform data access layer that will be available in Kylix and future versions of Delphi and C++Builder on Windows. Here you can find out what it is, and you can even provide Borland suggestions that could make it into its first release.

2000/07/17 - Apache Support in Delphi 6
At the Borland Conference in San Diego, Inprise/Borland announced upcoming Apache support for both Kylix (Delphi for Linux) and the next release of Delphi for Windows (Delphi 6). Support for Apache will be included in NetCLX, the new cross-platform web development architecture (part of CLX).

2000/07/08-12: BorCon2000 Conference Report
The Borland Developers Conference 2000 was held from July 8-12 in San Diego (CA). Like previous years, we've presented a "live" Conference Report on this website including details (and photos) of all major events, Inprise/Borland and third-party announcements and session details.
I've done two sessions myself: one on Delphi (Distributed) Efficiency (a topic that I've been doing since 1994) and one on Advanced WebBroker Techniques, a topic that I've written about in Delphi 4 Unleashed, C++Builder 4 Unleashed and C++Builder 5 Developer's Guide. In addition, I've done a Birds-of-a-Feather Session during lunch on Tuesday, on Active Server Object and WebBroker.

2000/06/27 - BORLAND CLX
Today at PCExpo, Inprise/Borland introduced BORLAND CLX the Next-Generation Cross-Platform Library and Component Framework (to be used with Delphi and C++Builder, producing native Windows and Linux applications).

2000/06/16 - Dr.Bob Examines.... Delphi 5 CORBA Server
In my Dr.Bob Examines column, I've written a CORBA wrapper around the CodeSite Debugging Object from Raize Software, in order to turn it into a Delphi 5 CORBA Server. Mr.Haki has already written a follow-up article in which he writes a JBuilder 3.5 CORBA Client (on Linux) that talks to this CodeSite CORBA Server.

2000/06/09 - Datasets without databases
Marco Cantù has published a new article on the Borland Community website, in which he explains how you access non-relational data (such as a disk directory) with data-aware controls. His solution is to rely on a key element of Delphi: the TDataSet class.

2000/06/06 - First Ever Public Kylix Screenshots
You don't want to miss this: the first ever public screenshots of Kylix, brought to you first by Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks.

2000/05/29 - Book Review: Delphi in a Nutshell
Delphi in a Nutshell by Ray Lischner has been published by O'Reilly and is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (with nice discounts).
The book mainly covers (non-visual) technical topics such as classes and objects, interfaces, memory management, VMTs, RTTI, threads and contains a few words about Kylix (the Linux edition of Delphi) too.
A sample chapter (about the Delphi Object Model) is available on the O'Reilly website, and so is a detailed review by Arnim Mulder on this website!

2000/05/22 - Kylix at BorCon 2000
Inprise/Borland today announced the 11th Annual Inprise/Borland Conference which will be in San Diego, California, from July 8 to 12 and will feature the first large scale public preview of Kylix.

2000/05/17 - Inprise/Borland - Corel merger terminated
Inprise/Borland and Corel have terminated the proposed merger agreement! Further updates and comments can be read on my Borland.comments.

2000/05/16 - Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks
Today, we launch a new part of this website, which will be devoted to Kylix - the Linux edition of Delphi and C++Builder. The subsite, called Dr.Bob's Kylix Kicks at http://www.drbob42.com/kylix, contains a detailed report of the public Kylix demonstration given by Charlie Calvert at the CttM (May 1-2, 2000), so make sure to check it out...

2000/05/01 - Dr.Bob Examines... Custom InternetExpress Components
Dr.Bob Examines... another feature present in both Delphi 5 and C++Builder 5: Custom InternetExpress Components. Based on the component package that I've submitted for the Borland Community March/April Programming Contest, here's an article that shows how to create your own Custom InternetExpress Components.

2000/04/23 - Custom WebBroker InternetExpress Components
For the March/April Programming Contest on the Borland Community website, I've submitted the latest version of my (BCB5 and Delphi 5 specific) DrBob42 package with WebBroker and InternetExpress custom components.
The DrBob42 package contains a new WebBroker component called TDrBobQueryTableProducer with an additional property QueryHTMLFile and a special TQueryHTMLFilePropertyEditor using a Wizard to generate an HTML Query Form which can be used as input webpage for the QueryTableProducer.
The package also contains custom InternetExpress components, such as the TWebCheckBox and TQueryCheckBox components, which introduce HTML checkbox controls to the Web Page Editor of Delphi 5 and InternetExpress.
Furthermore, I've included some special HTML Form Submit buttons. One that closes a browser (pop-up) Window, called the TCloseQueryButton, and one that executes some special JavaScript code before it submits the Form, called the TJavaScriptSubmitQueryButton. And finally a button to execute some JavaScript code without submitting the Form at all, called the TJavaScriptButton.

2000/04/01 - Dr.Bob Examines... Control Panel Applets
Dr.Bob Examines... another feature present in both Delphi 5 and C++Builder 5: Control Panel Applets. In this article, which was first published in the UK-BUG NewsLetter, I'll build a Control Panel Applet for the Options Dialog of DIL - Developer Information Library. Source code is in ObjectPascal, but general techniques also apply to C++Builder 5.

2000/03/22 - Dr.Bob's New ToDo Wizard
The default Delphi 5 ToDo Item Wizard generates {...} comments. However, I'd like to use {...} to put entire blocks of code in comments, and hence I was looking for a way to let the Add ToDo Item Wizard produce //-style comments. In the end, I decide to make one of my own, which is now available for download.

2000/03/08 - Delphi 5 OpenTools API (3)
Allen Bauer, Staff Engineer/Delphi/C++Builder IDE R&D Manager at Inprise/Borland, is getting inside the IDE (with docking) in his third article on the OpenTools API.

2000/03/05 - Book Review: Delphi COM Programming
Micha Somers has reviewed Delphi COM Programming and reports: this book covers a lot of details about COM programming. It starts with explaining interfaces in great detail. With simple but effective examples it also shows how topics like type libraries, Automation, ActiveForms, DCOM and Structured Storage can be handled in Delphi.

2000/03/04 - C++Builder 5 - VisiBroker 4
C++Builder 5 Enterprise comes with VisiBroker 4 for your CORBA work. Unfortunately, I found out (the hard way!) that VisiBroker 4 is not backwards compatible with VisiBroker 3.3 - it breaks your existing CORBA servers and clients (especially when written in Delphi 5, which relies on VisiBroker 3.3).
This may not be an issue for you, but I had to re-install VisiBroker 3.3 and VisiBroker for Delphi 5 again to get things back to work again...

2000/03/03 - Corel - On-Line Poll Results
Over 900 people have shared their thoughts by participating in Dr.Bob's first on-line poll (regarding the upcoming Corel - Inprise/Borland merger), and you can now view the results.

2000/03/01 - Dr.Bob Examines... InternetExpress
Now that C++Builder 5 is also available, it's time in Dr.Bob Examines to explore a new feature available in both Delphi 5 Enterprise and C++Builder 5 Enterprise, namely InternetExpress: the marriage of MIDAS with WebBroker (and XML).
In this article, which was first published in Visual Developer Magazine Jan/Feb 2000, I'll show you how to make use of InternetExpress and where XML is used at its best - as inter-application communication language.

2000/02/25 - MIDAS 3 License Pricing
The best news in months: for MIDAS 3, Borland just slashed the suggested list price from US$ 5000 to US$ 299.95 for unlimited usage servers. This is not a typo: less than 300 US-dollars for an unlimited client license per machine (with up to four CPUs), running any number of MIDAS application servers!
Delphi 5 Enterprise comes with a MIDAS 3 developer license, and MIDAS 3 deployment licenses are now available for an extremely competive market price. Thank you Borland!

2000/02/17 - Delphi 5 Update Pack
With C++Builder 5 available and the release of Windows 2000 from Microsoft, it's time for the official Delphi 5 Update Pack. Click here for a list of fixes.
Also, John Kaster has put together some notes on features of Windows 2000 supported by Delphi 5 with this Update Pack.

2000/02/01 - Dr.Bob Examines... Class Methods
In my monthly column Dr.Bob Examines, I examine the Object Pascal feature class methods in more detail. We'll see what they are and how they work, including a small reference counting example.

2000/01/25 - Hidden IDE Secrets
John Kaster has written a short article in which he describes some of the hidden features inside Delphi to "manipulate" the Delphi component palette. Interesting to read, but don't miss the warning: use this information at your own risk.

2000/01/12 - Delphi 5 OpenTools API (2)
Allen Bauer, Staff Engineer/Delphi/C++Builder IDE R&D Manager at Inprise/Borland, is Sharing Notes on the Delphi OpenTools API. In his second article, Allen will get you out of the starting gate and heading down the track toward writing your own IDE extensions.

2000/01/01 - Dr.Bob Examines... XML
In the first of my regular monthly column Dr.Bob Examines, I'll examine the question XML - Hit or Hype?. This first article isn't too technical, but poses some interesting questions nevertheless...

1999/12/25 - Dr.Bob Examines...
Christmas Present: you asked for it, you got it: a monthly technical Delphi column will be starting on January 1st right here. In Dr.Bob Examines..., I'll take a closer look at some of the more peculiar features, bugs or other wishes that I receive by e-mail on a daily basis.
Developer News was "canned" by community.borland.com because "it didn't bring enough new visitors to the site", but I'm sure Dr.Bob Examines... won't hurt, so stay tuned for more...

1999/12/17 - Delphi 5 OpenTools API
Allen Bauer, Staff Engineer/Delphi/C++Builder IDE R&D Manager at Inprise/Borland, is Sharing Notes on the Delphi OpenTools API. At the end of his article, he gives a pointer to a wizard Allen wrote that creates an IDE keybinding enhancement (downloadable from the CodeCentral Repository).

1999/12/09 - VisiBroker for Delphi
VisiBroker for Delphi has been made available for free download. This tool implements the OMG CORBA specs for Delphi developers, and contains an IDL2PAS, among others.

1999/11/24 - IntraBob v5.0.0.34
Now available: the Delphi 5 and InternetExpress XML edition of IntraBob v5.0; my latest (win)CGI tester and ISAPI debugger for Delphi 2.01 and higher and all versions of C++Builder. By using IntraBob as "host application", you can set breakpoints and trace into ISAPI DLLs. IntraBob also supports the WebBroker Technology - including PathInfo properties to discriminate between different OnActions events, and Delphi 5 InternetExpress (using XML and JavaScript). Changes since 5.0.0.32 include saving/restoring last position on the desktop.
IntraBob v5.0 now also contains a bonus DrBob42.dpk package with an extra set of five internet components and one support unit. Components are CRC, CRC32, SMTP, POP3, FTP. The extra unit DrBobCGI can be used for CGI debugging. All components and units are provided with full source code, as freeware and as-is!

1999/11/08-11: XML One Fall 1999
At XML One Fall '99 in Santa Clara, USA, the International XML User Conference, I just presented a session on Delphi 5 InternetExpress (using XML). During my 1.5 hour session, I hope to have shown the importance of having application development tools (like Delphi 5) that can be used to create applications that communicate using XML.

1999/10/18 - Charlie Calvert on InternetExpress
John Kaster has written two earlier papers on Delphi 5's InternetExpress, and now Charlie Calvert is back with a new article about Understanding the Delphi Internet Express. Charlie shows how the InternetExpress allows you to easily create XML based web server applications in Delphi (and he even mentions my IntraBob as debugging aid).

1999/10/02 - Delphi 5 InternetExpress
John Kaster recently had some time (and space), so he wrote a quick overview of Delphi 5 InternetExpress.
InternetExpress makes browser-based clients for distributed database applications very easy to develop. These browser-based applications are extremely flexible, and can provide far more powerful capabilities than people expect in browser-based clients. Although InternetExpress itself is new in Delphi 5, it is a natural evolution of the work begun with the initial release of MIDAS in Delphi 3.

1999/09/29 - Updated TeamSource files
Updated files for TeamSource. This fixes for a potential problem in the ZLib archive controller. Installation instructions are included in the ZIP file.

• English (created 1999/09/17, size 66,417 bytes)
• French (created 1999/09/29, size 66,457 bytes)
• German (created 1999/09/29, size 66,495 bytes)

1999/09/28 - C/C++ and Delphi for Linux
Inprise announces commitment to support C, C++ and Delphi development on Linux. The Borland VCL for Linux will be designed to radically speed native Linux application development and simplify the porting of Delphi and C++Builder applications between Windows and Linux.

1999/09/18 - Delphi 5 TechDocs
The Delphi 5 Quick Start And Developers Guide are now available on-line (as HTML manuals) on the Delphi Products Documentation page. This webpage summarizes Delphi 5 documentation, provides updates and access to forms for ordering printed documentation, and lets you send suggestions directly to the Delphi writing team.

1999/07/29 - BorCon99 Session Report
For those of you who haven't seen it yet: my BorCon99 Conference Report is now available.
Also, on the Conference CD-ROM you'll find my Java BeansExpress paper instead of my Delphi Efficiency paper. This will be fixed in the final CD-ROM (I may hope). In the meantime, you can view the papers and slides for my BorCon99 sessions on-line.

1999/07/24 - Delphi 5 (60-Day Trial)
I've installed the 60-day trial version of Delphi 5 (FT4) on my machine at home, and have been playing with it some more since I've been back from the BorCon99. There are a number of great new features, which will be covered here in detail, such as the data module designer, XML-support with WebMidas and InternetExpress, and more...

1999/07/19 - Inprise Announces Borland Delphi 5
Designed to help individual and corporate developers rapidly deliver Windows applications, as well as extend those applications to the Internet, Delphi 5 radically simplifies the integration of Windows and browser clients, web servers, middleware and back-end database systems. Delphi 5 now includes support for HTML 4 and XML, the industry standards for building Internet applications for data distribution and exchange.

1999/07/17-21: BorCon99 in Philadelphia
Don't miss the 10th Annual Inprise/Borland Conference in Philadelphia. We can preview the next version of Delphi (I'm expecting some announcements regarding Delphi at BorCon99 - from Borland as well as TurboPower, for example).
I'll be presenting a Delphi Efficiency and Advanced WebBroker session (as well as a JBuilder JavaBeans session).
Like previous years, I'll be presenting a "live" Conference Report from Philadelphia itself, so stay tuned as this 10th annual event is sure to bring us a lot of interesting news!

1999/05/18 - Debugging ActiveForms
As an example of my MasterClass on Creative Debugging Techniques, here is an article that shows a way to Debug ActiveForms from within the Delphi 4 IDE.

1999/04/21 - Delphi 4 Actions and ActionLists
A new and handy feature of Delphi 4 - also present in C++Builder 4 by the way - is the TActionList component, found in the "Standard" tab of the component palette. With an ActionList, we can group and manage "actions" (event handling code) between different components and even re-use them among different applications!
This article shows how to use Actions and ActionLists - without writing a single line of Delphi or C++ code - and contains some nice gotchas too...

1998/11/25 - Delphi 4 Unleashed: Chapter 18 - WebBroker
Delphi 4 Unleashed features a nice chapter on the WebBroker Technology (sometimes also called Web Modules) written by yours truly, for which the final master-detail example is now available here (this example had to be cut it in the editing cycle, because the book had too many pages already).

1998/11/24 - Book: Delphi 4 Unleashed
Finally available: Charlie Calvert's latest Delphi book called Delphi 4 Unleashed from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (with nice discounts). I have written the WebBroker chapter for this book.
Click here for an overview/reviews of all Delphi 4 books currently available.

1998/09/22 - Delphi 4-to-3 Form Conversion
If, for some reason, you made some Forms in Delphi 4 and need to compile them with Delphi 3 as well: note that there are over 164 new VCL components in Delphi 4 (compared to Delphi 3). And that's not all: there are also new properties added to existing components, such as Anchors and Constraints.
I've written CONVERT3 to strip those Delphi 4 properties from your Delphi 4 forms (.DFM files), so you can recompile them using Delphi 3 again. Convert3 is based on the CONVERT2 program to convert Delphi 3 forms back to Delphi 2.

1998/09/06 - Which DPL/BPLs Required?
Are you using a Delphi 4 BPL or Delphi 3 DPL package, and you want to know which packages are required by this one but you don't have the source code to check?
Don't worry, Dr.Bob comes to the rescue again with version 2.0 of REQUIRED that lists all required (design-time and run-time) packages for you. Also works for C++Builder BPL packages, of course.