why Delphi 2.0?

[SanskritFritz]

Does some versions of Delphi nativly support unicode?

http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=73025#73025

[MPS]

frenky:

http://www.tntware.com/delphicontrols/unicode/
http://fundementals.sourceforge.net/unicode.html
http://www.zeitungsjunge.de/delphi/converters/

[majkinetor !]

this not native...

I tried TNT. It is good.
Thx for the other links.

[Lefteous]

AFAIK Delphi (don't know supports Unicode quite well but the Win32 component framework VCL only supports ANSI strings. That's why alternative component packages like TNT could be helpful.

[frenky]

Does some versions of Delphi nativly support unicode?

http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=73025#73025

It looks like Borland is not that into Delphi any more...

2MPS
Thanks for the links!

AFAIK Delphi (don't know supports Unicode quite well but the Win32 component framework VCL only supports ANSI strings. That's why alternative component packages like TNT could be helpful.

Than it eludes me why is it so hard to implement unicode in TC?

I think that Ghisler wrote his own list box control, this would have to be manualy implemented and if unicode VCL exists, would'nt this substantialy reduce time for unicode implementation?
Timeline Ghisler spoke of was two years to implement unicode support??

I still think this is bigest downfall of TC. Rest of the problems discussed here (on forum) are quite minor and they are solved in one whay or another.
This sticks since Unicode story started...

[Lefteous]

2frenky

Than it eludes me why is it so hard to implement unicode in TC?

Because TC uses VCL extensively and Delphi supports no generic characters.

I think that Ghisler wrote his own list box control

I guess it's just derived from a VCL TCustomListbox control.

[frenky]

Because TC uses VCL extensively and Delphi supports no generic characters.

Arent TNT's controls compatilble with those supplied with Delphi?
Sorry if I'm pusthing this, but Delphi is foreign language for me. I'm all about Java... And a bit of C# and VB, and C, and C++ OK, I programmed with may languages exept Delphi

[MPS]

Thanks for the links!

don't mention it

[majkinetor !]

It looks like Borland is not that into Delphi any more...

Can't be ....

Sorry if I'm pusthing this, but Delphi is foreign language for me. I'm all about Java... And a bit of C# and VB, and C, and C++ OK, I programmed with may languages exept Delphi

You should try Delphi. I know about 15 prog languages and I favor the Delphi... maybe just my weird habit but what I found great about it is it's programming philosophy - U really don't have some "hard to follow" things there... it is like everything is perfectly set... (except UNICODE).

TNT controls are very good. They did UNICODE twin for every common control in DELPHI. So, I guess, Ghisler can just try to change some class inheritance here and there...

[Lefteous]

2majkinetor !

TNT controls are very good. They did UNICODE twin for every common control in DELPHI.

But how to keep a single code base (Unicode and ANSI)? Is it possible to compile to either an Ansi or Unicode binary?
How to convert a VCL project into a TNT project?

[majkinetor !]

You just switch some names....

Like this:

Original:

Code: Select all

 MyForm = class (TForm)
              MyButton : TButton.... 

TNT:

Code: Select all

 MyForm = class (TNTForm)
              MyButton : TNTButton.... 

Also, in Delphi code U should use some compiler directive that tells him that string default to Wide, not Ansi and if you used PAsniChar U should replace this with PWideChar... It would be the best if you used PChar since it can be changed with single compiler directive again (it defaults to PAnsiChar)

Anyway, this scheme can present unpredictable things if your code depends on string structure..
For instance if you do some operation with strings and somehow iterated through charachters with single buty addition ( p := p + 1 ) then this would create some side effects... In previous little code no, becuase + 1 will add 1 byte for p : PAnsiChar and 2 bytes for p:PWideChar....

But... that's why we have beta tests....

[Lefteous]

2majkinetor !

You just switch some names....

Like this:

Original:
Code:
MyForm = class (TForm)
MyButton : TButton....


TNT:
Code:
MyForm = class (TNTForm)
MyButton : TNTButton....

That sounds like some kind of manual refactoring but reasonable.

Also, in Delphi code U should use some compiler directive that tells him that string default to Wide, not Ansi and if you used PAsniChar U should replace this with PWideChar... It would be the best if you used PChar since it can be changed with single compiler directive again (it defaults to PAnsiChar)

Anyway, this scheme can present unpredictable things if your code depends on string structure..
For instance if you do some operation with strings and somehow iterated through charachters with single buty addition ( p := p + 1 ) then this would create some side effects... In previous little code no, becuase + 1 will add 1 byte for p : PAnsiChar and 2 bytes for p:PWideChar....

TNT seems to use WideString not a generic String, right? So how should this work?

Is the components set really complete? It seems the components from the "Win 3.1" tab are missing. Some of them are used in TC.

[ghisler(Author)]

TNT sounds very promising. Is it still possible to have a single executable both for Windows 2000/XP and Windows 9x/ME (which don't support most Unicode functions)? Currently I call different parts of code, e.g. for displaying Unicode names in the file list, or in shift+F6 rename.

[Flint]

Is it still possible to have a single executable both for Windows 2000/XP and Windows 9x/ME (which don't support most Unicode functions)?

Why not split TC in two different executables: ANSI and Unicode version? Many program writers do so (first can be run on Win9x & WinNT kernels, second on WinNT only). If this will simplify programming, I think, it worth doing it.

Added:
When I wrote this post, I didn't see the Lefteous's reply...

[majkinetor !]

TNT seems to use WideString not a generic String, right? So how should this work?
Is the components set really complete? It seems the components from the "Win 3.1" tab are missing. Some of them are used in TC.

Yes, it uses WideStrings for all string controls like Caption, Text etc...

"How should this work" question is not about TNT but your code. If you use some "not very smart" coding with strings which I doubt is possible with Delphi since its pointers are not C-like flexibile you can get errors. For instance, you could hard coded "string walk" with one byte steps so when U tell compiler that your strings are acctualy wide, one byte steps will enter "charachter in middle" since chars are now 2 bytes . Like I said, as my Delphi practice goes, you realy must have weird programming techniques to produce such behavior in Delphi since it is strongly typed.

I cant answer your "Win 3.1" question, since I don't care, and I can't care less about 16bit TC. Developement of 16bit TC should stop at the current stage. No harm done, since at current level, users of 16bit TC will have too good application for Win 3.1 system, so no upgrades are needed. I don't know why Ghisler is wasting time with this when more urgent requests are isued on this forum, like this one, line numbers, icons etc...