README.TXT
ABC for Delphi - Advanced Business Components
Version 1.0b - Released 15 March 1996
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Follow the steps in A and B to complete the setup.

A1. HOW TO INSTALL COMPONENTS IN DELPHI 1.0
A2. HOW TO INSTALL COMPONENTS IN DELPHI 2.0
B.  HOW TO MERGE HELP KEYWORDS
C.  UNINSTALLING HELP FILES IN DELPHI 2.0
D.  LATEST RELEASE NOTES
E.  DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
F.  INSTALLED FILE LIST
G.  UPGRADE AVAILABILITY
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A1. HOW TO INSTALL COMPONENTS IN DELPHI 1.0
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1. First start Delphi;
2. Choose Options|Install Components from the menu;
3. Click the Add button to display the Add Module 
   dialog box;
4. Click the Browse button to locate the directory 
   your components were installed into, 
   e.g. C:\ABC\DELPHI1;
   Note that the 16 Bit components for Delphi 1.0
   are located in subdirectory \DELPHI1.
5. Select module ABC1REG.PAS to install;
6. Click Ok to close the Add Module file selection
   dialog;
7. Click Ok to close the Install Components dialog;
8. Your component palette will now be recompiled;
9. The ABC components are installed in the ABC tab
   on the component palette.

What to do if a problem occurs when the palette is recompiled.

The most likely causes of problems are:

1. Installation path names are too long; 
   this is reported as DCU file not found.
  
   Try moving files to different directories 
   or remove some other components.

2. There is not enough space on your hard disk.
  
   Delete some files and try again.  The free space
   in the \DELPHI\BIN directory should be at least
   twice as large as your existing COMPLIB.DCL file.

3. A component of the same name as one you are
   trying to install already exists on the palette.
  
   Try removing or renaming the existing component,
   or manually edit the ABC1REG.PAS to rename the
   new component with an alias.

4. A file required for a component was not found.
  
   Check that all files were installed, or re-install 
   from the original SETUP.EXE.

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A2. HOW TO INSTALL COMPONENTS IN DELPHI 2.0
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1. First start Delphi;
2. Choose Component|Install from the menu;
3. Click the Add button to display the Add Module 
   dialog box;
4. Click the Browse button to locate the directory 
   your components were installed into, 
   e.g. C:\ABC\DELPHI2;
   Note that the 32 Bit components for Delphi 2.0
   are located in subdirectory \DELPHI2.
5. Select module ABC1REG.PAS to install;
6. Click Ok to close the Add Module file selection
   dialog;
7. Click Ok to close the Install Components dialog;
8. Your component palette will now be recompiled;
9. The ABC components are installed in the ABC tab
   on the component palette.

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B. HOW TO MERGE HELP KEYWORDS
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1. Run the HelpInst program icon from the Delphi
   group in the Windows Program Manager;
   In Delphi 2.0 you will need to locate this file
   using the Windows Explorer.  It is located in 
   the \HELP\TOOLS subdirectory of Delphi 2.0.
2. Choose File|Open, then locate and open file 
   \DELPHI\BIN\DELPHI.HDX
   {or \Delphi 2.0\BIN\DELPHI.HDX};
3. Choose KeyWords|Add KeyWord File from the main
   menu;
4. Locate the file \DELPHI\HELP\ABC1B16.KWF 
   {or \Delphi 2.0\Help\ABC1B32.KWF} and click Ok;
5. From the HelpInst main window choose File|Save
   to merge the new help keywords into Delphi.
6. Steps 1-5 must be repeated for both Delphi 1.0
   and Delphi 2.0 installations.
7. Other help file installation in Delphi 2.0 is
   automatic.  The setup program adds ABC to the 
   main Delphi Help Topics Table of Contents.

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C. UNINSTALLING HELP FILES IN DELPHI 2.0
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All Delphi 2.0 help files can be automatically uninstalled, except for one
file modified during the installation.  DELPHI.CNT is the main table of contents
for use in Delphi 2.0.

The DELPHI.CNT file in the Delphi 2.0\Help directory is backed up during the
installation to file DELPHI.001 or a similar number.

DELPHI.CNT is modified in the installation, to have two lines appended to the
end of the file.

You can remove ABC from the Delphi help contents in two ways. 
Use Option 1 if the DELPHI.CNT file has been changed after installing ABC:

1. Edit the DELPHI.CNT file using the Microsoft Help Engine and manually delete the two lines for ABC.
OR
2. Delete DELPHI.CNT and rename the backup DELPHI.001 file to DELPHI.CNT.

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C. LATEST RELEASE NOTES
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VERSION 1.0b:

This new release features significant modifications based on user feedback, as well as Delphi 2.0 updates.

All component source is now modified to recompile on both 16 and 32 bit versions of Delphi.
The following changes include platform specific requirements for Delphi 2.0, new functionality inherited from Delphi 2.0, new functionality based on user requests, and bug fixes.

VCN033: TBackground has been modified to improve repainting speed.  This control now
        repaints 10-20% faster than Delphi controls such as TImage.  Repainting is
        also independant of the background style.  Performance resizing the control 
        or changing display properties is slightly slower.
        Bugs changing display properties of TBackground and TImage at runtime have also
        been corrected.
VCN032: (Note) TWin3D is obsolete under Windows 95, since system dialogs are always 3D.
        It has been removed from the Delphi 2.0 component registration.
VCN031: (Delphi 2.0 only) TRSExit now locates and closes 32 Bit ReportSmith programs.
VCN030: (Delphi 2.0 only) TLauncher returns different result values under WIN16 or WIN32.
VCN029: (Delphi 2.0 only) OnStartDrag event added to components that support drag & drop.
VCN028: (Delphi 2.0 only) New component editors have been added to DB Grid components.
VCN027: (Delphi 2.0 only) New inherited properties have been added to DB Grid components.
VCN026: TDBAppException modified to make the message table optional.
VCN025: TAppException and TDBAppException redesigned with events and virtual methods to allow easy extension of log information.
VCN024: ShowTitle property added to TWinAbout.  This is a workaround for having "Microsoft"
        inserted into the title string in the system about box under Windows 95.
VCN023: (Delphi 2.0 only)  Fixed design feature in TDBEditLabel, where Caption is not automatically set when connecting to empty datasets.  For Delphi 1.0 there is a public method SetCaptionToField which will update the caption.
VCN022: Modified most events of TEditLabel and TDBEditLabel to return the main owner component as the sender.
VCN021: Modified inheritance of TCustomDBFixedGrid to inherit from TCustomDBGrid, to reduce code size and improve maintainability.
VCN020: Added new display properties to TPopupSelect:  ItemIndex; ItemsPerCol; BarBreak; PopupOffsetX; PopupOffsetY.
VCN019: Added BeforeWait event to TLauncher.
VCN018: Added Active property to TDBAppException.
VCN017: Added EmptyLogTable method to TDBAppException.
VCN016: Fixed bug causing GPF in the IDE when trying to use both TAppException and TDBAppException at design-time.
VCN015: Fixed bugs in OnExt event and SetFocus method of TEditLabel and TDBEditLabel.
VCN014: Fixed resource leaks in TDBSuperNav, TStopWatch and TPicSpeedBtn components.
VCN013: Renamed Enumerated type values in TWinMsgBoxBtns to avoid conflict with DIALOGS.PAS.
VCN012: Modified IDE behaviour of TDBQueryGrid and TDBTableGrid to not accept controls dropped onto them.
VCN011: Fixed bugs when changing Active and ReadOnly properties of TDBQueryGrid and TDBTableGrid.
VCN010: Fixed bug when changing Visible property of TDBQueryGrid and TDBTableGrid.

VERSION 1.0a:

All changes are now logged using a version control number, VCNnnn.
Purchasers of the Pro Version will see commented VCN references for changes in the source code.
Updates in this version have been applied to all demo programs and online help.  Please consult the online help for further details of change impact.

VCN009: Added ChangeScale method to TEditLabel and TDBEditLabel to improve resizing of controls.
VCN008: Modified TWin3D to set the Ctl3D property of the Application.MainForm instead of the Owner form.
VCN007: Updated all demo programs to improve sizing with SVGA Large Fonts.
VCN006: Added new component TMDIScroll to allow enable/disable of scroll bars on MDI main forms.
VCN005: Enhanced TDBEdit to set its label caption using the Field DisplayName and unpublished the Caption property.
VCN004: Fixed bug using Params on TDBQueryGrid.  Params now work correctly.
VCN003: Wait property added to TLauncher, to allow it to wait until launched program stops running.
VCN002: Split ABCDBCTL into two units: ABCDBCTL and ABCDBGRD; and added a new component TDBFixedGrid to allow FixedCols and FixedColor on DB Grids.
VCN001: Fixed bug using Fields Editor on TDBQueryGrid and TDBTableGrid.  

VERSION 1.0:

1. Compiler Error Number 26 - Type Mismatch

This error can occur occasionally when using enumerated types that have the same values as another type in a different unit.  Values of some Delphi enumerated types have been re-used in this VCL to aid in recognising the values to be used.  The Delphi compiler always uses the last type definition containing the value, according to the order of units in the uses clause, unless a specific unit reference is made.

There are two workarounds to this problem:
You can change the order of units in the uses clause of the module.
Or you can prefix the enumerated value with the unit name of its declaration, for example Dialogs.mbOkCancel or ABCUtil.mbOKCancel.

2. User's Guide Help File Installation P 2.

The instruction for step 4. locating file ABC1.KWF is incorrect.  This file will be found in \DELPHI\HELP\ABC1.KWF.

3. User's Guide DefaultBtn Property P 41.

The description should read "If less buttons exist than the default, the FIRST button becomes the default."

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D. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
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All demonstration programs can be found in the \ABC\DEMOS directory. The contents of each subdirectory are:

DEMO1:

TILE.DPR contains an example of tiled images using TTiledImage and TPicBtn components.  This also contains a BITMAPS directory with a selection of useful tiling bitmaps.

DEMO2:

BACKGRND.DPR contains several examples of using TBackground.

DEMO3:

TBLGRID.DPR illustrates TDBTableGrid, TDBState and TDBRecordCount components.

DEMO4:

QRYGRID.DPR uses the TDBQueryGrid component for adhoc queries.

DEMO5:

SUPRNAV.DPR uses the TDBSuperNav and TDBEditLabel components.

DEMO6:

MDITILE.DPR is an MDI text editor application, using MDITiledImage as the background for the main form.

DEMO7:

MDIBACK.DPR contains the same editor application as DEMO6, only it uses the TMDIBackground component to fill the main form.

DEMO8:

BTNDEMO.DPR demonstrates each of the button styles in the ABC Library: TMouseRegion, TPicBtn, TPicSpeedBtn, TRepSpeedBtn.

DEMO9:

APPCTRL.DPR demonstrates the components used for control of applications, namely TSingleInstance, TRSExit and TLauncher.

DEMO10:

WINDLG.DPR Demonstrates the use of TWin3D, TWinAbout and TWinMsgBox.

DEMO11:

EDLABEL.DPR contains demonstrations of TEditLabel, TPopupSelect, TSuperLabel and TClockLabel.

DEMO12:

STPWDEMO.DPR is a demonstration of the StopWatch performance logging component.

DEMO13:

APPXDEMO.DPR uses TAppException to raise, report and log various example exceptions.

DEMO14:

DBEXDEMO.DPR uses TDBAppException to demonstrate use of database tables for exception handling. Note this program requires the TDBAppException.DatabaseName to be set to the current directory before use.

DEMO15:

Some users have requested ways to remove the default control name value placed in the text or items or lines property when a new control is created.

NONAMES.PAS contains examples of subclassed components using the ControlStyle property to remove default text values from edit controls.  This technique applies to some ABC components, as well several Delphi components.  To use this file, install NONAMES.PAS into the Delphi Component Palette.  Five new components will be added to the Samples page of the palette.

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E. INSTALLED FILE LIST
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\ABC Directory:

Contains miscellaneous common files and installation log.

INSTALL.LOG	Log file used by the uninstaller program
LICENSE.TXT	License Agreement
ORDERFRM.TXT	ABC Order Form
README.TXT	This File
NEWVER1B.RTF	Summary of What's New in this version

\ABC\DELPHI1 Directory:

Contains all DCU and resource files for Delphi 1.0 components. These files are all required and should never be deleted.

ABC1PROP.DCU	Property Editors
ABC1REG.DCU	Register Components
ABC1REG.PAS	Register Components
ABC1R16.RES	Palette Bitmaps
ABCDBCTL.DCU	Components
ABCEXCEP.DCU	Components
ABCEXCTL.DCU	Components
ABCUTIL.DCU	Components
NAVBTN16.RES	Component Resources
STOPFORM.DCU	Component Dialog
STOPFORM.DFM	Component Dialog
STOPWTCH.DCU	Components

\ABC\DELPHI2 Directory:

Contains all DCU and resource files for Delphi 2.0 components. These files are all required and should never be deleted.

ABC1PROP.DCU	Property Editors
ABC1REG.DCU	Register Components
ABC1REG.PAS	Register Components
ABC1R32.RES	Palette Bitmaps
ABCDBCTL.DCU	Components
ABCEXCEP.DCU	Components
ABCEXCTL.DCU	Components
ABCUTIL.DCU	Components
NAVBTN32.RES	Component Resources
STOPFORM.DCU	Component Dialog
STOPFORM.DFM	Component Dialog
STOPWTCH.DCU	Components
LICENSE.TXT	License Agreement
README.TXT	This File

\ABC\DEMOS Directory:

All demonstration programs described above, in 15 directories.  These files are optional and could be deleted once you have reviewed them.

\ABC\DOC Directory:

All *.INT files containing header information for the DCU component files. These files are useful but are not required for operation of the software.

ABC1PROP.INT
ABCDBCTL.INT
ABCEXCEP.INT
ABCEXCTL.INT
ABCUTIL.INT
STOPWTCH.INT

Help Files for Delphi 1.0:

\DELPHI\BIN\ABC1B16.HLP	 Help File
\DELPHI\HELP\ABC1B16.KWF Help Keyword File

Help Files for Delphi 2.0:

\DELPHI 2.0\HELP\ABC1B32.HLP Help File
\DELPHI 2.0\HELP\ABC1B32.CNT Help Contents File
\DELPHI 2.0\HELP\ABC1B32.KWF Help Keyword File
\DELPHI 2.0\HELP\DELPHI.001  Backup of DELPHI.CNT File 
NOTE: The DELPHI.CNT file is modified during installation and is not automatically restored by uninstall.

Uninstall Utility:

\WINDOWS\UNWISE.EXE	 Uninstaller

Additional Pro Version Files:

If you have installed the Pro Version 1.0, all source code for the DCU component files is located in the \SOURCE directory.  There is one *.PAS file of the same name for each DCU file in the main directory.

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F. UPGRADE AVAILABILITY
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If you have purchased the base version of Advanced Business Components, you may wish to obtain source code for these components, or order additional copies for other developers.

Suggested retail pricing for our products is as follows:

International Orders
-----------------------------------------------
ABC for Delphi, Version 1.0b    	US$95
ABC for Delphi, Pro Version 1.0b	US$184
(includes source code)
Upgrade to Pro Version		     	US$89
Upgrade 1.0a to 1.0b 		     	US$20

We also offer volume discounts for purchase of 10 or more licenses.

You can contact Objective Software Technology at:

Fax	+61-6-273-2190
Phone	+61-6-273-2100 
E-mail	100035.2441@compuserve.com
