Dear all,
through the OpenTools API, Delphi is enhanced a lot, and all is customizable by the developer.

I remember using it to have multi-line component tabs. It was interesting when one has many components available.

GExperts: http://www.gexperts.org

Best regards,
Thierry

A straight port will be hard, since the OpenTools API is very different from the lazarus designer API. You would end up re-implementing everything.

But some of the individual wizards have been re-implemented, some are supported out-of-the-box.

If there are any particular ones you would like to see supported in Lazarus, just ask, maybe they have been ported in one way or another.

Michael.

2009/10/17 Thierry Coq :

through the OpenTools API, Delphi is enhanced a lot, and all is customizable by the developer.

Lazarus has something similar, but not OpenTools API compatible.

As for GExperts. I never used Delphi without it installed. So obviously, when I moved over to Lazarus IDE, I brought some of those favorable wizards with me. I favorable, I mean the ones I used the most.

* Procedure List
* Editor Toolbar

Lazarus already had some of the editor features built in, so nothing was needed there.

Was there any specific features from GExperts that you were looking for?

Thank you Graeme, Michael,
you are most helpful! I saw indeed many improvements over the Delphi environment, and I would certainly not exchange Lazarus for Eclipse!

I was looking indeed for the multi-line component palette so that many components can be used in the IDE. I tend to develop and use components a lot.

Also I tend to use "macros" within the Delphi, but I already code quite fast within Lazarus, so is this needed?

I also used the "debug" window sending the messages to the screen, but in Lazarus I use the "logger", so it's probably not useful as much.

The ASCII chart is helpful, from time to time ;-)

Finally I used the class explorer (project-wide) which does have an analog in Lazarus already! But in my case, I was using Delphi in conjunction with a UML tool (Modelmaker), and I quite liked the integration!

In any case, thank you again for the good work!

Best regards,
Thierry

Thierry Coq wrote

I was looking indeed for the multi-line component palette so that many components can be used in the IDE. I tend to develop and use components a lot.

If you expand the main Lazarus window down, and then make it narrow enough, you will see that component palette buttons rearrange in several rows. Is it counten ad "multi-line" palette?

Also I tend to use "macros" within the Delphi, but I already code quite fast within Lazarus, so is this needed?

Environment -> Code Templates ?

The ASCII chart is helpful, from time to time ;-)

Not so much in Lazarus, I am afraid, since it uses UTF-8.

Thank you very much for this answer. I wans't aware of this feature.

No, it's not what I expected. The feature is useful, though, and could complement the multi-line tab idea. I was expecting the component tabs itself to go multi line, like "standard", "additional", "common controls", "dialogs" on two or several lines.

...

Thierry Coq

2009/10/17 Thierry Coq :

you are most helpful! I saw indeed many improvements over the Delphi environment, and I would certainly not exchange Lazarus for Eclipse!

For more nice features of Lazarus IDE, please take a look at the following wiki page.

http://wiki.freepascal.org/New_IDE_features_since

Also I tend to use "macros" within the Delphi, but I already code quite fast within Lazarus, so is this needed?

I'm not quite sure what "marcos" you are talking about. But I use Lazarus's code templates a lot. Combine the basic code templates with the Macros feature it supports, I have created quite powerful code templates that write complete class interfaces definitions of me.

"Environment > Code Templates" menu option

I also used the "debug" window sending the messages to the screen, but in Lazarus I use the "logger", so it's probably not useful as much.

Somebody mentioned it a while back to me, but I haven't tried it yet. Lazarus has some "external debug monitor" application. This allows you to use an external monitor program to view debug info while your application is running. I already use something like this in tiOPF, and it is very useful. I have no idea how the Lazarus one compares though.

The ASCII chart is helpful, from time to time ;-)

"Edit > Insert from Character Map" menu option.

in Lazarus already! But in my case, I was using Delphi in conjunction with a UML tool (Modelmaker), and I quite liked the integration!

I have heard somebody mention they are working on a UML integration plug-in for Lazarus. So idea if the project has been started and if so how far they are.
But since I stumbled upon the small application called UMLet, I have not used any other UML designer. UMLet allows the user to very quickly design UML diagrams with no popup dialogs in sight - an awesome little tool.

As for ModelMaker - personally, I am not a fan of such two-way design tools. That means sometimes I generate code in the IDE and sometimes I have to switch to ModelMaker to generate "ModelMaker managed" code from there. I prefer one tool for writing my code - the IDE.

http://www.umlet.com