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Form in DLL

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The following application and library demonstrate you how to show a modal and a non-modal form and create a custom component on application form from a DLL library. Tested on win32 and Linux/Gtk2 with Lazarus 1.7 trunk.

Main application:

pascal
program MainApp;

uses
  Interfaces, Classes, LCLType, Controls, StdCtrls, Forms, ExtCtrls;

type
  TEnableDisableFormsCallBack = procedure(var FormList: Pointer);
  TCreateButtonCallBack = procedure(Caption: PChar; OnClick: TProcedure);

const
{$IFDEF WINDOWS}
  DLLDialogLib = 'DLLDialog.dll';
{$ELSE}
  DLLDialogLib = 'DLLDialog.so';
{$ENDIF}

procedure DLLDialog_Init(DisableFormsCallBack, EnableFormsCallback: TEnableDisableFormsCallBack); external DLLDialogLib;
procedure DLLDialog_Final; external DLLDialogLib;
procedure DLLDialog_ShowModal(ParentWindow: HWND); external DLLDialogLib;
procedure DLLDialog_Show(ParentWindow: HWND); external DLLDialogLib;
procedure DLLDialog_CreateDLLButton(ParentWindow: HWND); external DLLDialogLib;
procedure DLLDialog_CreateButton(CreateButtonCallBack: TCreateButtonCallBack); external DLLDialogLib;

type
  TMainForm = class(TForm)
  private
    PnlParent: TPanel;

    procedure BtnAddDLLButtonClick(Sender: TObject);
    procedure BtnAddButtonClick(Sender: TObject);
    procedure ShowModalDLLDialog(Sender: TObject);
    procedure ShowDLLDialog(Sender: TObject);
  public
    constructor Create(aOwner: TComponent); override;
  end;

var
  MainForm: TMainForm;

{ TMainForm }

procedure DisableFormsCallBack(var FormList: Pointer);
begin
  FormList := Screen.DisableForms(nil, TList(FormList));
end;

procedure EnableFormsCallback(var FormList: Pointer);
begin
  Screen.EnableForms(TList(FormList));
end;

constructor TMainForm.Create(aOwner: TComponent);
var
  BtnShow, BtnShowModal, BtnAddDLLButton, BtnAddButton: TButton;
begin
  inherited CreateNew(aOwner);

  Position := poWorkAreaCenter;
  Width := 600;
  Height := 200;

  BtnShow := TButton.Create(Self);
  BtnShow.Parent := Self;
  BtnShow.Caption := 'Show form';
  BtnShow.AutoSize := True;
  BtnShow.OnClick := @ShowDLLDialog;

  BtnShowModal := TButton.Create(Self);
  BtnShowModal.Parent := Self;
  BtnShowModal.Caption := 'Show modal form';
  BtnShowModal.AutoSize := True;
  BtnShowModal.OnClick := @ShowModalDLLDialog;
  BtnShowModal.AnchorSide[akLeft].Control := BtnShow;
  BtnShowModal.AnchorSide[akLeft].Side := asrRight;
  BtnShowModal.BorderSpacing.Left := 10;

  BtnAddDLLButton := TButton.Create(Self);
  BtnAddDLLButton.Parent := Self;
  BtnAddDLLButton.Caption := 'Create real DLL button';
  BtnAddDLLButton.AutoSize := True;
  BtnAddDLLButton.OnClick := @BtnAddDLLButtonClick;
  BtnAddDLLButton.AnchorSide[akLeft].Control := BtnShowModal;
  BtnAddDLLButton.AnchorSide[akLeft].Side := asrRight;
  BtnAddDLLButton.BorderSpacing.Left := 10;

  BtnAddButton := TButton.Create(Self);
  BtnAddButton.Parent := Self;
  BtnAddButton.Caption := 'Create fake DLL button';
  BtnAddButton.AutoSize := True;
  BtnAddButton.OnClick := @BtnAddButtonClick;
  BtnAddButton.AnchorSide[akLeft].Control := BtnAddDLLButton;
  BtnAddButton.AnchorSide[akLeft].Side := asrRight;
  BtnAddButton.BorderSpacing.Left := 10;

  PnlParent := TPanel.Create(Self);
  PnlParent.Parent := Self;
  PnlParent.AnchorSide[akTop].Control := BtnShow;
  PnlParent.AnchorSide[akTop].Side := asrBottom;
  PnlParent.BorderSpacing.Top := 10;
  PnlParent.Width := 220;
end;

procedure CreateButtonCallBack(ACaption: PChar; AOnClick: TProcedure);
var
  Btn: TButton;
  MyMethod: TMethod;
begin
  Btn := TButton.Create(MainForm);
  Btn.Caption := ACaption;
  Btn.Left := 100;
  Btn.Width := 100;
  Btn.Height := 20;
  MyMethod.Code := AOnClick;
  MyMethod.Data := nil;
  Btn.OnClick := TNotifyEvent(MyMethod);
  Btn.Parent := MainForm.PnlParent;
end;

procedure TMainForm.BtnAddButtonClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
  DLLDialog_CreateButton(@CreateButtonCallBack);
end;

procedure TMainForm.BtnAddDLLButtonClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
  DLLDialog_CreateDLLButton(PnlParent.Handle);
end;

procedure TMainForm.ShowDLLDialog(Sender: TObject);
begin
  DLLDialog_Show(0);
end;

procedure TMainForm.ShowModalDLLDialog(Sender: TObject);
begin
  DLLDialog_ShowModal(Self.Handle);
end;

{$R *.res}

begin
  Application.Initialize;
  Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm);
  DLLDialog_Init(@DisableFormsCallBack, @EnableFormsCallback);
  try
    Application.Run;
  finally
    DLLDialog_Final;
  end;
end.

DLL with a form:

pascal
library DllDialog;

{$mode objfpc}{$H+}

uses
  Interfaces, Classes, LCLType, StdCtrls, Controls, Forms, Dialogs;

type
  TDLLDialog = class(TForm)
  protected
    procedure CreateParams(var Params: TCreateParams); override;
  public
    procedure BtnShowMessageClick(Sender: TObject);
    constructor Create(aOwner: TComponent); override;
  public
    ParentFormHandle: HWND;
  end;

  TEnableDisableFormsCallBack = procedure(var FormList: Pointer);
  TCreateButtonCallBack = procedure(Caption: PChar; OnClick: TProcedure);

  TApplicationCallback = class(TComponent)
  private
    DisableFormsCallBack: TEnableDisableFormsCallBack;
    EnableFormsCallback: TEnableDisableFormsCallBack;
    FormList: Pointer;
  public
    procedure DisableForms(Sender: TObject);
    procedure EnableForms(Sender: TObject);
    procedure BtnClick(Sender: TObject);

    constructor Create(aOwner: TComponent); override;
    destructor Destroy; override;
  end;

var
  ApplicationCallback: TApplicationCallback;

procedure DLLDialog_Init(DisableFormsCallBack, EnableFormsCallback: TEnableDisableFormsCallBack);
begin
  ApplicationCallback := TApplicationCallback.Create(nil);
  ApplicationCallback.DisableFormsCallBack := DisableFormsCallBack;
  ApplicationCallback.EnableFormsCallback := EnableFormsCallback;
end;

procedure DLLDialog_Final;
begin
  ApplicationCallback.Free;
end;

procedure DLLDialog_ShowModal(ParentWindow: HWND);
var
  DLLDialog: TDLLDialog;
begin
  DLLDialog := TDLLDialog.Create(ApplicationCallback);
  try
    DLLDialog.ParentFormHandle := ParentWindow;
    DLLDialog.ShowModal;
  finally
    DLLDialog.Free;
  end;
end;

procedure DLLDialog_Show(ParentWindow: HWND);
var
  DLLDialog: TDLLDialog;
begin
  DLLDialog := TDLLDialog.Create(ApplicationCallback);
  DLLDialog.ParentFormHandle := ParentWindow;
  DLLDialog.Show;
end;

procedure DLLDialog_CreateDLLButton(ParentWindow: HWND);
var
  Btn: TButton;
  BtnParentForm: TForm;
begin
  BtnParentForm := TForm.CreateNew(ApplicationCallback);
  BtnParentForm.ParentWindow := ParentWindow;
  BtnParentForm.Width := 100;
  BtnParentForm.Height := 20;
  BtnParentForm.BorderStyle := bsNone;
  BtnParentForm.Visible := True;

  Btn := TButton.Create(ApplicationCallback);
  Btn.Caption := 'Real DLL Button';
  Btn.Width := BtnParentForm.Width;
  Btn.Height := BtnParentForm.Height;
  Btn.OnClick := @ApplicationCallback.BtnClick;
  Btn.Parent := BtnParentForm;
end;

procedure FakeBtnClick;
begin
  ShowMessage('You clicked a fake button from a DLL!');
end;

procedure DLLDialog_CreateButton(CreateButtonCallBack: TCreateButtonCallBack);
begin
  CreateButtonCallBack('Fake DLL Button', @FakeBtnClick);
end;

exports
  DLLDialog_Init, DLLDialog_Final, DLLDialog_ShowModal, DLLDialog_Show,
  DLLDialog_CreateButton, DLLDialog_CreateDLLButton;

{ TApplicationCallback }

constructor TApplicationCallback.Create(aOwner: TComponent);
begin
  inherited Create(aOwner);

  Application.AddOnModalBeginHandler(@DisableForms);
  Application.AddOnModalEndHandler(@EnableForms);
end;

procedure TApplicationCallback.BtnClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
  ShowMessage('You clicked a real button from a DLL!');
end;

destructor TApplicationCallback.Destroy;
begin
  Application.RemoveOnModalBeginHandler(@DisableForms);
  Application.RemoveOnModalEndHandler(@EnableForms);

  inherited Destroy;
end;

procedure TApplicationCallback.DisableForms(Sender: TObject);
begin
  DisableFormsCallBack(FormList);
end;

procedure TApplicationCallback.EnableForms(Sender: TObject);
begin
  EnableFormsCallback(FormList);
end;

{ TDLLDialog }

constructor TDLLDialog.Create(aOwner: TComponent);
var
  BtnShowMessage: TButton;
begin
  inherited CreateNew(aOwner);

  Caption := 'This form is in a DLL !!!';
  Position := poWorkAreaCenter;
  Width := 200;
  Height := 100;

  BtnShowMessage := TButton.Create(Self);
  BtnShowMessage.Parent := Self;
  BtnShowMessage.Caption := 'Show message';
  BtnShowMessage.AutoSize := True;
  BtnShowMessage.OnClick := @BtnShowMessageClick;
end;

procedure TDLLDialog.BtnShowMessageClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
  ShowMessage('Hello from DLL!');
end;

procedure TDLLDialog.CreateParams(var Params: TCreateParams);
begin
  inherited CreateParams(Params);

  {$IFDEF LCLWin32}
  Params.WndParent := ParentFormHandle;
  {$ENDIF}
end;

begin
  Application.Initialize;
end.

From the Free Pascal wiki, page "Form in DLL", as it stood on 2020-02-15 after a change by Trev, out of the wiki's dump of 2024-05-26. Copyright stays with the author who wrote it, according to the old wiki's Licensing page. If you have concerns about this material, message the admin.

Revision 1, last changed by WikiArchive .

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