Hello

I'm considering moving from VB to Delphi, so I bought the Delphi 3 standard
edition to try it out.

I am surprised that the Delphi editor, although part of the IDE, is so
rudimentary in features. It feels like coding in Notepad after my
experience with VB 4. I'm specifically missing two really basic functions.

1. VB checks every line of code entered and adjusts the layout, inserting
spaces to enhance readability.

Delphi also checks every line of code, but only highlights reserved names
and 'Code Insight' issues (properties). No spaces are inserted.

I read that there are 4 different 'modes' in which the Delphi editor can
work. Is there one that enables this feature ?

2. In VB, when I declare a variable, whenever I subsequently enter the name
of this variable in a line of code the variable name is checked and
automatically adjusted. This is a GREAT feature that prevents me from
making typing errors. (and creating compile errors) Example :

Dim MyVariable as String

I enter this line of code :

myvariable="Can Delphi do this ?"

when I change to the next statement, VB changes this line to :

MyVariable = "Can Delphi do this?"

So, with one glance I can see that the variable MyVariable is an existing
variable in this project. ( If it wasn't, the characters would still be all
minors)

So for the question : Can Delphi do this ?

Hope it can, otherwise I feel like going back to the stone age on the
'entering code' issue. This feature has been present since VB 3 (I think),
so it's hardly Hot New Technology.

Please also e-mail any answers (I'm leaving on holiday soon)
mailto://...@voz.be

thanks
Jan Neels

Jan -

I always hated that in VB.  I like to line things up in ways that VB won't let
me.  For example, I like to line up my equals signs it I have a bunch of
assignments.  I also like to line up my parameters when a function call spans
more than one line.  VB just doesn't allow that.  Delphi does have smart
indenting, which is about all the formatting I want my editor to do.

This is one thing I miss a little bit from VB, but not much.  Keep in mind that
Delphi will catch something like that when you compile, rather than at runtime.
And it will definitely catch errors, whereas the VB method requires that you
notice that it isn't capitalized the way you want.

The editors in both VB and Delphi are far from state of the art.  I feel like
I'm working in the stone age using either of them over Multi-Edit.

Clayton Neff
Software Project Leader
The Personal Marketing Company, Inc.
11843 West 83rd Terrace
Lenexa, KS  66214
(913)492-0322
clay...@tpmco.com

You ask for some relatively advanced features. But what about basic
things like a switch for 'cursor right from end-of-line takes you to
start of next line', and smarter handling of begin-end's. Is it
really so difficult to line up an 'end' with the corresponding
'begin', like Visual C++ does with the {}'s ?

I love Delphi, but (except for the new features like code-completion)
the editor is a disgrace.

RJ

Jan Neels <j...@voz.be> wrote in article
<01bc9c27$51bc16f0$4400a8c0@pc-jann>...

editors are the most personal tools of all.

yep, that's the way it should be.
Or maybe I should say it
That's The Way It Should Be.

4 different key mappings actually. altho I use the
default to do most editing, you might be able to
'program' the Brief mode. I never tried it, I simply
clip vi into the tools menu and go there whne I need
to do some _real_ editing.

Check out the Code Templates section of the Code Insight
menu (I'm not sure if it's in the 'standard edition')

no, that feature sux.
:o)

The D code completion means only the first
few letters need be typed, the IDE provides the
rest.

--
Grace + Peace | Peter N Roth | Engineering Objects Int'l
          The Ultimate Random Number Suite
Visit our website at http://www.inconresearch.com/eoi

On Sun, 03 Aug 1997 21:45:49 -0700, Roy Jonker

Haven't tried D3's editor yet to know, but you can get the begin/end
alignment by turning on "Backspace Undents" in the editor options.

The other thing you mention is IMO a symptom of the "virtual space"
editing that the Delphi editor allows, which I find otherwise
sufficiently useful that I don't miss what you describe (after all
that's what Down+Home is for ;-))  If you don't care for that feature,
I'll buy that it probably should be able to be turned off, but I'm
glad it's there compared with the old TP/BP editors.  I do miss TEMC
though.

Stephen Posey
slpo...@concentric.net