Code Faster in Delphi

Buy Code Faster in Delphi From LeanPub or Amazon.com

This book will make you a faster Delphi developer, it doesn't matter if you are just starting out, or have been using Delphi since version 1, you will find all sorts of tips, tricks and hacks to boost your productivity.

But don't take my word for it, here is what people are saying...CodeFasterMockup_small.png

Reviews:

"This book is extremely well thought out and focuses on many aspects of how you may code faster in Delphi. Did I say many? Everything related to boosting your productivity is covered!" -- Dave Nottage.  Full review here.

"To be honest, I purchased the book simply because I purchase just about every new Delphi book that ever hits the market. I didn't think I would get much out of this particular book as I assumed that it was targeted mainly at Delphi noobs. I was wrong. It's a nice reference that most anyone can rely on to improve their skills. I'm glad that I purchased this book and I look forward to Alister's next book."  -- Darian Miller.  Full review here.

"You have done an excellent and very complete job that will surely help us in our daily work as programmers and analysts" -- Javier Pareja

"I just got a chance to review the first of a series of new books about Delphi from Alister Christie, and even if it is a short book - 160 pages - it is perfect and on the spot - looking forward to the next in the series." -- Steffen Nyeland.  Full review here.

"For me, this book is now a staple, a standard book every Delphi developer should have. Read it, I’m sure you’ll agree." -- Danny WInd.  Full review here.

"A highly recommended book and I think it is essential in our library as programmers." (translated) -- Full review here.

From the back cover:

Don’t touch that mouse! Hands on the keyboard, and eyes front. You’re about to embark on a Bootcamp to tone your coding muscles, sharpen your shortcuts, fix forms faster, and accelerate your career as a Delphi Programmer.

Now drop and give me twenty lines of code and five laps of that while loop.

This book will help you Code Faster in Delphi through a vast array of tips, tricks and hacks to squeeze every bit of productivity out of yourself and the Delphi IDE.

Some ways your coding will be made easier:

By enhancing the IDE with plugins.

You’ll be introduced to powerful language features such as:

  • Interfaces
  • Generics
  • Anonymous Methods

Get started with some of the best parts of the Run-Time Library, including:

  • Generic Collections
  • Parallel Programming Library
  • Regular Expressions
  • Enhanced RTTI
  • FireDAC

Use Meta-Programming to write and modify code to save you from horribly repetitive tasks.

Improve your physical environment with easy solutions to hardware and station problems.

And of course, once you’ve mastered these, where to go to get even faster and better.

With over one hundred areas of improvement covered, this holistic approach to Coding Faster In Delphi will boost your productivity, and therefore your value to your clients, bosses, and colleagues.

Table of Contents

Copyright 1
Dedication 1
Table of Contents 2
Foreword 6
Preface 7
Acknowledgements 8
Introduction 9
  Conventions Used in this Book 9
  Scope 10
  Code Samples 10
Code Faster by Typing Faster 11
  Touch Typing 11
    Getting Started with Touch Typing 13
  Know Thy Keyboard Shortcuts 15
The Delphi Code Editor 16
  Keyboard Shortcuts 16
  CodeInsight 26
  Code Templates 27
  MultiPaste 31
  The Editor Toolbar 32
  IDE Insight 33
  Structure View 34
  The Class Explorer 36
  Code History 37
  Macros 39
  Surround 40
  SyncEdit 41
The Delphi Form Designer 42
  Keyboard Shortcuts 42
  Quick Edits 44
  Quick Actions 45
  Add Control and Add Component 45
  Object Inspector 46
  Structure View 47
  The Component Palette 49
  Editing the Form’s Source 51
  Editing the Clipboard 52
  Aligning Controls 52
    Position 53
    Alignment (and Size) 53
    VCL Guidelines 56
    Windows Magnifier 57
Customising the IDE 58
  IDE Layout 58
    Unpinning and Undocking 58
    Desktop Speedsettings 61
  Changing the ToolBar and ToolButtons 63
  Welcome to the Dark Side 64
  Write Your Own IDE Plugin 66
    Further Learning 70
Language Features 71
  Interfaces 71
    Further Learning 73
  Generics 74
    Generic Collections 76
  Anonymous Methods 77
    Variable Capture 80
  Anonymous Threads 81
    Further Learning 81
  Inline Variables and Type Inferencing 82
Know the RTL 84
  Measuring Time 84
  Generic Collections 86
    TDictionary 88
    Further Learning 90
  Parallel Programming 90
    No Parallel Example 91
    Background Thread Example 93
    Multiple Tasks Example 94
    Parallel For Example 97
    Further Learning 99
  Regular Expressions 99
    IP Address Validation 100
    IsMatch 101
    Match 102
    Matches 103
    Replace 104
    Summary 104
    Further Learning 105
  Enhanced RTTI 105
    Reading Properties 105
    Writing Properties 107
    Further Learning 108
  FireDAC 108
    TFDConnection 109
    Adding a TFDQuery 111
    But There’s More 113
    Further Learning 113
Tools and Plugins 114
  Third-Party Tools. 114
  cnWizards / cnPack 114
    Structural Highlighting 114
    Tab Order 117
    Component Prefix Wizard 119
  ModelMaker Code Explorer 120
    Live Documentation 121
    Class Browser 122
    Tip of the Day 124
    The MMX Toolbar 124
  Navigator 125
  Bookmarks 128
  CodeSite 129
    Further Learning 131
  GExperts 131
    Clipboard History 131
    File Favorites 132
    AutoCorrect 132
    Backup Project 133
  Other Non-Delphi Specific Tools 135
  Third-Party Libraries 135
Metaprogramming 136
    Case study - BDE Replacement. 136
  Find and Replace 137
    In the IDE 137
    Turbo GREP 137
  Delphi AST 140
  DFM Parser 141
  reFind 143
  Mida Converter 145
  cnWizards Property Corrector 146
  GExperts Replace Components 147
Your Physical Environment 149
  Hardware 149
    Keyboard 149
    Mouse 149
    Computer 149
    Screens 150
    Chair 150
    Desk 150
  Other Considerations 151
    Environmental 151
    Interruptions 151
    Multitasking 152
Sharpening the Saw 153
  Where to go when you are Stuck 153
    Google is Your Friend 153
    Asking Questions 154
    Stack Overflow 154
  Recommended Reading 154
  Social Networks 155
     Facebook 155
    LinkedIn 155
    Twitter 155
    Meetup 155
    YouTube 156
    StackOverflow 156
    Delphi-PRAXiS 156
  Becoming Known as an Expert 156
  What’s Improved Productivity Worth 157
    As an Employer 157
    As an Employee 158
    Self Employed 158
    Diminishing returns on investment 158
    Further Learning 159
Final Words and Conclusion 160