petesouthwest wrote:
> Sorry to ask what is probably a daft question, but can someone please
> explain exactly what the vcl is?
>
> Is it only the graphical components of delphi?
That's what its name would suggest -- Visual Component Library. But most
people usually consider the VCL to include any Borland-supplied
component, even the non-visual ones like TActionList, TTimer, and TDatabase.
There are two main categories for Delphi's units: RTL and VCL. In one
sense, the VCL consists of everything that isn't part of the RTL. I use
the contents of the source-code directories as a guide. The System and
SysUtils units are in the Source\RTL\Sys directory, so they're part of
the RTL. The Forms, Controls, and Graphics units are in the Source\VCL
directory, so they're in the VCL. The Classes unit used to be in the VCL
folder (in Delphi 5), but it's moved to the new RTL\Common folder
(Delphi 2005), which I think is a good change since I've always thought
of Classes as having general-purpose, RTL-related stuff.
Controls that you write or that you get from other companies are not
part of the VCL. Go ahead and call them "VCL controls," though -- they
are descendants of classes in the VCL. The term distinguishes them from
CLX controls and WinForms controls.
One phrase that's definitely wrong is to talk about having "a VCL." I've
seen people use that to talk about a collection of controls, or
sometimes even just one control. There might be a component library, and
it might indeed be visual, but not every occurance of "visual component
library" can be abbreviated to "VCL"; the three-letter sequence refers
to Borland's component library -- "the VCL."
> Is for example an input box created by a line of code (ie
> inputbox('','','') part of the vcl or somethign different?
The InputBox command is part of the Dialogs unit, and that unit is in
the VCL source-code directory, so it's part of the VCL.
--
Rob
-----------------------------------------------------
Home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/delphi-en/
To unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/delphi-en/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
