Re: Bunch of Delphi 7 bugs/misfeatures, pls advise?

From: Jamie (jamie_5_not_valid_after_5_Please_at_charter.net)
Date: 05/06/04 

Date: Thu, 06 May 2004 12:02:24 -0700

>
> (1) Compiler and/or IDE says "File c:\mmtools\foobar.pas" or "File
> Z:\Fungi\TDXXClasses.dcu" not found". Fine, they're not found. But the
> message gives NOT A CLUE as to what source file package, unit, or blimblop
> asked for this file!!!!!!!!!!!! I can SOMETIMES do a Find in Files.... for
> the filename and sometimes it will be some {$I, other times not a clue where
> it comes from. Sometimes I'll check the directory options, or package
> paths, sometimes I'll find the problem there. But surely the compiler
> knows, it's just not telling me, or I don't know where to look. HELP!
Most of the time it's a missing unit that is not in the search path of
your project Setup/environment set up. if you have a favorate place that
you like to put third party units/pas then add this path to the LIB path
in the environment or move the unit in the project folder.

> (2) I put my units in a directory .\Src from the main project. I set .\Src
> as part of the search path. (Sidenote: SURELY there's some way of setting
> the search path thru a {$ compiler directive? otherwise the code is mighty
> fragile... ) It compiles FINE, so the compiler can obviously find the unit
> source code. I add them to the project. THEY DONT SHOW UP IN THE Units....
> Listbox !!!!Surely I'm doing something wrong, surely the IDE can find the
> source. HELP!!
    i do think that the list is only going to should you the PAS files
that you have added to your project. Libs files would other wise flood
the list in my opinion.

> (3) I get a run-time error. Fine. Every Borland compiler from 1.0 upwards
> points you to the source line. Delphi 7 seems to quite often point me to
> some random line. If I hit "View CPU" we are near the end of some exception
> handler I think. I do a View call stack, and it's usually empty. Surely
> Delphi 7 can do better than this? Sometimes if I F7 and F8 my way thru
> the code I can pin down the error, but we've gotten spoiled by BP 1..7, What
> am I doing wrong?
  there are problems copying and pasting Source code from other editors
aother than the IDE. things like <LF> and new line charactors get intserted.
> (4) I type a line: ii := SomeAPIFunction( Alt-Space, the cursor blinks
> but no help shows up. Turns out I havent declared ii yet, so this
> COMPLETELY trips up the search for "SomeAPIFunction". Shirley a system as
> smart as Delphi can get by this? This is nowhere near rocket science.
Yup, Code opitmizer, i find if you highlight it first it seems to work.

> (4.5) I'd like to see where a particular symbol is defined. "goto
> declaration" is waaay up at the top of the pop-up menu, no shortcut that I
> can see. Sometimes it works, sometimes it takes me to a random file/place,
> sometimes it takes me to the declaration in the interface (not too helpful
> if I wanted to see the body). I try using the code browser, but it never
> works, even if I checkmark all the browsing options. Surely I'm doing
> something dumb here??
i do think that is configable, "Start from top, Start from current" etc..

>
> (5) I'm sitting with the cursor over "TBitMap" in a .pas file. I hit F1
> cause I can't remember some property. I get a listbox with a whole bunch of
> CLX references. Surely in a .pas unit I wouldnt care to see the C
> syntax!! Surely Delphi 7 can figure this out?
it takes you to the first unit in the list, if it happens to be a clx
unit then that is what happens, try not using CLX code unless your porting.
  P.S.
     Use the Object quick view when you click on it. you will see the
list of your members.

>
> (6) I navigate thru the help system as best one can. Then I want to go
> back a page. I press "back", and I always end up at some stupid page.
> Surely Help manages a stack of visited pages? What did I do wrong?
Ask MS. its most likely their problem because the HTML browsing Help
files and the old standby/

> (6.5) The default Help file seems to be a cursory overview of the IDE. The
> real meaty help files are not loaded by default, and loading them in looks
> like a daunting task. Surely if I'm programming in Delphi, I'd like to have
> ALL the help ON-LINE?
Normly you must go to the content and select your topic.
  that is if you want windows help files. Delphi does not ship the full
load of MSDN but its free for you to use from MSDN anyways.

> (7) I go to download updates from the Borland web site. The print is
> miniscule, the links extremely unobvious, many of them circular. Sometimes
> you have to click on a miniscule link in the text, sometimes it's in a
> table, sometimes it's in the left gutter. It's unclear whether I need to be
> in the "community", "the developers page", or whatnot. The links are
> denoted with ambiguous and indecisive little words, and have been for
> millenia. Pop-ups happen asking me repeatedly for my login, which sometimes
> works on the 6th try, some days never. After hours of wild-goose chases, I
> finally download the update file. It comes as eleventy-ump separate patch
> files, each one requiring some careful custom finagling to get it installed,
> using some weird patch program. Harder than Chinese Arithmetic. Hardest
> thing by far I've ever been asked to do to update software. Surely there's
> an easier way?
Yeah, buy their next version and get sucked into the dam like alot of
others.

> (8) I change the name of a field using the object inspector. It changes it
> in the main form declaration, but usually forgets to change it the 22 places
> in the source code. Grrr...
Thats good, i wouldn't want it any other way.
    if that is suck problem for you then simply use the EDIT FIND and
replace it .. you will find that its better this way than allowing the
compiler to change your manual referencing to the renamed objects.

> (9) I double-click on a "OnXxxxx" field in the object inspector to add a
> new handler for that. The code opens up, with a new created procedure but
> it's usually sitting inside the begin/end. initialization section!! Gotta
> cut and paste it out of there most every time.
thats an old one and most likely because you maybe intermixing non
Object functions in between object types and you may have some code in
the Begin and end sections already..( this one could be looked at as a
real bug)

> (10) I get this at least 20 times a day: compiler says "type conflict",
> but doesnt say WHAT the types are, from what UNITS, whether it's a problem
> in the parameter list, or a problem in the assignment. Same thing with
> "Invalid type cast". It would be nice if the compiler would spit out what
> it thought the types were, and where on the line these are.
Look at your cursor and where its blinking.

> (11) {$X+} "Extended syntax" encompasses a whole pig's breakfast of items.
> It would be nice to be able to use Pchar()s and NOT get the ugly stuff, like
> "result" and ignorable function return values.
Oh well.
> (12) Tooltip expression evaluation is wonderful, but why does it stop
> working after an error? That's the time you most want to look at the
> variables!
Hmm, if you have source code errors its hard for the compiler at some
points to get the proper index.

   Personnelly most of those items don't bother me because they are
normally over sites and simple problems in how people think.
  now what i call a real bug is a problem like i had the other day.
  calling a function that returns string. if the string being returned
happens to be empty(nil), the receiving string does not get set to null
but maintains the same contents as it was before that problem started
some where in version 4 or 5, i can't remember now and its a code
optimizer bug.

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