Working with Delphi UI components is essential to make your development life easier and more efficient. The Visual Component Library (VCL) is the backbone of Delphi’s RAD environment for Windows, providing many prebuilt UI components like buttons, tables, and text boxes. It also serves as a foundational framework for C++Builder. Plus, it inspired the Lazarus Component Library (LCL), which supports cross-platform development.
Now, lots of Delphi component libraries extend the VCL framework with advanced visual controls and data access modules that work across different environments. You can just drag and drop these elements to build feature-rich user interfaces and connect your apps to databases and cloud services. This speeds up your workflow and keeps things consistent in all your projects.
Table of contents
- Key features to look for in VCL UI components
- Most popular VCL UI components for Delphi developers
- Enhanced connectivity with Devart’s UniDAC
- Enable Delphi workflow with VCL components
Key features to look for in VCL UI components
There are many Delphi libraries and tools, but not any VCL collection will do — some are extensive but lack flexibility for complex applications, while others offer considerable customization but poor performance.
Here are a few things to look for as you evaluate your choices:
- Ease of integration: Opt for libraries that are easy to install in Delphi environments and integrate smoothly with other database and visual components.
- Flexibility: Choose Delphi UI components that let you tweak their behavior and look to fit different devices and your app’s evolving needs.
- Performance: Prioritize components that are optimized for performance, meaning fast rendering, smooth user interactions, and efficient use of resources.
- Scalability: If you are developing enterprise applications or plan on growing, consider components that can handle increasing data loads and user interactions.
Server-aware providers
Want your app to manage and display data in the UI with minimal retrieval delays? You may want to look into server-aware providers. They directly connect your Delphi application to databases and cloud services, using server-specific features to optimize data access, manipulation, and synchronization.
This way, you can manage data transactions better and use native tools like direct SQL execution, which speeds up queries, lowers latency, and maintains the responsiveness of your app.
Cross-platform compatibility
Not all VCL components are available in Lazarus, so make sure to check the library’s documentation for compatibility. Those that work in Delphi, C++Builder, and Lazarus save a great deal of development and maintenance time. They let you reuse the same components and code across these environments without needing separate libraries or drivers. Most of them also support deployment on multiple operating systems, ensuring a consistent user experience without the hassle of managing multiple codebases.
Server-independent SQL
If you’re building an app that needs to connect to different databases, consider server-independent SQL components. They allow you to write your SQL queries just once and use them on different database systems. This means you can easily adapt your app when client requirements change, simplifying maintenance and reducing the risk of errors. Plus, it keeps your app portable, so it’s easier to deploy in Delphi environments.
Most popular VCL UI components for Delphi developers
DevExpress VCL components
DevExpress VCL is a set of UI components for building rich Windows apps with Delphi and C++Builder. One of its most useful controls is the Data Grid, which helps you visualize complex data. You can group, filter, and sort information and then display it dynamically without additional coding.
Need to implement complex scheduling features but want to save time? The Scheduler component comes with drag-and-drop functionality, recurring events, and customizable views. There’s also a Ribbon Control to make your app more intuitive, featuring a user-friendly interface similar to what you find in Microsoft Office UIs.
TMS VCL UI Pack
TMS VCL UI Pack isn’t your average collection of text boxes and labels. With over 600 VCL components, it lets you create cohesive and feature-rich UIs for Windows-only apps. You’ll get anything from advanced grid controls to versatile planners with plenty of configuration options.
For instance, you can use the TAdvStringGrid to handle and visualize large datasets, and the TPlanner for organizing schedules. Not to mention flexible editors like the TAdvEdit component, which allows users to easily input and manipulate data within your application.
EhLib
EhLib focuses on grid functionality, so it’s a very good choice for data-intensive apps like accounting and medical software. It’s a native VCL component library, compatible with Delphi, C++Builder, and Lazarus.
EhLib components are all about handling large amounts of data to keep applications responsive and stable. Some of their main features include automatic column resizing, export options to formats like Excel and HTML, and advanced filtering, sorting, and grouping for easy data management.
FastReport for VCL
Unlike EhLib, FastReport VCL specializes in simplifying report generation for Delphi and C++Builder applications. It’s specifically designed to integrate well with the VCL framework, so you can easily work with VCL Styles and report templates.
Its visual designer lets you create a wide variety of reports, from basic lists to complex master-detail formats. You can pull in data from databases like FireDAC and ADO and then export the results to over 30 formats, such as PDF, XLSX, XML, and HTML. If you want to share your reports, you can deploy them to cloud services, email them, or just print them out.
LMD VCL Components
The LMD’s toolkit is far more than just a bunch of controls for Delphi UI design. You can use more than 750 native components to create engaging user experiences, handle complex tasks quickly, and enable richer interactions.
For building interactive and informative displays, you get components like the TElXTree, which supports advanced tree structures and customizable item cells. There are also powerful system programming tools that make file management simple. You can even use multimedia components to integrate audio and video playback into your apps.
BergSoft NextSuite
If you’ve developed CRMs, financial tools, or other apps involving extensive data handling directly in the UI, you’ve probably heard of BergSoft’s NextSuite. It’s pretty popular because of how well it streamlines user interaction in data-driven C++Builder and Delphi apps, especially with its NextGrid and NextDBGrid components.
NextGrid is a flexible grid tool that allows you to personalize how your data looks, making it easier for users to find and understand the information they need. NextDBGrid integrates with database support, so you can connect columns to dataset fields and do real-time data updates. Both have many advanced features, including multiple column types, sorting options, and efficient data manipulation capabilities.
Enhanced connectivity with Devart’s UniDAC
Setting up database connections can be a real headache, especially when you work with several database servers or try to make everything work on different platforms.
To help you out, UniDAC provides a unified interface that lets you connect and switch between major databases and cloud services with just a few clicks. You can work with many popular databases, such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL, as well as most cloud services, including QuickBooks, Netsuite, and Salesforce.
Besides, it supports Delphi, C++Builder, and Lazarus on all major operating systems. This means you can interact with your data without the hassle of reconfiguring your app each time you change your data source.
Server-aware data providers
UniDAC uses server-specific connectivity to make your data operations run as efficiently as possible. How? Unlike other server-aware data providers, it automatically optimizes most data management tasks based on your selected server. With MySQL, for instance, UniDAC directly uses native protocol support for fast data retrieval. If you’re working with PostgreSQL, it implements the database’s advanced data types to enhance performance and simplify data manipulation.
Database independence with UniDAC
UniDAC lets you create dynamic SQL, swapping out portions of your queries with your own code. These aren’t tied to any specific database server, so it’s easy to switch between databases. You might still have to make some adjustments for changes in SQL syntax or database-specific features, but you don’t need to start from scratch with everything. As a result, you can work faster and avoid getting bogged down in maintenance as your needs change.
Enable Delphi workflow with VCL components
Many standard Delphi UI components are rigid, and custom coding takes too much time. The right VCL components can help you get things done faster and build consistent and functional user interfaces without the hassle.
But to save this additional time from complex connectivity issues, you need to use a data access component that simplifies interactions across databases. For fast integration with most Delphi IDEs, try UniDAC. It can help you improve your app’s performance and ensure seamless data management across multiple platforms.
