Colour Pop-up Menu Component

   
Release: 1.2
Date: 17 August 2008
Delphi Compatibility:
Key
 D1   D2   D3   D4   D5   D6   D7  D2005
(Win32)		 D2006
(Win32)		 D2007 D2009
(Win32)		 D2010
(Win32)
Red LED Red LED Red LED Green LED Grey LED Green LED Green LED Grey LED Grey LED Grey LED Grey LED Grey LED

Install Info

TPJColourPopupMenu, its help files, demo program and documentation are supplied in a zip file. Before installing you need to extract all the files from the zip file, preserving the directory structure. The following files will be extracted:

  • PJColourPopupMenu.pas – component source code.
  • PJColourPopupMenu.dcr – resource file containing a 32 bit component palette glyph.
  • PJColourPopupMenu.hlp – component help file that integrates with the Delphi 3 to 7 OpenHelp system.
  • PJColourPopupMenu.als – a-link keyword file for integration with the Delphi 6 or 7 OpenHelp system.
  • PJColourPopupMenuEd.pas – component and property editors.
  • PJColourPopupMenuEd.dfm – form file for component editor.
  • ReadMe.htm – information sheet (contains install information).
  • ChangeLog.txt – component's change log.
  • MPL.txt – Mozilla Public License.
  • Demo\ColourPopupMenuDemo.dpr – demo project file.
  • Demo\ColourPopupMenuDemo.res – icon resource for demo.
  • Demo\FmDemo.pas – demo's main form source code.
  • Demo\FmDemo.dfm – demo's main form file.

You can now proceed to install the component using the emphasised files above. Installation methods vary between Delphi versions, so follow the instructions that apply to your version below. Note that $(DELPHI) represents the path where the appropriate version of Delphi was installed. Similarly $(BDS) refers to the installation path of a version of the Borland Development System.

Installation with Delphi 2005 & later

The component must be installed into a Delphi Win32 design package. It is assumed that you will be installing into an existing package. You may decide to install into the "user" package: $(BDS)\Lib\dclusr.dpk.

  1. Decide upon a suitable location into which to install the component. This may be a subdirectory of your Borland Studio Projects or $(BDS)\lib folders.
  2. Copy PJColourPopupMenu.pas, PJColourPopupMenu.dcr, PJColourPopupMenuEd.pas and PJColourPopupMenuEd.dfm to the chosen installation folder.
  3. Start the Development System (selecting the Delphi Win32 personality if appropriate) then:
    • Open the required package. Select the File | Open menu and choose a suitable package source file.
    • The package will now be displayed in the Project Manager with a .bpl extension. Right click the package's entry and select Add to display the Add dialog box. Enter the full path to PJColourPopupMenu.pas in the Unit file name edit box (use the Browse button to navigate to the file). Click OK to add the component to the package.
    • Repeat the previous step for PJColourPopupMenuEd.pas.
    • Back in the Project Manager, check that the added files appear under the package's Contains node. If so, right click the package's entry again and select Compile. If the resulting compilation succeeds a message should be displayed confirming that TPJColourPopupMenu has been registered. The component should now appear in the "DelphiDabbler" section of the Tool Palette. (Note this will only appear when a form is selected in the designer). The new component and property editors should now be activated.
    • If the component does not appear the package may not have been installed. Install it from the Project Manager by selecting the package's Install right click menu option.
    • Close the package project using the File | Close menu item. Accept any prompt that offers to save the package project.
  4. If you wish you can now delete PJColourPopupMenu.pas and PJColourPopupMenuEd.pas from the chosen installation folder.
  5. The supplied help file cannot be integrated with the IDE's help system. However it can be used independently of the IDE, albeit with reduced functionality. The help program will not work at all on a Windows Vista system unless you have installed WinHelp yourself.
  6. The demo program can be loaded into Delphi and compiled and run as required.

Installation with Delphi 4 to 7

The component must be installed into a design package. It is assumed that you will be installing into an existing package. You may wish to use the "user" package named dclusr.dpk or dclusrXX.dpk (where XX is a version number). This package can be found in $(DELPHI)\Lib. For Delphi 6 and 7 the chosen package "requires" designide.dcp, so add it if it is not already present.

  1. Decide upon a suitable location into which to install the component. This may be a subdirectory of your $(DELPHI)\lib folder.
  2. Copy PJColourPopupMenu.pas, PJColourPopupMenu.dcr, PJColourPopupMenuEd.pas and PJColourPopupMenuEd.dfm to the chosen installation folder.
  3. Start Delphi then:
    • Choose the Component | Install Component menu option to display the Install Component dialog box. Ensure the Into existing package tab is selected. Enter the full path to PJColourPopupMenu.pas in the Unit file name edit box (use the adjacent Browse button to navigate to the file). Repeat this step for PJColourPopupMenuEd.pas. Choose the required package from the Package description combo box, or navigate to the package using Browse. Click OK to confirm your selections.
    • A confirmation dialog box may displayed, querying whether it is OK to rebuild and reinstall the package. Click Yes to proceed.
    • The package will now be built and a dialog box should be displayed stating that the TPJColourPopupMenu component has been installed. Click OK to dismiss the dialog box.
    • The component will appear on the "DelphiDabbler" palette. The component and property editors should also be available.
  4. If you wish you can now delete PJColourPopupMenu.pas and PJColourPopupMenuEd.pas from the chosen installation folder.
  5. The provided help file can be integrated with the IDE's OpenHelp system. Delphi 6 and 7 also require the use of the supplied .als file. The simplest way to install help is to use my Component Help Installer. If you prefer to install manually, this article explains the process. Note: Component Help Installer does not work on Windows Vista and, by default the help file cannot be displayed Vista.
  6. The demo program can be loaded into Delphi and compiled and run as required.
  7. The supplied demo programs can be loaded into Delphi and compiled and run as required.