Delphi

Introducing Borland Delphi 8
for the Microsoft .NET Framework

A product overview

A Borland White Paper

January 2004

Introducing Borland  Delphi  8 for the Microsoft  .NET Framework

Contents
Introduction ......................................................................... 3 Windows development today ................................................ 4 The Microsoft .NETFramework ............................................ 4 The challenges behind the move to the Microsoft .NET Framework ........................................................................... 5

Delphi 8: smooth sailing to the Microsoft .NET Framework............................................ 5 Using Windows Forms and Web Forms............................................................................. 7
Extending ADO.NET: the Borland Data Provider ..................... 8 The advanced new Delphi 8 IDE ........................................... 9 Integration with other Borland solutions ............................. 19 Creating model-driven applications with Delphi 8 Architect .. 23 Summary............................................................................. 242

Introducing Borland  Delphi  8 for the Microsoft  .NET Framework

Introduction
Since the release of the Microsoft .NET Framework, it has been clear that this new approach is the future of Windows application development. Yet users of Microsoft Visual Studio find that they have a great deal to learn – and a great deal to change in their applications. With the release of Delphi8, Borland not only supports the new technology in .NET, but also preserves investments in previous application development efforts. New development for Windows is well under way. According to Gartner, “by mid-2004, most mainstream AD [Application Development] organizations should begin serious efforts to migrate any Win32/COM (Component Object Model) applications that are expected to be in usebeyond 2007 to the .NET Framework.”1 With the release of Borland C#Builder for the Microsoft .NET Framework in 2003, Borland delivered the first commercial alternative to Visual Studio for .NET development. Now, that same power is available for the Delphi language with Borland Delphi 8 for the .NET Framework. But Delphi 8 is more than a .NET version of Delphi. It includes many innovative features,including Borland Enterprise Core Objects (ECO™), a model-driven application development framework that promises to slash development and maintenance time. Other new technologies include Borland Data Provider for .NET, comprehensive development capabilities for Windows Forms, ASP.NET Web Forms, and Web Services. In addition to core technologies for .NET development, Delphi 8 also introducesstrong integration with solutions for other phases of the application lifecycle. This strong integration makes it easier to manage and maintain complex enterprise applications from the first stages of requirements gathering right through to deployment and implementation.

1

Gartner, CIO Update: How Java and .NET Compare and Will Evolve, Mark Driver, June 2003

3

Introducing Borland Delphi  8 for the Microsoft  .NET Framework

W indows  development today
Despite the popularity of Windows, the rapid development of applications that are easy to use, reliable, and secure can be difficult. Until recently, Microsoft encouraged developers to use either Visual Basic or Visual C++. This has led to challenges for development managers. Even less-technically qualified team membersfind Visual Basic lacking the tools and productivity they need, and Visual C++ can take years to learn and use effectively. With these issues in mind, Microsoft introduced the .NET Framework intending to simplify Windows programming and make it easier to create sophisticated, reliable applications.

The Microsoft  .NET Framewor k
In the past, each Windows programming language had its own...