Move a project from VBnet to Delphi? 1

[jimmymarsh747]

I have a standalone Windows application in VBnet to an Access DB.
Runs in schools that often have old PCs.
Pain to install MDAC, IE5.5, Jet, NET on each old PC.

Thinking of getting Delphi and redoing the application.
Expecting application that installs on all PCs.

Worries:
Output very graphical - 200+ small graphics per A4 page.
Want simple DB - just indexed non-relational tables.
Template for output is XML.

Need to know about Delphi:
Good with highly graphical printer output?
Simple DB?
XML - auto parsing etc?

TIA

Jim

 

[svanels]

Welcome to the Delphi forum, my opinion (not humble) (the term IMHO) forget all this #net poohaa from M$.

Use the search capabilities in this forum and check out frequently or FAQ area.


Here are some links:

http://delphi.about.com/library/weekly/aa072500a.htm

explains Delphi with xml etc.

Subscribe to

http://delphi.about.com

and you will wonder why you ever lost your time with VB or .#?net



Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[jimmymarsh747]

Steven

Thanks for the links.
XML collection is wonderfully comprehensive.
delphi.about also had a useful graphics link to GDI in Delphi.
So XML and GDI will be mostly OK, thanks.

Two things still worry.
One: I still am looking for simple DB advice.
I can get by with non-related tables with a single index each. Do any of the Delphi supported formats allow me to get this without ADO and the things like MDAC and Jet that have to go with it?
Two: Is GDI use tied to having IE5+ installed?

TIA

JIm

 

[svanels]

Delphi is not a database programming language, although you can make your own datastructures in it.

The way databases are used with Delph:
You have a comercial database with a known format like:
access, paradox, dbase, foxpro, SQL-Server, Interbase, MySQL, Oracle etc.. This is the back-end
With Delphi you create an application that communicates with the Database Back-end and manupilates the data. Editing, viewing, reporting graphing etc.. This is the front-end application.

Delphi has all the tools to do without Jet and other nonsense. I use the BDE (Borland Database Engine), similar like the ODBC manager, but without the headache of Jet and other nonsense. Delphi also supports the standard ODBC but then you are tied again to Jet MDAC etc.

The user doesn't have to know if it is access or oracle nor need to study big piles of SQL books to get his job done.

I prefer Interbase like RDBMS (it is also from Borland) and it runs on various platforms and OS's and it doesn't have the price tag of Oracle or the Micro$oft harnass of SQL-Server.



Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[jimmymarsh747]

Steven

Thanks - Delphi definitely seems like the appropriate tool for another project I have in the pipeline.

Your answers have sorted out all my queries for the present project except for the GDI needing IE5+.

Do you know about this, or should I post a separate thread for this.

Cheers

Jim

 

[svanels]

What is this GDI thing you are talking about? Graphics design Interface?

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[jimmymarsh747]

Yep.

Guess that should be GDI+

Visual Studio .NET uses an advanced implementation of the Windows graphics design interface (GDI) called GDI+.