How do you skin Delphi components using graphic files?

Question

Just like using CSS for Web applications, can we use graphics from clip art to skin buttons, edits, and form components without dealing with TCanvas or developing new components? Are there any fully free libraries to work with existing components? (No 3rd-party TSkinnedEdit etc.)

Answer 1

You'd have to change the default drawing of most components. So, AFAIK, you'll have to deal with TCanvas to change way the control is draw... For forms, you can use an TImage to cover it.

So, it's easyer with a suite that supports skinning than with default components.

Answer 2

A fully free library - not that I'm aware of. But I would strongly recommend VCL Skin (http://www.link-rank.com). There is a skin builder tool there that - when used with the VCL Skin components - can use graphic images to skin various controls. One very nice thing about VCL Skin is that it works with existing Delphi components and many 3rd party ones as well with no component modifications.

Answer 3

There is a free skin library for Delphi : SpTBXLib. It's for TB2K and other Delphi standard components. To me nothing compares to DevExpress Skin Library. I'm a registered user of VCLSkin, but as soon as I got my VCL Subscription of DevExpress I never looked back.