What components and IDE add-ins do you install with Delphi?

Question

After a clean install of Delphi, what components and IDE add-ins do you make certain that you install? What's your Delphi "rig"? Here's what I install after a clean installation:

1. Delphi 2007 / Delphi 2010
2. JCL / JVCL - JEDI Code Library and JEDI Visual Code Library (600+ components)
3. JWA / JWSCL - JEDI API Library & Security Code Library
4. GExperts - GExperts is a free set of tools built to increase the productivity of Delphi and C++Builder programmers by adding several features to the IDE. CNWizards
5. CnWizards - Provides IDE enhancements to improve development efficiency
6. TWM's experimental GExperts code formatter - adds code formatting capabilities to Delphi
7. Virtual TreeView - Virtual Treeview is a treeview control built from ground up. More than 5 years of development made it one of the most flexible and advanced tree controls available today.
8. MustangPeak Components (EasyList View, Virtual ShellTools, etc) - EasyListview is a control that has no dependance on the Microsoft Listview control but has all the features of the latest version from Microsoft. Also includes 'Explorer.exe' like shell components.
9. Synapse lightweight networking components - contains simple low level non-visual objects for easy programming without problems. (no required multi-threaded synchronization, no need for windows message processing,…) Great for command line utilities, visual projects, NT services
10. EurekaLog - EurekaLog is a complete bug resolution tool for Delphi and C++Builder developers that gives your application the power to catch every exception and memory leak, directly on the end user PC, generating a detailed log of the call stack (with file, class, method and line number), optionally sending you a copy of each log entry via email or to a web bug-tracker.
11. DelphiSpeedUp - DelphiSpeedUp is an IDE plugin for Delphi and C++Builder. It improves the IDE’s startup speed and increases the general speed of the whole IDE.
12. DDevExtensions - DDevExtensions extends the Delphi/C++Builder IDE by adding some new productivity features.
13. IDE Fix Pack - The IDE Fix Pack installs is a DLL-Expert that fixes the following RAD Studio 2007 bugs at runtime. All changes are done in memory. No file on disk is modified.
14. TPerlRegex - Regular Expression library for Delphi

How about other Delphi developers?

Answer 1

I always install TSmiley. I can't get along without it.

Answer 2

The latest version of LockBox cryptography library

Answer 3

The latest version of Async Professional - a comprehensive communications toolkit for Delphi,

Answer 4

• Bergsoft components. I Would be lost without NextGrid and NextDBGrid (fastest grid implementation I came along)

• Lately, I'm seriously considering to start coding with a Delphi framework, Delphi Spring Framework looks like a way to go.

Delphi Spring Framework is an international open source project, whose mission is to provide a robust infrastructure framework that will help Delphi developers build solid, flexible and extensible enterprise applications and class libraries based on the Embarcadero® Delphi® 2010 for Win32 platform.

Also it has a Dependency Injection container with 2 week build spawn

• JEDI for Delphi with many wrappers for common dlls, also provides a robust VCL platform to develop

Answer 5

the ExpressQuantumGrid Suite from DevExpress - there cxGrid is incredible

Answer 6

JEDI API Library & Security Code Library for sure but probably my answer couldn't be more subjective since I participate in both projects ;-) I find GExperts to be a must (can't live without it) and of course Virtual Treeview.

Answer 7

The first tools I install are:

1. Model Maker Code Explorer
2. GExperts

--jeroen

Answer 8

• Remobjects: http://www.remobjects.com While definitely not free (beer), it's worth having.

• TPerlRegEx as you mentioned above

• XDBGrid. If anyone has alternatives for this one please let me know.

Answer 9

My list:

• The Dev.Express Quantum grid: enhanced grid component: once you get the hang of this component, you can use it in all sorts of scenarios (at least I have)

• Dev.Express Quantum Tree list: if you know the grid component, you can use this component as well (treelist and grid combined)

• Dev.Express Express bars: menu bars and ribbons (which I don't use myself) fully configurable by the user without any code from the developer - cool and usable even in previous Delphi versions

• CNPack - Delphi IDE enhancer: is a Free IDE Plug-in Tool Set for Delphi/C++ Builder/CodeGear RAD Studio to Improve Development Efficiency. One of the features (among tens of features) is a small form which attaches itself at the bottom left of any form you are designing, with buttons to left align, right align, center align etc ... your components on your form - check it out

• HtmlViewer component: as the name suggest: an HTML viewing component in native Delphi, now free, but I have been using it for a lot of years now. I have written almost all of my reports in my programs using html and css and the HtmlViewer component. It's amazing what you can do with html and css as a reporting solution (and it's standard too).

I have a lot of other components too, but these are the ones I use in every project (from small ones to the biggest I have written).

By the way: I will certainly try out some others on this page. If it's good enough for other developers, it's good enough for me too.

Answer 10

Components:

1. JCL & JVCL
2. EhLib
3. FastReport
4. Devart UniDAC
5. RemObjects DataAbstract
6. RegExpStudio
7. TMS Components Pack
8. EmbeddedWeb

IDE Experts:

1. CnPack
2. DDevExtensions
3. IDE Fix Pack

Answer 11

• DevExpress
• RemObjects
• TMS Smooth Controls
• CnPack (just editor syntax highlighter)
• TPerlRegex
• TRichView
• VirtualTreeView
• FastMM FullDebug Mode (add to path)

Answer 12

IDE Experts:

1. ModelMaker Code Explorer
2. GExperts
3. Castalia Only for the Structural Highlighting.

Components:

1. DevExpress VCL Suite
2. DevRace IBDac
3. RemObjects AnyDac

Sorry but I'm allowed one hyperlink, as a new user.

Answer 13

1. NativeXML - Fast, lightweight (and now open source) XML library
2. DevExpress Quantum Pack (Grid/Tree/Bars)
3. EurekaLog
4. GExperts
5. EmbeddedWB (bsalsa.com), enhanced embedded web browser control

Answer 14

Noob, so I cannot hyperlink ;(

VirtualTreeView (Mike Lischke)
toolbar 2000 (Jordan Russel)
spTBXlib (Robert Lee) requires ToolBar 2000
DSPack (Henry Gourvest aka progdigy) DirectX/DirectShow library
JCL + JVCL (Jedi Project) made of every kind of stuff
Ararat Synapse (Lukas Gebauer) Socket library (smtp, ftp, http,...)
SevenZip.pas (Henry Gourvest) Wraps 7z.dll (The heart of 7-zip)
DragDrop Components (Angus Johnson & Anders Melander)
ATBinHex (Alexey Torgashin) file viewer with multiple mode (text, binary, hex, unicode, utf, Unicode Hex)
FastMM (Pierre le Riche) memory manager
GraphicEx (Mike Lischke) image library capable to open an impressive list of format, unfortunally, the dev seems to be stopped
Graphics32 (creator Alex A. Denisov. Now a team is involved) fast 32-bit graphics handling

Answer 15

Components

1. DevExpress
2. FastReports
3. Raize
4. Zeos

Ide Experts

1. Gexperts

Answer 16

I think this is going to end up showing the biases of the kinds of development some people do. :-)

IDE Addins/Experts or External Tools

• Castalia
• GExperts
• DelphiSpeedUp (for <= 2007)
• DDevExtensions
• IDE FixPack
• AsmProfiler

Components

• VCL FixPack / AsyncCalls / RtlVCLOptimize (Version appropriate)
• NextGrid
• DeHL (A set of generics-based collections and routines. Very powerful.)
• eDocEngine (Mostly for exporting Rave reports to various formats, but does more.)
• JCL & JVCL
• Synapse
• TPerlRegEx
• XLSReadWriteII
• VirtualTreeView

There's some other projects I've been watching and tend to take a shot at using when the time is right:

• hcOPF Homepage (offline?)
• ICS (Internet Component Suite)
• OmniThreadLibrary
• Delphi Spring Framework

Answer 17

Most of my VCLs are pretty specific to the work I do - OPC and instrumentation stuff, not really useful unless you need it. I do install MadExcept, though, which is a decently useful debugging tool, as well as a lot of the TurboControl components (Essentials, Async, Abbrevia, ShellShock, SysTools, Orpheus, etc.) - they're impressively useful and are quite handy.

Answer 18

• MadExcept because either that or EurekaLog tell you what actually went wrong.
• OmniThreadLibrary for making thread queues and pools much, much easier to manage.
• GExperts

Plus whatever else appeals to me on the day. I do a lot of contracting so it's more a matter of "what does the client already use" than "what do I prefer". But those three are the core things I'll try to drag onto any site with me just in the interest of sanity. I'd list fastMM but it's built in these days.

Meta-comment: this might have been better if you'd had it as one component per answer so we can just vote things up or comment on them individually. As it is someone who has a bunch of useful stuff early will get the votes even if a couple of their suggestions are distinctly mediocre.