Over time, software development has experienced significant changes in the approach to design as well as how those designs are implemented. As the market evolved, the software industry also had to adapt to it for a better digital experience for the customers. Delphi and RAD Studio are constantly evolving, with each new version building on success to add new features and functionality to address those advances in technology, to keep pace with new approaches in UX and UI as well as to work with modern hardware and the SDKs or APIs that drive them.

An IDE Software offers a great many built-in features, one of the strongest aspects of Delphi is the low-code approach to coding by using components – both those that come with RAD Studio, but also those available from the rich ecosystem of third-party suppliers.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the exciting and of those third party tools which can help you improve your Delphi code.

How can I detect issues in Delphi source code in the development phase?

It is really important for a developer to catch potential issues in the source code earlier in the development phase so that the end-to-end deployment cycle can be executed smoothly and without delays. 

FixInsight is a smart code analysis tool for Delphi developers that detects issues in Delphi source code. It performs a static code analysis to help developers find potential bugs and errors earlier in the development phase. FixInsight also provides developers with a list of warnings when the issues are found. Not only that, but FixInsight’s smart engine also checks the Delphi code for coding convention compliance. 

How can I save development time by autoformatting the code?

In order to follow the best coding designs and conventions, it is extremely important to format the code properly so that it looks neat for anyone who is viewing the code. 

GExperts is a very comprehensive and popular free set of tools that are built to increase the productivity of Delphi and C++ Builder developers by adding several useful features to the IDE including code formatting.

It is open-source software that includes DelForExp tool that primarily acts as a code formatter to help you improve your Delphi code. This is an alternative to the built-in code formatter provided by RAD Studio.

Another really great GExperts feature related to code formatting is an “align” editor helper which can align your code so that identifiers are neatly laid out in columns in an alternative to tabs or spaces like so:

Not all developers like code aligned this way but many prefer it and think it offers greater clarity, particularly to blocks of code with assignments in them.

Can I easily manage Delphi dependencies without writing dedicated scripts?

Dependency management is one of the integral parts of any production-ready source code, and if not handled properly, it can lead the application to run into issues. 

To avoid this in your Delphi applications, it is advisable to use dedicated dependency management tools that take care of packages while you focus and invest your time in producing the right output that your code is designed for. DelphiPI is one such tool that helps in installing components to your Delphi IDE. DelphiPI automatically resolves dependencies between packages, compiles, installs, and adds source paths to your IDE. 

What is an easy way to generate documentation of Delphi code?

A well-documented code is one of the most important steps post the development phase. If your code is not properly documented, it will require an extra amount of time, in the future, to understand the intended behavior of the code and use it for future purposes accordingly. 

Luckily, for Delphi applications, DelphiCodeToDoc tool is a powerful documentation system with active support for JavaDoc as well. Using the documentation generated by the tool, you can easily understand the application’s intended behavior in general and write neat and clean code in the future while referring to the documentation wherever needed. 

How can I access the database from a Delphi application using clean code conventions?

MySQL Data Access Components (MyDAC) is a library of components that provides direct access to MySQL and MariaDB from Delphi and C++Builder including Community Edition, as well as Lazarus (and Free Pascal) on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. 

Applications based on MyDAC can connect directly to MySQL server or work through the MySQL client library. MyDAC is designed to help programmers develop faster and cleaner MySQL database applications. MyDAC is a complete replacement for standard MySQL connectivity solutions and presents an efficient alternative to the Borland Database Engine (BDE) and standard dbExpress driver for access to MySQL.

These were a very small selection of some of the tools that can help you improve the quality of your Delphi code. For information about more such tools, check out an extensive list here. 

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