Sometimes you need to install components manually. Maybe the installer wasn’t updated for your version of Delphi, or it is an open-source library without an installer. Whatever the reason, here is a short guide in addition to what is found in the DocWiki on the topic.
I’m going to write this guide around installing the Radiant Shapes Pack available via GetIt. I’m guessing it wasn’t updated to install in 10.4 yet, and while R&D is working on that this is a great opportunity to learn how to install it manually.
After installing from GetIt, you will not find it in the IDE, and it is missing from the packages list, which you access from Component 🡆 Install Packages while no project is open
This is where all the BPL Packages are listed. Click the Add button and browse to find the BPL
C:\Program Files (x86)\Raize\RadiantShapes\1.4\Bin\RadiantShapesFmx_Design270.bpl
(If you don’t have that BPL or path for Radiant Shapes, then make sure you installed from GetIt and you can run the installer manually from C:\Users\Public\Documents\Embarcadero\Studio\21.0\CatalogRepository\RadiantShapes-270-1.2\Installer\RadiantShapes.exe )
or whatever design-time package you need. This will install the components into the IDE.
Many projects have both design time and runtime packages. A design-time package contains the information necessary to install in the IDE, and any special designers, while RunTime packages only contain the code necessary for use during RunTime. You can optionally even ship these packages with your binary to link them at runtime.
Next, you need to tell the IDE where to find the DCUs and optionally source files. What if you only have source files? No problem, open and build all the packages at least in Release Mode on each platform the library suports. Then head to Tools 🡆 Options then Language 🡆 Delphi 🡆 Library.
Then complete the details for each platform you built and want to support:
- Selected Platform – Specifies which platform you are providing details for below:
- Linux 64-bit, iOS 64-bit, Win 32-bit, Win 64-bit, macOS 64-bit, Android 32-bit, Android 64-bit, and/or iOS Simulator.
- Library Path – This is the path to the Release DCUs. Some people point to their PAS files here, which works, but then you end up recompiling the library more than necessary.
- Radiant Shapes includes all the DCUs in subfolders off the path
C:\Program Files (x86)\Raize\RadiantShapes\1.4\Lib - Tip: Paste the new path into the edit box before clicking the browse button if you need to browse to a subfolder. Then be sure to click [Add] when you are done.
- Radiant Shapes includes all the DCUs in subfolders off the path
- Browsing Path is where you optionally add a path to the source PAS files. This lets you browse out to those source files from the IDE with the Find Declaration context menu item.
- For Radiant Shapes, the source is found in
C:\Program Files (x86)\Raize\RadiantShapes\1.4\Source
- For Radiant Shapes, the source is found in
- Debug DCU Path allows you to optionally point to the debug version of the DCUs. This is useful if the debug version has additional information or different behaviors.
- Radiant Shapes doesn’t have special debug DCUs so we don’t need to add anything here.
Once you’ve completed these settings for each platform you are good to go! Happy installing!
