IDE tricks

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Revision as of 14:10, 2 October 2009 by Swen (talk | contribs) (Reverted edits by Devilica (Talk); changed back to last version by Swen)
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Create a new file with Open file

You can create a new file and save it, or you can create a new file with filename and filetype in one step: Just open file (Ctrl+o) and select an non existing file. For example: unit1.pas. The IDE will ask you if it should be created.

Customize new unit / form

Since 0.9.27 you can right click on the 'New unit' (New form) speedbutton and set the file type that should be created. You can register more file types via the IDEIntf or the project templates package.

IDE macros

IDE Macros in paths and filenames

Getting the compiler command line parameters created by the IDE

You can copy the parameters from Project -> Compiler Options -> Show Options. Here the paths are relative to the project directory. So in most cases you can copy them without adjusting.

The parameters are also saved to the *.compiled file. For example if your project is called test1.lpi, then a test1.compiled is created. It is a simple text xml file, so you can just copy the options and adjust the paths to compile on another computer. The file is put into the same directory, where the executable is created.

For packages this works the same.

This way, you can compile your (hopefully working and bugfree) code, outside of the lazarus IDE.

Closing all editor files except one

Under gtk (available for linux, mac os x and freebsd) the source editor pages have a close button right to their page name. Press the Ctrl key while clicking on the button, closes all files except the clicked one.

Component palette

Finding a component in the palette

You know the component name, or part of it, but you don't know in which page it was? This tool finds it: Right click on a component in the palette to open the popup menu. Choose 'Find component'. Type part of the name to filter the list.

Open the package of a component in the palette

Right click on the component to open the popup menu, then choose open package.

Find the source declaration of a component in the palette

Right click on the component to open the popup menu, then choose open unit.

My application freeze my linux desktop while debugging

X (your desktop) can freeze, when an application that grabbed the mouse is stopped by gdb (the debugger).

Using a second X session

You can start a second X by:

  X :1 &

with Ctrl-Alt-F7 you switch to :0 and with Ctrl-Alt-F8 you switch to :1 after that you can start a second gnome session by:

  gnome-session --display=:1 &

Using VNC

You can use vncserver/client by installing tightvncserver/realvncserver Start the server with:

  vncserver :1

AFAIK, a session is also started. You can connect to the vncserver with vncviewer.

Debug the application on the second server

In lazarus, in the run parameters for your project, check "use display" and enter

 :1

Now your application will run on the second server, so when it is being debugged, only the second server will freeze (but that won't affect you since you are debugging on the first).

Compiling the IDE fast

Working on Lazarus itself needs rebuilding the IDE many times. If you use the following tricks and have enough memory and a recent cpu, you should be able to recompile the IDE in a few seconds.

  • Put the Lazarus sources on a fast harddisk. Not on a slow network filesystem.
  • Install only needed packages.
  • Set USESVN2REVISIONINC=0 to skip the update of the revision.inc.
  • Compile only parts. If the packager registration is recompiled, then all installed packages are recompiled too. If the IDEIntf is recompiled, then all installed design-time packages are recompiled.

DebugLn of the IDE or a LCL application

The IDE writes many useful hints via debugln. Under windows you can get them by starting lazarus with the command line parameter --debug-log=filename.txt. Under Linux/BSD/Mac OS X/Solaris: Just start lazarus in a terminal. This is a general LCL feature.

Finding the source file of an IDE window

  • Open the IDE window.
  • Press Ctrl+Shift+F1 to open the help editor.
  • Remember the window classname. Close the window.
  • Use Find In Files to find the source file of the class.

Object Inspector: Events: Frames: Jump to the source of an inherited event

The Object Inspector shows the events of inherited events as ClassName.MethodName. Double clicking will create a new event. Ctrl+Mouse click on the combobox will jump directly to the inherited method body, without creating a new method.

Events (Method properties) in the Object Inspector

Events (Method properties) are special properties, because they need as value a code address pointer, which does not exist at design time. That's why Lazarus uses the same trick as the Delphi IDE: Every method value can be type casted to TMethod, which contains Data (the object or class pointer) and the Code (the address pointer). Normally both are not nil. The IDE sets Data to a special key value for its internal lookup table and sets Code to nil. This means:

  • At runtime when the program loads the .lfm file the real method (Data+Code) is used
  • At designtime a method value can either be a real method (Data<>nil and Code<>nil) or a fake method (Data<>nil,Code=nil)
  • The compiler has for Delphi compatibility some specials about comparing method values.

Do not use: <Delphi> if OnMyEvent<>nil then OnMyEvent(...); // wrong, because it checks Data too </Delphi>

Because this checks both Data and Code and will execute the fake method, resulting in a jump to nil. This will only raise an exception, so it does not do much harm, but the IDE will show the user an error dialog. Use instead the Assigned function: <Delphi> if Assigned(OnMyEvent) then OnMyEvent(...); // correct, checking only Code </Delphi>

Do not use: <Delphi> if OnMyEvent=NewValue then exit; // wrong, because it compares only Code </Delphi>

Because this only compares the Code. Use instead <Delphi> if CompareMem(@FOnMyEvent,@NewValue,SizeOf(TMethod)) then exit; // correct, checking both Data and Code </Delphi>