Creating Custom DBText Components

rbuser

Is it possible to create and register a new ppDBText component descendant
with special features, such as automatic "Proper"ing of a DBText field?

If so, where do I start to create such components? Is there an example?

I find myself repeatedly having to use label components and reformatting
database text at run-time. My most common reformats are:

Removing extraneous characters: '_','-', etc.
Propering: Converting JOHNNIE becomes Johnnie
Lookups: Integer 3 becomes "White"
Forcing uppercase: oFF becomes OFF
Forcing lowercase: 10X12 becomes 10x12
Expanding Booleans: TRUE becomes "Yes"
Expanding single characters (like lookup): N becomes "No"
Reformatting phone numbers: 713-555-1212 becomes (713) 555-1212

If something like this already exists and is reasonably priced I'd buy it
today. If I write them myself I'll give them away to anyone that want them.

Thanks,

-Johnnie

rbuser

I've looked at the RCL Checkbox package project but don't know where to
start on doing my own much more simple component.

I just want to take the text that would be printed by ppDBText and modify it
right before printing. The component has to be registered so I can drop it
on a report at design time.

-Johnnie

rbuser

One way would be to make a component that inherits from the TppDBText
component
(ppCtrls.pas) and simply override the GetTheText function to make it do
what you want to.

Example of registration for ReportBuilder components:

procedure Register;
begin
RegisterNoIcon([TTWGrid]);
end;
initialization
ppRegisterComponent(TTWGrid, 'TWComps', 100, 0, 'TWGrid',
HInstance);
finalization
ppUnRegisterComponent(TTWGrid);
end.

Hope this help.

--
Daniel Lemire

digitalmetaphors

Here is a full example of what Daniel is talking about:

http://www.digital-metaphors.com/tips/CustomDBTextComponent.zip


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

rbuser

Thanks - I'm going to download it right now.

Until I get the components done is there an easy way to modify the text
before printing in the existing DBText components during one of the events?
I was just going to select a group of DBText components and assign the same
event handler, but I don't know which event/parameters to use and my tests
haven't worked right.

-Johnnie

rbuser

It looks like I'll be able to do this really quick thanks to this example.

But I'm still curious about doing it in code using an event in case that
comes up for another case.

-Johnnie

rbuser

The example was spot-on and one hour later I have most of my components
working.

Thanks!

rbuser

If you want to do it in the standard object event you could use the OnGetText
event of the TppLabel or TppDBText. Just modify the Text parameter that's
passed in the event.

Example:

procedure TForm1.ppDBText1GetText(Sender: TObject; var Text: String);
begin
Text := LowerCase(Text);
end;


Cheers
--
Daniel Lemire
Programmeur,
Conception Design Ware Inc.
Tél.: 819-868-8853
Fax : 819-868-8855