Inline variables is one of the cool new feature coming in 10.3. The obvious huge use case is loop control variables, but I just discovered another great use case while reviewing some code.
procedure DoesSomething;
var
var1, var2: Integer;
begin
// use var1
{$IFDEF Something}
// use var1 & var2
{$ENDIF Something}
end;
This is a pattern I see a lot, and it generates a hint on var2 being unused based on the current compiler directive status.
[dcc32 Hint] myUnit.pas(123): H2164 Variable 'var2' is declared but never used in 'DoesSomething'
Now there are a number of ways to deal with this with more compiler directives, which is what I’ve done in the past, but I never like adding more compiler directives. It makes the code way more complicated and harder to maintain. Now with Inline Variables I can simplify it, make it easier to maintain, and hande the hint! (all of which makes me so happy!)
procedure DoesSomething;
var
var1: Integer;
begin
// use var1
{$IFDEF Something}
var var2: Integer;
// use var1 and var2
{$ENDIF Something}
end;
Happy dance commencing in T-minus 10 seconds.
What are some interesting ways you see inline variables benefiting you?
Me with a Spartan Boba Fett. I thought he was more of a Delphi Dude (FanX Salt Lake City – 2018)
Cosplay (aka costume-play) takes the fun and imagination of childhood dress-up to extreme levels only justifiable by an adult! Not only is it expensive, and needs a large time commitment, but it is rarely comfortable.
Comic conventions are the usual place to find cosplay, but Halloween is also a good excuse for some cosplay fun. I’m a huge fan of creative cosplay and love getting my picture with cosplayers.
In writing this post I realized I am frequently attaching LEDs to my face.
The V character from Cyberpunk 2077. Cosplayer Maul. photo by eosAndy. His cosplay is much better than mine.
I’m a big fan of both the book and the original RPG and am looking forward to the video game. I combined elements from all three sources for my cosplay. The character V is more of a Street Samurai / Solo, while I wanted to go for more of a Decker / Netrunner (a little Shadowrun RPG influence in there too).
At this point the secret is out, I’m a huge nerd. I love Role Playing Games, and Cyberpunk & Shadowrun are my favorite genres.
I didn’t have my RGB Shades in time for Salt Lake FanX, so I justed glued some extra LEDs (NeoPixel 4×4 grids) to my face. They represent cybernetic enhancements, which is why I left the wires exposed. I used an Arduino MEGA 2560 by ELEGOO as the controller. It also controlled the string of NeoPixel lights in the collar. I attached a Bluetooth keyboard to one wrist and an Android Pixel phone to the other. The phone was decorative for now.
Cyberpunk 2077 cosplay LEDs straight on. They changed colors, and weren’t always red and green.
Arduino MEGA 2560 behind my back controlled everything.
Wrist mounted smartphone, light up collar, LEDs glued to my face, and el wire on my arm.
Later I got my RGB LED Shades which will become the key to my outfit for this Halloween. The RGB LED Shades use an Arduino Mini as the brains. I added an HC-06 Serial Bluetooth module to control the leds remotely.
Wearing the RGB LED Shades
Attaching the HC-06 to the RGB LED Shades
After soldering the HC-06 onto my shades I can power them up and pair my Android phone with the HC-06 module. One note about my soldering is that if you look you will see that it is connected to two analog pins instead of digital pins. On most Arduinos the analog pins can double as digital pins (see the Pinout).
Android Bluetooth Pairing Dialog
After that, a TBluetooth component is able to open a socket to the shades. Start the pairing with Bluetooth1.DiscoverDevices( 5000 ); In the DiscoveryEnd event handler the following code will open a socket to the HC-06 module (Thanks to Boian Mitov for the basis of this code):
var
ADevice : TBluetoothDevice;
AService : TBluetoothService;
begin
for ADevice in ADeviceList do
begin
// HC-06 is the name of the bluetooth device
if ADevice.DeviceName = 'HC-06' then
begin
Bluetooth1.Pair( ADevice );
for AService in ADevice.LastServiceList do
begin
// FSocket is a TBluetoothSocket with larger scope
FSocket := ADevice.CreateClientSocket(
AService.UUID, False );
If Assigned( FSocket ) then
begin
FSocket.Connect;
Break;
end;
end;
Break;
end;
end;
end;
Once the socket is open you can send characters with this code.
It is so easy to work with Classic Serial Bluetooth in Delphi (or C++Builder) and the TBluetooth component. You even could send a whole string or other binary data. For this project a single character was all I needed to change modes on the shades. A single character is also easier to process on the Arduino side. (Technically Bluetooth Classic works on all platforms, but on iOS you need special approval from Apple on a per app basis.)
I’m wearing the Rio RGB Shades with the Delphi powered controller on my Android phone
I took my RGB Shades with me to Sao Paulo Brazil for the 10.3 Rio preview. Even though the Bluetooth worked before the conference, my phone couldn’t make the connection on stage. When I opened my phone’s Bluetooth connection window it was obvious that with 750+ people in attendance there were a few hundred Bluetooth devices broadcasting on the same wavelength.
David Millington kicking off the 10.3 Keynote
My next project involves Bluetooth LE with these RGB LED Steampunk Goggles.
RGB LED Steampunk Goggles
I built them a year ago from an AdaFruit kit. Later I added a Bluetooth LE Module to make them controllable. Unfortunately, my soldering didn’t hold up and I need to rebuild them. This makes them both my previous and next cosplay project.
RGB LED Goggles, a horse mask, and a Los Angeles Kings hockey jersey (don’t ask)
I’m considering salvaging the NeoPixels and rebuilding them with an ESP32 microcontroller. The ESP32 is a little larger than the original Trinket microcontroller. This is because it has integrated Bluetooth LE, WiFi, and more pins. I’d also like to get some 50% mirrors to create an infinite LED tunnel effect (I’ll post pictures when I get them – it is really amazing).
I met Star Lord!
I’ve worked with the TBluetoothLE component before and it is even easier to work with than TBluetooth. So I’m really looking forward to this project.
On the Arduino side, you can use the Arduino IDE and flex your C programming skills. Or you can do like I usually do and use Visuino by Boian Mitov of Mitov Software. It provides a visual drag and drop interface for programming Arduino devices. It won the Embarcadero Cool App contest in April 2017 as Boian used Delphi to develop Visuino. Boian also recently added RGB LED Shades support to Visuino (along with unboxing and assembly videos.)
Visuino makes Arduino and LED RGB Shade development easy. It is an Embarcadero Cool App developed with Delphi!
I think Boian is a great guy who makes some great technology. Most of it has a free version and the commercial prices are very reasonable too. He is always very helpful as well.
Boian and Jim at the 2017 SoCal CodeCamp in Los Angeles
So what’s next (after the Bluetooth LE RGB Steampunk Goggles obviously)? I’m working on a design for an electronic physical polyhedral die with Bluetooth LE. So you roll a physical die of a single size and it can become any number of sides you need, all controlled via your phone. Did I mention how much of a nerd I am?
The FireDAC Enterprise Connectors (#FDEC) by CData and Embarcadero make it really easy to work with various APIs just like you would any SQL database. For example if you want to publish the results of a query to a Google Sheet (which I find incredibly useful) then it is just a few FireDAC components and you are off to the races. You might run into an API limit though.
What is an API limit? Most rest services have a limit to how often a client can call a specific API within a certain amount of time. Google calls this their usage limit:
This version of the Google Sheets API has a limit of 500 requests per 100 seconds per project, and 100 requests per 100 seconds per user. Limits for reads and writes are tracked separately. There is no daily usage limit.
That may seem like a lot, but I found I was running into that limit pretty quick once I moved my project into production. Luckily FireDAC and the FireDAC Enterprise Connectors have a simple workaround: Batch Processing.
Using the Array DML features of FireDAC you can batch multiple DML (Data Manipulation Language) operations into a single API call. The FDEC Google Sheets documentation from CData doesn’t cover Array DML, but the component supports this (they are updating the documentation). The Elasticsearch documentation does cover Batch Processing with an example, and I’ve used this with Sheets and it works great!
Bulk Insert
The following example prepares a single batch that inserts records in bulk.
This month I am celebrating my five-year anniversary with Embarcadero Technologies. It’s been an amazing adventure and I am looking forward to more. I saw a graphic similar to the following today and it reminded me how great it is to be doing what I am doing (plus I love Venn diagrams).
I truly do love what I am doing, and I love the people I work with. Everyone I work with inside Embarcadero is amazing, plus I get to work closely with the MVPs, Tech Partners, and all the amazing members of the community. Most of what I do is stuff I used to do as an MVP before coming to Embarcadero. It was essentially my hobby. I would even take vacation time and spend my own money to travel to speak at conferences.
I frequently talk to developers who express their appreciation of the work I do as a developer advocate – I love training and sharing what I know. Not to mention all the gratitude I hear from developers for the productivity they get from Embarcadero’s tools. The reality is Embarcadero’s tools help developers make the world a better place.
I started right before the release of RAD Studio XE5 in 2013, which added support for Android. iOS and macOS were great, but once RAD Studio had Android it was a gamechanger. So many people just added Android as a target to their iOS apps, made a few layout tweaks, and they had a native Android app!
Since then we’ve added so many great features, plus Linux and the new Free Community Edition!
When it comes to monetary pay I’m really looking for a way to take care of my family. Beyond that, my job pays a lot in satisfaction because I believe in what I do. It certainly helps that Software Developer was rated the #1 job this year. I’m not directly a developer, but software development is a big part of my job, and I work with a lot of amazing developers.
It’s been an amazing five years. Despite a few bumps I am so happy for where we are going, what I do here, and where Delphi, RAD Studio, and Embarcadero are headed. It is always rough when you go through a merger, but the new Community Edition is a direct result of the changes in philosophy that Idera brought. And now I get to work with Sencha, Ranorex, Gurock, and others that make up the Idera family.
I’m looking forward to many more years doing what I love here with Embarcadero!
One of the great things about Delphi is not only is it written in Delphi (mostly), but it ships with the VCL, RTL, & FMX source code. You can use this source code in lots of different ways, which I’ll cover in a bit, but sometimes it is a matter of finding the source file with the code you want. There are over 2,234 Delphi source files in the source folder, so it can take a while to find the right file if you don’t know where to look. Not to mention the 1,711 C files, and a few thousand other assorted files.
I used to use various GREP and full text searching tools to find the code I was looking for, but then I realized Windows 10 (and earlier versions) has a search function built into it, but you need to make a few configuration changes to use it effectively. So I thought I would outline those for you.
Your source folder is usually located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Embarcadero\Studio\19.0
but it might be different depending on your installation. I usually Pin it to Quick Access, which makes it easy to access since I find I’m there a lot.
Windows Search and Indexing Options
The next thing to do is configure your Indexing Options. This is what makes it quick to search for files you need. You can find Indexing Options in Control Panel, or just runcontrol.exe srchadmin.dll.
There are two steps to get the most out of Windows search for your source code. The first is you need to activate Windows search for the file extensions you want, and the second it to tell it to index your folders.
To add PAS files to indexing click Advanced and go to File Types. You can just type PAS in the list of file types and it will find it for you. You don’t need to add a new extension. PAS files are already listed, but just not indexed by default. Just put a check next to it, and change the “How should this file be indexed?” to “Index Properties and File Contents” that will index all the text contents of the file
By default all your user folders are indexed, but Source is in your Program Files folder, so you need to explicitly add it. From the main Indexing Options window click Modify and from there you can add any folder you want to search.
It takes a while a while to build and update the index after this change. You just gave it 2,000 more files to index. It has to read all the text out of them, which takes a while. Once it is done then just go to your source folder and use the search box to quickly find the code you are looking for.
Everything Search
Another great tool to use, to search by file name is the Everything desktop search engine by Voidtools. The thing I love about using Everything is it searches all the file names on your system quickly. The difference between it and Windows Search is Everything only searches the file names, but it searches all the file names.
I find I usually remember the name of a file, but not exactly where I left it. This makes Everything indispensable for me.
Using the Source
So how useful is it that Delphi, RAD Studio and C++Builder includes all this source code? What all can you do with it?
Finding that function – You know how I said I can remember the name of a file, but not where I put it? I do the same things with classes and functions. I can remember the name of the method or class, but not which unit it is in. Being able to search all of the source instantaneously to find the source file you need is a huge help.
Learning – Just reading source isn’t the best way to learn to program, but having access to the source code is a great way to gain a deeper understanding.
Debugging – Sometimes your program doesn’t behave the way you expect it to. When all you have is a blackbox then you are unable to figure out what is happening behind the scenes. When you have the source code you can not only see how that method is implemented, but also debug into the source code, using all the great debugger features.
Adding New Features – Maybe there is a new API that was just released, or you need to access an obscure API or 3rd party feature. Since you have access to all the source you can see how other similar APIs are accessed and use that as a roadmap.
Fixing or Changing Functionality – One man’s bug is another man’s feature. Sometimes there are bugs you need to fix in the shipping source code, other times you just want to change the way things work. For small changes I just copy the source file out into my project directory. Then my code will use my modifications instead of the original implementation. While you can’t redistribute changed source code, you can compile the code into your program. If you do need to share your changes or fixes you can share a change-set that only contains your changes.
Join us Tuesday, March 20th, for a LIVE conversation with Boian Mitov of Mitov software as we talk about Arduino, Visuino, IoT, Industrial Automation, AI and more!
(We had to reschedule due to technical difficulties)
I’ve run into this a few times, where a REST Service returns results in pages, so you have to make multiple passes to get all the data. One thing I love about the RAD REST Client Library is the ability to store all the data in the FDMemTable where you can work on it. Unfortunately when you can only get part of the results that limits the functionality. Here is a simple solution to get all the pages in a single FDMemTable.
What you need is a second FDMemTable. My first one is called MembersTempTable, and it is attached to the Response Adapter. The second one is called MembersMemTable and it will hold the complete set of data.
// Drop any existing data
MembersMemTable.Close;
// Get the first page
MembersRequest.Params.ParameterByName('limit').Value := '50';
MembersRequest.Params.ParameterByName('offset').Value := '0';
MembersRequest.Execute;
// This clones the FDMemTable
MembersMemTable.CopyDataSet(MembersTempTable,
[coStructure, coRestart, coAppend]);
// Now we add the other tables
MembersMemTable.BeginBatch();
try
// Repeat until we don't get a full page
while MembersTempTable.RecordCount = 50 do
begin
// Start with the next page
MembersRequest.Params.ParameterByName('offset').Value :=
(MembersMemTable.RecordCount - 1).ToString;
MembersRequest.Execute;
// Append those records into our FDMemTable
MembersMemTable.CopyDataSet(MembersTempTable, [coAppend]);
end;
MembersMemTable.IndexFieldNames := 'id';
finally
MembersMemTable.EndBatch;
end;
Tomorrow will be a live episode of the Podcast at Delphi.org
You can join us live on YouTube with your questions and comments, or catch the replay posted here. Stay tuned tomorrow for details on how to join.
This is our first time with this new format and would love to get your feedback. We’ll also appreciate your patience as we work out the technical details.
U.S. News an World Report just ranked Software Developer as the best job for 2018. They use data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics to rank jobs based on pay, job security, mental engagement, stress, room to advance, satisfaction, and work-life balance. Since you are here, you most likely agree with that ranking and are surprised it took so long for someone else to recognize it.
This means we will see a lot of people interesting in software development. Anyone looking for a better job is likely to start at the top of that list and work their way down until they find one they are interested in. Not to mention everyone who sees the headlines about Software Developer replacing Dentist as the #1 Best Job. Whatever the reason, software developers will get a lot more attention.
When I’m talking to people about career advice I think it is more important to choose a career that suits the individual (internal factors) than basing the decision purely on external factors like pay, etc. That being said, I honestly believe Software Development is only going to get more important. Going forward, software development and related jobs (many of which aren’t even invented yet) will consume the many of the other jobs as automation and artificial intelligence take over more aspects of our life. It all depends on which side of the automation revolution you want to be.
When I was really young (like 3rd grade) I knew I wanted to program computers for a living. A family friend told me that I should look for a different job because by the time I entered the career market computers would be programming themselves and there would be no jobs. I remember thinking once that happens there would be no jobs, and someone would need to teach the computers how to program themselves better.
Just recently I was in Tokyo for the 10.2 launch event. I was talking to members of the press, and one of them made a similar assertion “What is the point of releasing better developer tools when soon computers will be programming themselves?” I shared the story from when I was a kid and said that “Yes, AI is automating and consuming other jobs, but the programmer will be the last to go. Once AI’s no longer need humans to make them better there will be no jobs for anyone!”
So what does this mean for you, as a software developer today? Congratulation’s you choose wisely! But be prepared for a lot of people to come to you for career advice. Remember that Delphi offers a great Free Starter edition, and Embarcadero Academy is full of content for people learning to program.
If you aren’t familiar with the Law of the Instrument, otherwise known as Maslow’s hammer/gavel, or the golden hammer it is often expressed as
If your only tool is a hammer, you treat everything as like a nail.
My understanding is that the law of the instrument means you are limited by instruments or tools you know how to use. For example, if you have a screw, some wood, and a hammer, then you might successfully get the screw into the wood, but a screwdriver would be a better alternative.
The law of the instrument also means an obsession with the perfection of the instruments you know. I remember back in the day when I was convinced there was no reason to bother with any other programming languages because Delphi was the best. Now I’ve spent some time using a lot of other programming languages, and so I can confidently say Delphi is the best, while I can see the value and use of other programming languages.
I believe it is worthwhile learning about new technologies, frameworks, languages, or methodologies. Then you can pick the correct one for the job. This doesn’t mean you need to be an expert in all of them, but you should know enough that you are confident in your choice.
The reverse of this is the obsession to chase new and exciting technologies and recreate things every few years. This keeps the developers entertained, but doesn’t really provide business value. Again I believe Delphi does a good job with this as it respects your existing code while moving forward to new platforms, features, and frameworks.
So what is the Curse of the Programmer?
When I’m talking to other programmers I see two behaviors. The first is, every problem they encounter in life (at work and beyond) they respond with “I could write a program to do this,” or some variation. By extension, they also cast a critical eye toward any software system (even those developed by themselves) to see how to do them better. This results in a huge backlog of projects that they create to fix problems, fix a problem better, or just out of curiosity to see if they can.
This is similar to the Law of the Instrument, but I see it more as your learning the flexibility and power of programming results in your seeing many opportunities to apply it. I’ve talked to people in other industries, and I think the general tendency is fairly universal, it is just that programming is (in my opinion) so much more powerful and flexible than many other applied technologies.
The second behavior, which is something to be more cautious about falling into, is the urge to create a “library” or “framework” instead of finishing the program at hand. For example, you are creating a program to solve a problem, and in the process, you create series of libraries just in case you need to solve similar problems.
There is value in having reusable libraries, functions, components, and frameworks. The trick is to not let the creation of them get in the way of shipping. The best way I’ve found to deal with this is to only create the library when you need it. Write your code with the appropriate level of coupling to solve the problem at hand. When you need to reuse a bit of it elsewhere, consider refactoring it into something reusable. Then as you use it in more places you can keep refactoring it and expanding it until you have a full blown framework.
How do you see the Curse of the Programmer in your life? What do you use to prevent every project from spawning a series of reusable frameworks?
The FireDAC Enterprise Connectors (#FDEC) by CData and Embarcadero make it really easy to work with various APIs just like you would any SQL database. For example if you want to publish the results of a query to a Google Sheet (which I find incredibly useful) then it is just a few FireDAC components and you are off to the races. You might run into an API limit though.
I frequently talk to developers who express their appreciation of the work I do as a developer advocate – I love training and sharing what I know. Not to mention all the gratitude I hear from developers for the productivity they get from Embarcadero’s tools. The reality is Embarcadero’s tools help developers make the world a better place.
I started right before the release of RAD Studio XE5 in 2013, which added support for Android. iOS and macOS were great, but once RAD Studio had Android it was a gamechanger. So many people just added Android as a target to their iOS apps, made a few layout tweaks, and they had a native Android app!
