Now, with a new CPU, new m/board and new HDD, I've started afresh, now with Mdk 10 Community (nice!!) and a fresh install of K3Pro. I'm sorting through all the bits in the code tree on the Win32 dev machine and will get a successful install or die trying.

I don't think there's any option now but to split the CLX stuff right away from Jason's main VCL base. We can keep the non-visual stuff intact -- albeit with a gazillion IFDEFs - but it's just futile to suppose that the QT controls could keep in synch with Jason's complex Win32 controls. It was already pretty obvious that it would be close to impossible to synch the CLX and VCL visual stuff; and that it wouldn't ever be possible to write cross-platform apps transparently.

I can't think of an immediate problem with Andy's suggestions re splitting the code. The console-only packages could be made cross-platform with cond. defs if Jason chose at some point to distribute a console-only package for Windows as well.

I've proposed the idea of our slotting the new IBO-K development stuff into the version 4.4 space. The idea behind this is that, given the new VCL release is 4.5, we can continue to develop the IBO-K conversion in a space that's "v.4.3 aiming at 4.5". Let's wait to see what Jason's feelings are on these issues. Once we're decided, I'll set up a readme regarding the naming schemes.

NOTE that, with Beta 006, you should disable the OldParameterOrdering parameter in firebird.conf.

patch -p1 < ../patch-ibo-console-only

IMPORTANT

1. I only have stubs in the ConsoleStubs unit. So if any of the code in that unit was called (i.e. an attempt to display a form) then there would be errors. This needs more work.
2. I've not done a lot of testing at this stage.

Later note (11-OCT-2002) :: I'm running this on our own version of Linux which is very small and has very little installed on it - no X libraries. It works very well, however my console code needs some improvement so if you use this I would treat it as ALPHA code at the moment.
1. Add the directive globally by going to Project|Options|Directoies/Conditionals and add IBO_CONSOLE to the Conditional defines list.
2. Do a complete build, making sure that the IBO sources are built as well.
At the moment, the TDataset stuff can't be built without X dependencies..

• ibo40crt.dpk - Core run-time
• ibo40cdt.dpk - Core design-time
• ibo40adt.dpk - native IBO data access components
• ibo40xrt - TDataset-compatible run-time
• ibo40xdt - TDataset-compatible data access components
• ibo40wrt - native IBO web run-time
• ibo40wdt - native IBO web components

On the whole, I have simply IFDEF'd out all code referencing the Windows API via windows.pas. However, in order to get TIB_Session working, I have added an internal Clock component to IB_Session, a descendant of the widget TTimer, which just ticks away there until it blows out. The clock has a ResetClock method which can be called, although I haven't called it anywhere. For now, I don't know what will happen when Longword blows out.

Here is my setup - I have all defaults for both Firebird and Kylix2 Enterprise. Lester may have already bumped into some kind of fork or anomaly regarding a default K2 installation in a non-Red Hat distribution...but let's hope you don't have to do too much shifting around.

Kylix:

/usr/local/kylix2

NB: if you don't have the Property Editors patch from the Kylix registered users' download area, get it from our ibok-beta download area.

DCP output directory: /usr/local/kylix2/lib/
BPL output directory: /usr/local/kylix2/bin/

IBO source: /usr/local/kylix2/3p/ibo4beta/

I have Firebird 1.0 superserver installed in
/opt/interbase all as per the rpm installation.

libgds.so.0 and the symlink libgds.so are in /usr/lib.

bash-2.05b# ./daemon bash-2.05b# Exception EReadError in module daemon at 08070B0A. Error reading IB_Session1.EditingColor: Invalid property value.

That wasn't the native stuff only, but also TIBOTable and TIBOQuery. I tried around with a normal TDBGrid and a TDBNavigator and everything seemed normal. Editing is fine (both with a table and a live query), posting too. Great work so far!

ISC ERROR CODE:335544721
ISC ERROR MESSAGE: Unable to complete network request to host "daisy". Error writing data to the connection. Broken pipe

Other than this IBO-Kylix has been great. Unfortunately I will not be testing anything visual as we have no need for it - and don't use it under windows either!

I have converted TDataSet descendants for Sybase to Kylix, and it was trial and error to get the correct units. When I did the conversion, DB.pas and Classes.pas worked as it did with D5/D6. The only new unit I had to add was Variants, but that was also for D6. At one place I had to use Libc instead of SysUtils.

The best is to compile your code, if it complains about methods not defined, search the Kylix source for the correct unit.

• I can not switch between graphical and console development without removing packages (Kylix complains). CLX controls are WideString (courtesy of QT) where IBO is mostly AnsiString.
• The IBO 4.3Aa clx units have a couple of dependencies that IBO Win32 doesn't have (both libraries from (from CVS on Sourceforge):
  • JVCL 3
  • SynEdit (optional)
  
  Here are my thoughts on how to proceed:
  1. create 2 branches of the code base for a) console and b) CLX.

     Requirements:

     1. would include the IBO_CONSOLE patch.
     2. new tabs on the pallet with "(Console)" as part of the name for each package.
     3. rename each package to include an identifier (i.e. "C" for console).
     4. would use property editors from the CLX controls (if able).
  2. recode where required to use WideString rather than AnsiString.

     Requirements:

     1. rename each package to include an identifier (i.e. "Q" for QT, similar to Borland's naming scheme).
     2. leave the non-graphical components with the original file name.

• This would have the effect of widening the gap between the Windows and Linux sources when it comes to porting projects and maintaining the IBO code base.
• For the non-graphical component files, we could use INC files at the top end so we would only have to maintain 1 file rather than 2.

• Not touched :: IB_CGrid = TIB_ControlGrid, all of the WebSnap packages and units, TIB_LookupList, TIB_LookupCombo, TIB_RichEdit, TIB_DateTimePicker, FTS, RPL
  
• Controls that don't work right :: TIB_AutoLabel, TIB_Label, TIB_CustomLabel, TDatePick, TIB_Date, TIB_BrowseDialog, TIB_Ledger

I've never made so many IFDEFs in a project!!

A wrapper for TRegIniFile would make most of the Form&Dialog issues go away.

I forget where I read it but someone had mentioned a couple key points that would be good to ease the porting process: VK_* constant mapping to Key_* constants, the Registry support by way of TRegIniFile, and a few other constant conversion routines.

In porting IBO, I agree that these functions are needed. Maybe I'll start on a couple of them and include them in the source files. I did a quick Google search but did not find anything other than articles describing the need.

I'm trying to follow the flow but keep getting lost.

• TIB_Text has basic support (no extra graphics. i.e. Ellipse).
• TIB_Edit has basic support (no extra graphics).
• TIB_ComboBox has basic support. This one seems to put the dataset into an update mode when used. It looks like it is checking the contents of the Items list and if it does not find a match then switch to edit mode. Of course this is only theory at this point as it has not been fully tested yet.
  • I am using Firebird 1.5.1 and employee.fdb to test with.
  • My testing has been done with an unordered item list where all values in the database were in the Items list.
  • Using an ordered Items list has no effect.
  • In the test program, only entries with "USA" do not go into edit mode.
• TIB_ListBox seems to work OK.
• TIB_Date is pending subclassing of JvCLX controls.
• I have abandoned the AutoLabel stuff for now. There is an AV whenever I use it. This also applies to TIB_CustomLabel and TIB_Label.
• TDatePick has been abandoned.
• TIB_ControlGrid is most likely not going to happen (even Borland did not provide one with K3).
• TIB_DateTimePicker has now matching component in K3.
• K3 has no TRichEdit on which to base TIB_RichEdit.
  How about a TIB_TextViewer to replace TIB_RichEdit? Some of the JvCLX components could be subclassed to make them IBO-aware.
• TXSpinEdit is not needed, see TSpinEdit in K3.

I have used SynEdit in some of the IBF_ forms. The original files using TMemo are in the "original" directory. I enabled the "Interbase 6" setting for the SQL highlighter. I have not got around to testing this change yet.

I managed to get the IBD_Credits form to work as desired. It is now an ellipse with custom borders. It responds to a mouse click, ESC or ENTER to close the form. This took some work as the examples I had for K2 had no effect in K3.

I am presently going over TIB_CustomGrid. Once that is done and working, the remaining IBF_ forms can be completed.

In working on the conversion of TIB_CustomGrid I noticed the FIB_DataLink was created but not freed when the grid was destroyed. Is there a reason for this?
{Later --} I have finally got the TIB_Grid to show up on screen without an A/V.

• Turned out the create sequence had to have the DataLink created before calling the grid's inherited.Create. The problem locked Kylix up tight - some kind of endless loop consuming 100% CPU.
• Also, the TCustomGrid.Paint method calls DrawCell which in turn used a TIB_Column without first validating the TIB_Column, causing a non-fatal A/V (didn't lock or crash Kylix).

Work is progressing slowly. The drawing has to be reworked. I am comparing how Borland did their stuff with the IBO way. TIB_CursorGrid looks fine and so does TIB_StatementGrid. So now to flesh out TIB_Grid. Stay tuned...

I am looking through the CLX and VCL data control source to see what Borland did since they also used this message in the VCL. I'll post a status report when I get some more stuff working and upload the changes. Any changes are appreciated.

I will say that it is nice to have some of the property editors working.

I've done the "grunt work" so far, just basic functionality on the controls. No grids yet (except TIB_StatementGrid, TIB_CursorGrid) and any forms, dialogs, property editors that relied on TIB_Grid have not yet been done. I am hoping that someone with some CLX component writing experience is lurking in this group somewhere and can assist with the finer parts.

This is my the first attempt at making CLX components, so I am having to wrap my head around both the Windows controls and CLX controls and make sense of each event/function/procedure/property and it is taking some time. I've been going over the classes for TIB_CustomGrid, TCustomGrid, and TCustomDBGrid to see how they each work (129 pages so far). That's 129 pages so far (Int/Imp): TCustomGrid = 8/55, TCustomDBGrid=4/38, TIB_CustomGrid=24/?.

Here are the files that I have not yet converted:

• from ibo40vrt.dpk :: DatePick, IB_ArrayGrid, IB_CGrid, IB_Grid, IB_Ledger
• from ibo40frt :: IBF_Browse, IBF_DataDump, IBF_Lookup, IBF_Query, IBF_USearch
• from ibo40edt :: IB_LedgerEditor

• errors with missing/misnamed files (now adjusted)
• and yes, I did miss copying the MaxWord line.
• I also found that someone decided to use different constants for TModalResult!! They went so far as to comment out the good known values on each line, e.g. they changed
  . idcancel: //mrcancel:
  and this was the cause of most of the errors in the source code.
• I had to add a couple more IFDEFs for Windows only functions.
• I removed some old source files in the tar.gz file (*.INT,*.IMP,*.~*) that are no longer being used.
• this version is set with IBO_CONSOLE defined in all the packages

// DesignIntf, DesignMenus, DesignEditors, 

The time-consuming part was getting the older partitioned source units (.int, .imp, etc.) into the larger units that Jason evolved in v.4.3. I did it all by hand, no diffs, and I have not yet tested the conversion. I did it all by hand (no diffs on this one). I figure copying the files over a beta 5 directory should work OK.

• No package files are included.
• Jeremy's ConsoleStubs is included.
• a lot of IFDEFs to handle the console type projects.
• I also uploaded my modified Apache 2 units that make use of the console and do not require QT. See the file: IBO-k-Apache2.zip