Component/Library to design custom form at runtime (simple IDE)

[nerik]

Hello everybody,

I'm a Lazarus newbie, so consider this first of all and please apologize if I'm posting in the wrong forum section (I hope not!) 

Anyway, I need to know if exists any component/library which allows to design forms inside an application and save custom code (controls on forms should have their custom properties) in a text file. The goal is to build up a sort of small IDE for a specific purpose.

I've seen that a commercial software made in Lazarus/FPC (http://gridplusplus.com/) offers this feature (http://gridplusplus.com/images/xpower1_big.jpg) so I was wondering how they reach this goal.

I've also read on this forum about the porting of JEDI project in Lazarus (http://lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php?topic=11674.0) but I've seen on sourceforge that this project has stopped more than one year ago and I don't think this component can be enough for me.

Can you give me any suggestion please ?

Thank you in advance! 

[barlone]

May be this project help to you - http://sourceforge.net/projects/vfdesigner/. It not adapted for FreePascal/LCL but i think it possible...

I myself think of to make a translation, I myself interested about miniIDE for embedded PascalScript engine.

[nerik]

Thank you barlone, but I need something "out of the box"...ready to use in a production context.

Anyway, If you are going to make a porting of that in Lazarus/FPC, please keep us update on this thread, thanks!

[denver]

grid++ is a kind of java  + ajax + IDE  ===> web application development framework

There is a lot of similar development framework in the market.

Netbean also provide a web application development framework  and you can choice php + ajax  or java + ajax.

Here is the link :
http://netbeans.org/kb/docs/php/ajax-quickstart.html

[nerik]

Thank you denver,

but I want to develop a desktop application (not a web one) in Lazarus.

GRID++ was only an example I was referring to, in order to explain what I need to do.

In GRID++ there is a form designer (so custom forms with custom properties can be designed at runtime) and this is my goal too.

I would like to ask anyone how GRID++ form designer has been developed in Lazarus...which components they use...that's all...

[Leledumbo]

http://sourceforge.net/projects/jvruntimedesign/

[nerik]

Hi leledumbo,

thank you but I've already seen that link as I say in my first post:

I've also read on this forum about the porting of JEDI project in Lazarus (http://lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php?topic=11674.0) but I've seen on sourceforge that this project has stopped more than one year ago and I don't think this component can be enough for me.

That project seems to be abandoned (last update was on Jan 2011) and the features seems to be a little bit poor...

I don't think the GRID++ developers have used that component to develop their software...

[denver]

you want to create your own IDE  for another computer language ? or just an desktop application for end user that you can modify the program without redistribute a new exe file ?

[LA.Center]

grid++ is a kind of java  + ajax + IDE  ===> web application development framework

There is a lot of similar development framework in the market.

Netbean also provide a web application development framework  and you can choice php + ajax  or java + ajax.

Here is the link :
http://netbeans.org/kb/docs/php/ajax-quickstart.html

Grid++ has JAX technology which is what you describe, but Grid++ is actually native framework that can optionally run on the Internet/Grid++ which eliminates your distribution problem by simply adding your Live apps and games into a App-Store, and of course you can create native exe, and Grid Computing of course which allows you to harness and use idle computer power, but I don't want to get to much into detail.

Our Form Designer is completely written from scratch to make the design-time work properly on all platforms. The Form Designer is simply a modified TPanel, the design-time handles too. The trick is that we are actually have two forms during design-time, 1 the TPanel and 2 in the background a real TForm, and any change we do on the TPanel we sync to the TForm. If you look at the extensions of the form files, you will see f++ which is the object file for the TPanel and ui++ for the TForm.

Unfortunately I can't share code about this,  but I can offer you my help and advice when you get stuck

[avra]

Beside already mentioned runtime form designers and object inspectors, there is exDesign in Lazarus CodeTyphon edition. You can combine it with already included PasScript to get what you want.