Lazarus
Free Pascal => Beginners => Topic started by: gour on August 15, 2020, 09:27:57 am
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Hello,
I've decided to use FPC/Lazarus for my desktop project and although I was writing TurboPascal long ago when being on university, but since then I was neither doing much programming, nor using TP, so wonder if Marco Cantu's Object Pascal Handbook (https://www.marcocantu.com/objectpascalhandbook/) is good resource for learning FPC (Lazarus) or is it better to buy e.g. Lazarus Handbook (https://www.blaisepascalmagazine.eu/product/lazarus-handbook-hardcover-presales/)?
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I think the lazarus handbook are more topics/essays for people that want to take the next step.
If you need to start with Object Pascal, Marco Cantu seems the better of the two
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I think the lazarus handbook are more topics/essays for people that want to take the next step.
If you need to start with Object Pascal, Marco Cantu seems the better of the two
OK, it seems both can be useful - one for starting with FPC and another for Lazarus. ;)
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I agree that the "Lazarus Handbook" is for people who know Pascal but want to learn how to use Lazarus. Marco Cantu's book, on the other hand, focusses on Delphi so that a new user may be confused by the differences to Lazarus.
Did you look at the overview in https://wiki.freepascal.org/Pascal_and_Lazarus_Books_and_Magazines? For beginners to Pascal I would recommend the free and well-written "Free Pascal from SquareOne" (http://www.copperwood.com/pub/FreePascalFromSquareOne.pdf) by Jeff Dunteman or "Start Programming Using Object Pascal" (http://code.sd/startprog/) by forum user Motaz. Another good book, non-free though, is "Learn to Program using Lazarus" by Howard Page-Clark, another forum user.
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I found the ancient Borland Object Pascal Language Guide very good quality.
Not sure where I downloaded the PDF, but the file name is "CB6_ObjPascalLangGuide_EN.PDF".
It is of course not up to the latest subjects like generics etc., but I found it valuable to read through.
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I found the ancient Borland Object Pascal Language Guide very good quality.
If you can get a D6 or D7 manual set: always take it. Sometimes they are quite affordable on the web.
I learned it by reading both that and Marco Cantu's Mastering Delphi repeatedly. The other thick book in the Delphi manual set is also very good to learn essentials of certain non language things, like resources, packages, translation system etc.
Of course it all requires interpretation as of FPC/Lazarus is more portable than D6/D7. But the main advantage of the manual sets, is that you see most of it, in more or less an natural order.
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That was the source.
I assume it legit to download from the http://docs.embarcadero.com/ site.
Also for offline reading a professional typesetting like the Borland manual is a must.
I find it very hard to read long documents where the PDF is basically just HTML turned
into a document. Sadly that is the standard with most documentation today.
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https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,26633.0.html
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Marco Cantu's book, on the other hand, focusses on Delphi so that a new user may be confused by the differences to Lazarus.
How is Cantu's book in regard to just learning ObjectPascal?
Did you look at the overview in https://wiki.freepascal.org/Pascal_and_Lazarus_Books_and_Magazines?
I did, but obviously missed some good ones. :(
For beginners to Pascal I would recommend the free and well-written "Free Pascal from SquareOne" (http://www.copperwood.com/pub/FreePascalFromSquareOne.pdf) by Jeff Dunteman or
"Start Programming Using Object Pascal" (http://code.sd/startprog/) by forum user Motaz.
Thank you. I downloaded both and will see which one is more suitable...
Another good book, non-free though, is "Learn to Program using Lazarus" by Howard Page-Clark, another forum user.
How much up-to-date is that one?
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Hello,
I've decided to use FPC/Lazarus for my desktop project and although I was writing TurboPascal long ago when being on university, but since then I was neither doing much programming, nor using TP, so wonder if Marco Cantu's Object Pascal Handbook (https://www.marcocantu.com/objectpascalhandbook/) is good resource for learning FPC (Lazarus) or is it better to buy e.g. Lazarus Handbook (https://www.blaisepascalmagazine.eu/product/lazarus-handbook-hardcover-presales/)?
Yes. Object Pascal Handbook - great resource for learning.
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Except that the very last (current) version uses a feature that FPC currently does not yet have : anonymous methods. So look for an older version and in print.
The very last version can confuse FPC beginners.
That said, it is a well written introduction into Object Pascal.
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Except that the very last (current) version uses a feature that FPC currently does not yet have : anonymous methods. So look for an older version and in print.
The very last version can confuse FPC beginners.
Hmm, I believe I've first printed version and 'anonymous methods' are in the index?
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While not as extensive as the Object Pascal Handbook or Lazarus Handbook, I thought the Modern Object Pascal Introduction for Programmers was useful for getting your feet wet, is more Free Pascal/Lazarus centric, and a relatively quick read.
https://castle-engine.io/modern_pascal_introduction.html (https://castle-engine.io/modern_pascal_introduction.html)
Downloadable PDF
https://castle-engine.io/modern_pascal_introduction.pdf (https://castle-engine.io/modern_pascal_introduction.pdf)
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Learn to program using Lazarus by Howard Page-Clark (a forum user) is an excellent book. It's well hidden at https://www.blaisepascalmagazine.eu/product/learn-program-using-lazarus-electronic-pdf/ and not listed in the Shop Books menu (I emailed BPM to alert them). Well worth the 25 Euro/ $A 42.
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I found the ancient Borland Object Pascal Language Guide very good quality.
Not sure where I downloaded the PDF, but the file name is "CB6_ObjPascalLangGuide_EN.PDF".
It is of course not up to the latest subjects like generics etc., but I found it valuable to read through.
Just to make it easier on people that might want to look at it. One of those oldies, but goodies. It's a downloadable PDF from Embarcadero, so legit.
http://docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/cbuilder6/EN/CB6_ObjPascalLangGuide_EN.pdf (http://docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/cbuilder6/EN/CB6_ObjPascalLangGuide_EN.pdf)
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Learn to program using Lazarus by Howard Page-Clark (a forum user) is an excellent book. It's well hidden at https://www.blaisepascalmagazine.eu/product/learn-program-using-lazarus-electronic-pdf/ and not listed in the Shop Books menu (I emailed BPM to alert them). Well worth the 25 Euro/ $A 42.
How thick/big it is considering that Lazarus Handbook is going to be around 1k pages?
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248 pages
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How thick/big it is considering that Lazarus Handbook is going to be around 1k pages?
My copy of Learn to program using Lazarus has 326 pages (including index). Compare the Contents pages of it and the Handbook.
The Handbook is pretty much devoted to Lazarus itself (as you would expect) whereas Learn to program using Lazarus covers the basics of Object Pascal first (95 pages) and then Lazarus (153 pages).
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The Handbook is pretty much devoted to Lazarus itself (as you would expect) whereas Learn to program using Lazarus covers the basics of Object Pascal first (95 pages) and then Lazarus (153 pages).
Hmm, how comprehensive is Lazarus part (153 pages) to actually learn it?
I'm asking since I own Cantu's book and there are few other very useful/free books dealing with Object Pascal part?
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Almost the whole book (in a version that refers to a max of D2009) is valid for Lazarus too, since at least FPC is close to 100% compatible with those.
What version of print do you have?
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Almost the whole book (in a version that refers to a max of D2009) is valid for Lazarus too, since at least FPC is close to 100% compatible with those.
What version of print do you have?
Do you reference ;D Marco Cantu's "Object Pascal Handbook" ? I've, afaik, the only edition so far, iow. 1st print.
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The official download link for the Object Pascal Handbook by Marco Cantu is at Embarcadero's website and below. However, you do have to sign up for a free membership first.
https://cc.embarcadero.com/item/30586 (https://cc.embarcadero.com/item/30586)
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Do you reference ;D Marco Cantu's "Object Pascal Handbook" ? I've, afaik, the only edition so far, iow. 1st print.
The online version is updated to current Delphi and includes a feature that FPC does not currently have in some of the examples (anonymous methods -mainly threading - in the example code).
Your printed version is perfectly OK to use and every example can be compiled with FPC.
Only a global modeswitch is required in every unit. {$mode delphi}
I have the same printed version and the CD and had no problems with all of its code with very small changes.
It was given to me by the author. Review. I used to be a beta tester for Delphi (not any more ) But that was a long time ago.
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There is a October 2014 Draft version of the Object Pascal Handbook that is online too.
Object Pascal Handbook 2014 draft (http://webapps.me.uk/download.php?f=object%20pascal.pdf)
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The official download link for the Object Pascal Handbook by Marco Cantu is at Embarcadero's website and below. However, you do have to sign up for a free membership first.
https://cc.embarcadero.com/item/30586 (https://cc.embarcadero.com/item/30586)
For this one you don't need to subscribe: https://www.pdfdrive.com/object-pascal-handbook-updated-for-delphi-101-berlin-e185368681.html
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And maybe this could also help a bit ?
https://www.win.tue.nl/~wstomv/edu/delphi/
http://docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/
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Your printed version is perfectly OK to use and every example can be compiled with FPC.
[...]
I have the same printed version and the CD and had no problems with all of its code with very small changes.
Is the book useful for learning only Object Pascal, or it can be somewhat used for learning Lazarus as well?
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Is the book useful for learning only Object Pascal, or it can be somewhat used for learning Lazarus as well?
As the name implies, it's useful for learning Object Pascal (in fact the "Delphi" language).
As an aside: people often confuse (Object) Pascal, the language; FPC, the Free Pascal Compiler; Lazarus. the IDE, and the LCL, the Lazarus Components Library; but they are quite different beasts, so while a book about one of them might cite any of the others it shouldn't mix them.
Thus, a "Lazarus" book should basically be like, say, a book about Word or WordPerfect, though the examples must, of course, use code written in Pascal; while a book about Pascal might cite and/or use FPC/Lazarus as the tools of choice but hte emphasis should be put in the language itself. IMHO, of course :-[
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s the name implies, it's useful for learning Object Pascal (in fact the "Delphi" language).
As an aside: people often confuse (Object) Pascal, the language; FPC, the Free Pascal Compiler; Lazarus. the IDE, and the LCL, the Lazarus Components Library; but they are quite different beasts, so while a book about one of them might cite any of the others it shouldn't mix them.
I understand the distinction between those, but wonder about LCL's compatibility with the Delphi since it was mentioned above that every example can be compiled with FPC ?
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Indeed. In {$mode delphi}. But the importer does also a good job.
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There is another Delphi (Object Pascal) e-book that could be great for beginners. Though Delphi orientated, for what it's going over, much of it highly corresponds to Free Pascal/Lazarus.
Delphi Programming For Beginners
Downloadable PDF
https://www.learndelphi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DelphiProgrammingForBeginners_ENG-CreativeCommons-LearnDelphi.org_.pdf (https://www.learndelphi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DelphiProgrammingForBeginners_ENG-CreativeCommons-LearnDelphi.org_.pdf)