Free Pascal Language reference (detailed) needed

[AlistairG]

Hi the current reference does not give any language detail. For example I am migrating some old Delphi win32 stuff over and need to make use of various functions and methods using Free Pascal but there is no documentation of the function details:
User's guide    
Programmer's guide
Language reference guide

Is there a 'near enough' Pascal guide in English that someone could point me to please.
Alistair.

[marcov]

The RTL and FCL manuals list the functions and procedures. These are available on the main Free Pascal documentation page, where you also got the other manuals. Lazarus has a similar one for the LCL

Operating calls (most notably everything in unit Windows and other Windows header units) are NOT documented, neither in Delphi btw. For that, the easiest is to use MSDN for the respective calls.

[AlistairG]

Sorry, those documents are comprehensive, but getting some key items are missing.
For example there is nothing mentioning clipboard or trayicon in those docs.
If I go to Freepascal and search for clipboard I get these results which are not really that explanatory:
http://wiki.freepascal.org/Special:Search?search=clipboard&go=Go
If I search for trayicon I get all info, but if I had not searched correctly eg done a search in FP home page, I would not have found any info on the trayicon either!
Its in FCL components here, which differ from FCL in pdf:
http://wiki.freepascal.org/Category:Components
but that is difficult to search for and there is no key to Components in Wiki directory that I could find.
http://wiki.freepascal.org/TrayIcon

These two examples would be just a few of many functions/methods which are in the hard to find basket, and as far as clipboard I am still unclear how its implemented in code, and if the code only works in windows or cross platform, as clipboard in windows works different to other o/s.
Thanks,
Al.

[AlistairG]

Hi I have attached a PDF file here which takes the root page of components and links to each item therein. Not great, but better than nothing see below to download.
Thanks,
Alistair.

[nicke85]

Thank you Alistar for file..Good Idea  for all-in-one wiki

[AlistairG]

Hi its not really all-in-one because there is a whole lot of stuff still missing like clipboard commands and the like. The hardest thing I am finding is (due to 8 years away from Delphi) lack of online help/F1 for FPC/Pascal correct syntax and descriptions therein. The problem is that nobody has put together a single comprehensive guide for Free Pascal, so when/if I get time that will be my chore unless someone else helps, or would like to join with me to do this?

[SteveF]

Hi its not really all-in-one because there is a whole lot of stuff still missing like clipboard commands and the like. The hardest thing I am finding is (due to 8 years away from Delphi) lack of online help/F1 for FPC/Pascal correct syntax and descriptions therein. The problem is that nobody has put together a single comprehensive guide for Free Pascal, so when/if I get time that will be my chore unless someone else helps, or would like to join with me to do this?

It's a hard thing for me as well:  What are the the properties methods and events for various components; what's the correct syntax for various functions, etc.  I dearly miss having something like the extensive online help available for MS Access (my application-development environment for over 10 years).

So, if you want to build something that's at all similar to that, I'll pitch in!  It will solve two problems at once:  educating me about how things work here, and providing a resource for others so they aren't floundering around as I have.

Steve

[AlistairG]

So, if you want to build something that's at all similar to that, I'll pitch in!  It will solve two problems at once:  educating me about how things work here, and providing a resource for others so they aren't floundering around as I have.
Steve

Hi Steve. Thanks for offering. Heres what I plan: to get all the pages in html from Freepascal. Share them with you. We can then using OpenOffice or similar edit all the superflous stuff out eg the banners etc and end up with a squeaky clean represenation of all info with a index page to be saved in PDF. Does this make sense or do you think there is a better way?
Like you, I find my programming is much less productive than it should be because I dont have the language information on hand. With Delphi, it had great online help + comprehensive manuals (so you should get, for what you pay!)
Thanks,
Alistair.

[ZL]

I think you should could get access to/DB of wiki pages so you do not need to "scrap" them. You should ask for them (maybe mailing list would be better?).

But it does not really solve the problem. This is discussed in mailing list from time to time. The problem is to keep everything up to date - what will you do when someone updates wiki pages?

[marcov]

Sorry, those documents are comprehensive, but getting some key items are missing.
For example there is nothing mentioning clipboard or trayicon in those docs.

Which is logical, since they are not part of Free Pascal, but Lazarus or third party