This is probably the single most annoying problem in trying to source
control Delphi and C++ Builder projects. A very close second is the
annoying problem of Delphi and C++ Builder IDE wanting to save files
(including project files) when nothing in the files has been modified and
since they are under source control they are usually read-only, so the IDE
complains bitterly. Borland need to take a much closer look at making their
products source control friendly with both their own source control products
(PVCS and TeamSource) and with third party source control such as CVS and
SourceSafe. But I digress...
The need for components to be installed into the IDE Component Palette makes
shared development a nightmare. I have some custom components that are
shared between a couple of projects, but in order to get the package to
install into the IDE correctly, I must keep the package well outside of the
project directory tree. This is due to the IDE's annoying habit of forcibly
changing fully qualified paths in Project Options/Directories to relative
paths. Have you ever tried to install a package from a relative path? It
works first time, but restart the IDE and it fails because the relative path
is no longer correct since the current directory has changed. I have sent
this to Borland as a bug but was told that the changing of fully qualified
paths to relative was a feature and not a bug.
On a previous project, each new member of the development team usually spent
a day or two just setting up their Delphi environment to be able to start
work on the project. With a team of twenty developers, this added up to a
lot of lost productivity with the associated monetary cost.
The solution is to not create packages for custom components, do not install
the custom components to the component palette and keep all source in the
one project directory tree and dynamically create all custom components at
run-time. Of course this completely misses the point of being able to
visually edit your components at design time through the Object Inspector,
but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Steve 'Sly' Williams
Tools Developer
http://www.kromestudios.com
> i have come to the realization that this office does NOT have and adequate
> Delphi project "build" process or methodology. each time a project goes
> into test - we have to talk to the developer(s) and ask them what
component
> sources are used and where (on the network) they can be installed from.
>
> although we use PVCS for our source control - we need some kind of tool /
> methodology to make it easier for us to document and manage the "build
> process".
>
> i am tempted to write my own Delphi add-in that would parse all of the
units
> in a .dpr and build a "special" documentation unit.
>
> any and ALL information/advice/sources/references and war stories are
> appreciated.
>
> thx
> mark