TOPAZ for Delphi

For Delphi, TOPAZ offers a component library of 16 superb visual components and a library of over 200 useful date and time math, string and file manipulation routines. TOPAZ for Delphi integrates a broad spectrum of procedures, functions, and components into a versatile programmer's tool-kit. TOPAZ enables programmers to write with "dBASE-like" syntax in Delphi and use standard dBASE data and index files. TOPAZ includes utilities, numerous programming examples and sample programs.TOPAZ provides a powerful and comprehensive platform from which you can quickly develop applications of any type. Develop both single-user and multi-user database applications for 16-bit Delphi and 32-bit Delphi under MS Windows 3.x, Windows 95, 98 and NT.

TOPAZ comes with complete support for all Delphi compilers. It is not necessary to purchase additional versions, upgrades, or add-ons to TOPAZ to switch between platforms.

In the final application TOPAZ database engine is linked into the EXE, therefore TOPAZ applications are self-contained and self-sufficient. TOPAZ apps do not require any third party DLLs or the Borland Database Engine (BDE). Most TOPAZ applications can be distributed on a single 3.5 inch floppy disk.

Features

BDE is NOT required! TOPAZ does not require any third party DLLs. Everything your application needs will be in one EXE. In many cases the final application may be shipped even without database files. TOPAZ will create and handle all the necessary database files and indexes automatically without any additional code.

dBASE database file access with numerous high-level methods such as GoTop, GoBottom, Skip, Find, CopyTo, SetFilterTo, SetRelationTo, ReportForm, Append, SetWhileTo, AppendFrom, Replace, etc. Standard dBASE NDX indexes. Fast full-database searches and fast search and/or replace at the field level. Relational database systems may be created using any relational model.

Cross-component support allows Delphi 3 and Delphi 4 (and C++Builder 3) programmers link TOPAZ data access components to any Borland or third party data aware component. Now TOPAZ programmers can use their favorite reporting component, for example, using Delphi's standard TDataSource component.

Virtual Database Table component lets programmers create and mantain databases totally in memory. TOPAZ programmers may use the same proprties and methods as the regular database access component, TTzDbf, but without any disk I/O. Look-up tables, intermediate processing files, and temporary database tables can be blazingly fast!

Label Printing. TOPAZ TTzPrintLabel component lets you create over 400 different kinds of standard and unlimited custom labels: envelopes, mailing labels, packing slips, disk labels, VCR labels... Programmers may visually design shipping labels with Windows fonts, data fields connected to databases, shapes and graphics.

Sophisticated data entry components provide easy multi-field editing. TOPAZ TTzMask and TTzEdit provide additional input formatting with standard dBASE style picture masks in addition to Delphi's new style picture masks.

Numerous high-level routines are included for comprehensive date and time math, string manipulation, and dialog boxes. TOPAZ solves the Year 2000 problem automatically once and for ever, no code is necessary! With TOPAZ you may still use two digit years through the year 2000.

The same application source code can be used to produce single or multi-user applications.

Multi-user support includes record and file locking, append-only locking, and programs will operate with any MS-NET compatible network such as Novell NetWare, 3Com, Lantastic, Invisible Network, etc. The TOPAZ exclusive ALock method allows appending records to a file even when other users have records locked for editing. If you are using TOPAZ visual components TOPAZ will automatically handle locking and unlocking of records.

Powerful utilities are provided including a database structure editor, dBASE file browser, and much more. All utilities come with full source code.

TOPAZ comes with over 250 pages of documentation including tutorial, technical reference and numerous code samples.

Specifications

User Interface Features

• Standard Delphi-style controls
• Cross-component support for Delphi 3 and later
• TTzDbf -- Data access component (for disk files)
• TTzVFile -- Data access component (for virtual files)
• TTzEdit, TTzCheckBox, TTzComboBox, TTzGrid, TTzListBox, TTzMaskEdit, TTzMemo, TTzNav, TTzPrintLabel, TTzCollapser, TTzRadioGroup, TTzSpinEdit, TTzText, TTzTextExpr -- Data aware components
• Picture masks, Picture functions
• 400+ standard labels supported

Database Files

• Standard dBASE III and IV database files with memo field support
• BLOB support (limited only by disk space)
• Up to 33 open database files (default can be increased)
• Up to 2.1 billion records per file (limited by disk space)
• Maximum record size: 4000 Bytes
• Maximum number of fields per record: 255
• Maximum field size: 254 bytes

Index Files

• Standard dBASE NDX file format
• Up to 16 indexes per database
• Keys specified as dBASE expressions
• Keys specified by User-Defined functions

Expression Parser

• dBASE expressions evaluated at runtime

Time and Date

• Date range from 01/01/0001 to 12/31/9999
• Automatic detection of date formats: American, ANSI, British, German, Italian, Spanish, French, French Canadian (Quebec), Russian
• Automatic support through the year 2000

Utilities

• WCREATE.EXE -- Database structure creation and modification utility
• WBROWSE.EXE -- Database browser/editor

Requirements

• Borland Delphi (any version) or Borland C++Builder 3 or 4
• MS Windows 3.1, Windows 95, 98 or NT