Amazon.co.uk
Delphi is quite rightly reckoned to be one of the best IDEs (Integrated Development Environments), and ideal for rapid program development thanks to its use of VCL. The Nutshell series are information-dense reference titles, and
Delphi In A Nutshell doesn't disappoint.
After a fast tour of Delphi's version of the Pascal language and the files and forms used in the Delphi IDE you get an overview of object oriented programming as it relates to Delphi. There's coverage of of Delphi usage including scheduling, thread synchronisation and so on, then it's on to the language itself. Each language element is named, its syntax and a description with any gotchas noted. There's a tips and tricks section followed by example usage and pointers to related material.
This is a lot to pack in for every Delphi language element. One consequence is the need to limit the examples, which is a pity as they're often the most useful information. At the end of the book the last chapter deals with compiler directives and two appendices cover Delphi's command line tools and the separate but indispensable SysUtils unit. Delphi In A Nutshell isn't the kind of book you read in the bath, but it is one every Delphi programmer should have available when out of it.--Steve Patient
Amazon.com
Aimed at the working Delphi developer,
Delphi in a Nutshell is an effective desktop reference to this popular programming tool. Besides listing all core classes and methods, this book also provides a host of expert dos and don'ts for mastering the newest features in Delphi's Object Pascal.
The heart of this book is its reference sections on built-in Delphi language features and other useful information on this development tool. Each entry has a guide to syntax, a description of all parameters and return values, and code samples, plus many entries feature "tricks and tips" with additional information. While this title concentrates on the "core" language (instead of Delphi's extensive support for visual components), there's little doubt that it will be useful if you work with the tool on a daily basis.
The book also delivers an advanced guide to ramping up on the latest and greatest in new language features in Object Pascal. Material on using classes, and the type of information features available in today's Delphi, are particularly effective. There are a lot of smart tips on proper class design techniques, including using properties, constructors, and destructors. (Delphi has its own conventions here, and this book will fill you in if you are coming to Object Pascal from another programming language.) Along the way, the author offers numerous expert nuggets on when to use (and when to avoid) using certain features. Whether you are a novice or a more experienced developer, this tutorial and reference is all you need to be productive with the latest and greatest in object-oriented programming with Delphi. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered: Overview of Delphi Object Pascal, units and libraries, data and string types, exception handling, file I/O, classes and objects, inheritance, constructors and destructors, interfaces, reference counting, Windows messages, memory management strategies, virtual method tables (VMTs), properties, using TypInfo, virtual and dynamic methods, automated methods and COM, Delphi type information and RTTI, concurrent programming with threads, synchronization, thread local storage techniques, Delphi language reference, system constants, operator reference, compiler directives, code samples, and programming tips.
