OpenSource ISAPI Extension Loader for Debugging

This is the second installment, as an afterthought to OpenSource ISAPI Filter Loader for Debugging. Just as updating Filters normally forces you to restart your IIS, so does updating an extension.

How does it work?

When you setup the ISAPI Filter for your web site, instead of deploying your ISAPI extension, you will deploy mine. Rename my ISAPI extension so, that it matches the name of your DLL. So, if your DLL is called SomeISAPIExtension.dll, name mine SomeISAPIExtension.dll, too.

Now rename your ISAPI extension to SomeISAPIExtension.upd, short for update. ;-) When the IIS sends the next request to my ISAPI extension, it will look for your update. It will then rename it to SomeISAPIExtension.run and load it into memory and pass all requests along.

When you have another update, copy it as SomeISAPIExtension.upd into the same directory. Within 10 seconds (default, or 500ms debug-mode) my ISAPI extension will look for the update. Finding one, it will unload the current extension and rename it to SomeISAPIExtension.bak, rename yours to SomeISAPIExtension.run and load it. Then, your new version will start to handle all requests. NOTE: This process can take upto one minute. All incoming calls are pooled and passed to the new version as soon as it is loaded.

I created this little tool as an afterthought just now. As it turned out, Egg-Loader is for those extensions and not for filters. I hope you enjoy it, too. There are some things that can be done to enhance it for debugging, and it is not designed for live services!

Download at Borland CodeCentral: ISAPI Extension Loader for Debugging.

OpenSource ISAPI Filter Loader for Debugging

A member of our German Delphi community, had a problem with a product named Egg-Loader. What does it do?

Well, basically it is an ISAPI Filter which routes requests from the IIS to your ISAPI Filter. When you have an update of your Filter, you copy it into the directory where the current one is deployed, but with the extension .update instead off .dll. The Egg-Loader will then unload the current version and use the updated instead. I wrote such a tool a long time ago, for myself. Now, I decided to open-source it. It has done a great job in developing our in-house software Content ACE v3 and v4.

How does it work?

When you setup the ISAPI Filter for your IIS, instead of pointing IIS to your ISAPI Filter, you will have to point it to mine. Rename my ISAPI Filter so, that it matches the name of your DLL. So, if your DLL is called SomeISAPIFilter.dll, name mine SomeISAPIFilter.dll, too.

Now rename your ISAPI Filter to SomeISAPIFilter.upd, short for update. ;-) When the IIS sends the next request to my ISAPI Filter, it will look for your update. It will then rename it to SomeISAPIFilter.run and load it into memory and pass all requests along.

When you have another update, copy it as SomeISAPIFilter.upd into the same directory. Within 10 seconds (default, or 500ms debug-mode) my ISAPI Filter will look for the update. Finding one, it will unload the current Filter and rename it to SomeISAPIFilter.bak, rename yours to SomeISAPIFilter.run and load it. Then, your new version will start to handle all requests.

This little tool has helped me a lot during development. I hope you enjoy it. There are some things that can be done to enhance it for debugging, and it is not designed for live services!

Download at Borland CodeCentral: ISAPI Filter Loader for Debugging.

Two of you have downloaded before the latest update *g* The community member just told me more details about his problem. My version had the same problem. This is fixed now *g* How is that for support?

And yet another video

While Marco Cantù has blogged about two nice videos I stumbled across another old goodie from the Delphi 3 CD. You remember when back then they wanted to rule space and make earth a better place to live on...?

YouTube: Delphi 3 CD goodie

Late, but do not miss

Today, at 12 pm PDT Jason Vokes will be online with Nick Hodges on the Delphi Hour. This is 9 PM CET, about 90 minutes from now.

Do not miss!

Spread the word, Nick told us kinda late this time...
Link to Event Central

How to develop in Delphi when you're blind

Marco has done it again. He posted a great blog entry on how he works with the whole IDE, especially the code editor itself, this time. It's amazing how he manages it and he even writes about the one thing that bothers me most: looking at your code in whole. Think about it, whenever you write code you do look at the directly lines above and below, even without thinking about it. And Marco simply does not have the slightest chance to do just that. He always has to know where he is and what his next "crime" will do to his code...

Read it, it's well worth the time and it will help you thinking about people who are not sighted when doing you own development.

Speaking of it... Hey Marco, how is the new design of my blog working for you?

Ah, before I forget, the link: How I work in Windows and the Delphi IDE

Great Turbo videos to look at and some 8mm material

Well, Mr. Video, aka Daniel R. Wolf, has done it again. He got hold of a Turbo Delphi copy, Borland Germany provided it, and created yet another video. The video even features some never before seen 8mm material of Borland Pascal from the early nineties. You should definitely take the time and have a look. It is fabulous!

The video: Turbo Delphi Videos (German and English available!)
DivX-Codec required (free): DivX Homepage

Totally different than expected, but nice ;-)

Well, just letting all you newsreader know, a long time in coming, the new design of my blog is online. It is very minimalistic, but I do like it. Some tweaks still need to be done, especially for friends like Marco.

Let me know how you like the look of the page :)

Gear up and switch on your Turbo

NOTE: this article is a translation of my article in the recent Borland Germany newsletter published at Die neuen Turbos – Ein Anwenderbericht.

During the last weeks and months, we thought about the old Borland times. Back then the names like Turbo Pascal and Turbo C++ got us excited, made us dream. Back in the eighties and nineties, the Turbo product line was one of the most successful developer tools product line available on the market. Later we had Borland Delphi and Borland C++Builder, which where quiet successful too.

Today we have a totally new IDE, which was developed under the codename Galileo. And about three years ago four languages where merged into this one IDE: Delphi, Delphi.NET, C++ and C#. Yet, many developers just need one of those languages to work with, they don't want an IDE with four languages...

Well rejoice, the Turbo family is coming home
Very soon the Developer Tools Group (DTG), currently part of the Borland Corporation, will bring eight new products on the market: Turbo Delphi, Turbo Delphi for .NET, Turbo C++, and Turbo C#. Each of those products will be available as freely available Explorer edition and as well priced Professional edition.

The "small" Turbo, the Explorer editions
All four Explorer editions will come bundled with the Borland Interbase 7.5.1 database server for development. They will contain all components needed for database development, something not seen in a long time in the lower end versions of the Borland developer IDEs. That is definitely a step in a promising future for all.

Each explorer Edition will come with over 200 defined drag- and drop components ready for use right out of the box. The VCL components will include the most recent additions like the TTrayIcon, TFlowPanel, and TGridPanel components.

It may come as a surprise to you, but you will get UML support with the explorer editions for your Delphi, Delphi.NET, and C# projects. You will not be able to design stand-alone UML projects, but you will have them for your language specific projects. The UML support is two-way, you can code and import that into your UML project and you can design UML and export that to your code, just as you do in the big BDS suites.

However, the .NET editions (Delphi for .NET and C#) have another surprise ready for you: ECO support. One of the most exciting features of the recent BDS versions will be available for free, however only XML persistence is supported, just as in the BDS 2006 professional editions. Please remember, since ECO is a .NET feature, this will not be available for Turbo Delphi (for Win32) and Turbo C++. The .NET editions also come bundled with the NUnit testing framework.

But let's not stop exploring the Explorer editions just now. There is another goodie never seen in free editions before: you get the full VCL and RTL source code. This is one of the key features of Delphi since version 1, you are always able to look up what is going on on the inside of your apps. This time however for free!

The Professional Turbo editions
Basically, one could say, the Turbo Professional editions match the Borland Developer Studio 2006 Professional edition, however, they just come in one personality (language) flavour and do not have all four. This allows you to get the full Professional power for your language you like.

Besides all that you get in the Explorer editions, you get third party tools (where applicable) like RAVE Reports, IntraWeb, and the Indy component suite with your Professional version.

Further only with the Professional editions you will get the power to install any third party libraries right into Delphi to expand your components tool palette and add other features to your IDE. This will open a whole new world to you as you can install things like JCL, JVCL, madExcept, etc. into your IDE.

Getting your Turbo installed
Depending on the Turbo product you chose, you will have to install some prerequisites, such as the MS .NET Framework, MS SDK, XML DOM 4.0. The installer will take care of those things for you.

Next you install your Turbo just as any other application. The Explorer edition and the Professional edition come on the same medium, and the serial number and authorization key will be selecting whether you have an Explorer or a Professional edition installed. In order to use all features you will have to register your copy, otherwise some features may be disabled.

NOTE: Please refer to original article (link at the top) for a simple feature matrix.

Last, but not least
Watch out at turboexplorer.com for further announcement and downloads.

Screen Shots
Some screen shots can be found at Borland Infocenter Germany (direct link)

Have fun using your new Turbo :)

How to design a form when you’re blind

Marco Zehe has posted information on how he works with Delphi when designing forms. Interesting read: How to design a form when you’re blind.

In a second step he has updated the article with images showing his steps in a more detailed way for us sighted persons. ;-)

Borland Developer Conference 1996

Have you been there? No, well, watch that video just linked on turboexplorer.com.

A very good video for you

Well, not much new to learn, but you will love to see it. Some musik and the father of the good ol' Borland, Phillipe Kahn will introduce the concept of OOP to you. Hopefully you will not need that information for your daily development life anymore, since you should know it alright. Even the father of our beloved Pascal language, Niklaus Wirth, is talking in the video.

Go see at turboexplorer.com

The Turbos are back

According to an interview with DavidI, Borland will bring back the Turbo tools.

David Intersimone, vice president of developer relations and chief evangelist at Borland, said the Turbo product set includes Turbo Delphi for Win32, Turbo Delphi for .Net, Turbo C++ and Turbo C#. Each version will be available in two editions: Turbo Explorer, a free downloadable version; and Turbo Professional, a version priced at less than $500, he said.

Borland will offer more information at turboexplorer.com, which is yet to go online.

The Delphi-PRAXiS Project 2006

Daniel R. Wolf, founder, administrator and desperate house elf of the largest German-speaking Delphi community has started a Blog (in German) where he will regularly write about the development phases of the next relaunch of the community site.

The current Delphi-PRAXiS is based upon phpBB. phpBB once was the best open-source forum available. But due to lack of (place whatever fits here) the project is slowly going down the drain. However, to ensure a long and prosper existence of the next Delphi-PRAXiS, Daniel decided to use vBulletin as base. vBulletin is not free, yet its price tag is well worth the software. It has a great architecture and is promising to be a very good base for Germany largest Delphi community.

Photosynth - this project sounds good...

In case you haven't heard about Photosynth, you should visit LiveLabs and see the documentary video.

For now there is not much more to do than wait, but when it comes, I can fathom some ideas how to integrate that into your own apps, hoping that Microsoft will give us a good API or WebService to access the features :)