Managing the Development Cycle Overview

The development cycle as described here is a subset of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), dealing specifically with the part of the cycle that includes the implementation and control of actual development tasks. It does not include such things as modeling applications. Delphi 2005 provides a framework of tools that helps you manage and perform all of your development requirements. These tools include:

   Source control integration

   User interface design

   Code visualization capabilities

   Project building, compilation, and debugging capabilities

Source Control Integration

Delphi 2005 provides a full-featured direct integration with Borland StarTeam, and supports integration with a number of source control systems, including Rational ClearCase, CVS, and Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, through the Microsoft Source Code Control (SCC) API. This integration allows you to access your source control system in one of two ways:

   Manage project files within the source control system from the Delphi 2005 IDE.

   Invoke the source control system in a separate process.

Invoke the source control system in a separate process if you need to use specific features of that system, which are not exposed in the Delphi 2005 IDE. The source control application appears in a separate window. In most cases, you manage your project files from within the Delphi 2005 IDE. The integration provided allows you to check-in, check-out, update, commit, and otherwise manage your source files using a simplified user interface. The integration supports the level of multi-user capabilities provided by your specific source control system.

User Interface Design

Delphi 2005 provides a rich environment for designing a .NET user interface. In addition to the Windows Form Designer, which includes a full set of visual components, the IDE gives you tools to build ASP.NET Web Forms, along with a set of Web Controls. Delphi 2005 also includes a VCL.NET Forms design tool, which allows you to build .NET applications using VCL components. The Designer offers a variety of alignment tools, font tools, and visual components for building many types of applications, including MDI and SDI applications, tabbed dialogs, and data aware applications.

Code Visualization

The Code Visualization feature of Delphi 2005 provides the means to document and debug your class designs using a visual paradigm. As you load your projects and code files, you can use the Model View to get both a hierarchical graphical view of all of the objects represented in your classes, as well as a UML-like model of your application objects. This feature can help you visualize the relationships between objects in your application, and can assist you in developing and implementing.

Build, Compile, Run, and Debug

Delphi 2005 provides a full-featured build and compile system, along with an integrated debugger. The visual approach to building, compiling, and running your application makes the entire development process simpler than in the past. Projects with subprojects and multiple source files can be compiled all together, which is called building, or you can compile each project individually. The integrated debugger allows you to set watches and breakpoints, and to step through, into, and over individual lines of code. A set of debugger windows provides details on variables, processes, and threads, and lets you drill down deeply into your code to find and fix errors.