JVCL: JVCL Component Overview

JEDI Visual Component Library

JVCL links at Github
- JVCL Project at Github

About:
- Mozilla Public License

Component overview

"Most wanted" and very frequently used components are emphasized. If you are new to the JVCL and overwhelmed by the sheer number of components we recommend to have a look at them first. To get a more concise descriptions of a specific component simply look it up in the Jedi Online Help. Bugs can be reported in Mantis

By default the JVCL installs components into the following categories:

Jv Non-Visual

TJvTimer: Needs a windows handle only when Enabled=True. (Same as Delphi after D2010SP4) ATT: has a non-standard timing behaviour (Set EventTime to tetPost to fix that). Has a limited time resolution of 20ms. Enabled-property is not thread-safe
TJvLookupAutoComplete: used along with TEdit or TListBox components. It provides a list of strings which are automatically completed in associated component.
TJvHint: ???
TJvSearchFiles: ??? Scan directories for files - looks like a big overkill to me. A lot of source for a small function.
TJvCreateProcess: ??? Execute processes and capture output. Overkill?
TJvBalloonHint: A balloon hint. Att: D2010 has a TBalloonHint that can be assigned to the CustomHint-property of controls. The Jedi-Hint is not compatible with that. Use e.g. the UseBalloonAsApplicationHint-property instead.
TJvBackground: A background image for a form can be defined. Use the property "Clients" to set which parts of the form should be covered (e.g. to include some panels and groupboxes)

Jv Visual

TJvPoweredByJCL: JCL-Logo image that opens a browser with the JCL-Page when it's clicked. Useful for users who want to give us credit in their about box.
TJvPoweredByJVCL: same as above for the JVCL. Useful for users who want to give us credit in their about box.
TJvClock: Displays a clock - Digital or analog (property ShowMode)
TJvCharMap: Ascii-Char map as used by WinWord when inserting special characters
TJvZoom: Shows the surrounding of the mouse cursor like in a screen lense. Att: Does not work on dual screen systems on the secondary screen.
TJvDice: A dice. Removal recommended. Don't use.

Jv Persistence

TJvAppStorage and descendants: manages storing data for TJvFormStorage (desendants store data in ini-files, registry, XML-files etc)
TJvFormStorage: can automate storing window position/size/state and content and state of most VCL-components like Edits, checkboxes etc. DemoApp.

Jv Buttons

TJvCheckbox: Has a property "LinkedControls". Linked controls can be enabled/disabled automatically,
TJvArrowButton: Button with drow-down arrow. SampleApp.
TJvColorButton: Button with Dropdown-arrow what - when clicked displays the Windows standard colors as a set of 5x4 color squares and a "other colors" button that let you define any color you like.
TJvOfficeColorPanel: Panel with color selection blocks.
TJvOfficeColorButton: Dropdown similar to TJvColorButton but it folds out the TJvOfficeColorPanel. Also: separate event when the already selected color is clicked (no drop-down-action). Folded out Color-Panel can be undocked. ATT: The fold-out code is erroneous. Once undocked the window misses the close-button when opened a 2nd time.

Jv Bars, Panels

TJvRollOut: Expandable panel with headerline. Nice property: SmartExpand: When there's not enough space on the current form to completely expand the panel, the panel is shown in a floating mode (-> on a helper window)
TJvPageControl: every tab has a separate hint
TJvOutlookBar: on a first glance similar to TCategoryButtons with ButtomOptions+[boFullSize]-[boVerticalCategory]
TJvGradient: two-color filled pane
TJvGroupBox: Property "PropagateEnable" -> if set then all contained components are disabled when groupbox is disabled. Property "Checkable" -> checkbox displayed in header to disable groupbox and contents
TJvTabBar : A tab control similar to the one in the Delphi-IDE or Firefox. Can have Closebuttons directly in the tabs. Visual appearance can be changed with special painter-classes (e.g. TJvTabBarXPPainter)
TJvLookOut: Very similar to the TJvOutlookBar
TJvItemsPanel: A TListbox, but instead of simply showing the strings it shows buttons for each Item-entry. ??
TJvColorTrackBar: Trackbar with a color gradient in the background
TJvFullColorTrackbar: Same as TJvColorTrackBar but over-complex and not intuitive to use. Not recommended
TJvProgressBar: seems to be a normal TProgressBar with a lot of extra properties that don't do anything.
TJvGradientProgressBar: Progress bar that draws using a color gradient
TJvSpecialProgress: Looks like the TJvGradientProgressBar but with the ability to a text (e.g. percentage) in the box. ATT: Text is not inverted onto progress, so progress can overwrite the text making it unreadable. Maybe better a TGauge?
TJvWaitingProgress: ???

Jv Labels

TJvLinkLabel: Label with support for many HTML tags and a lot more. Very nice demo app available.

Jv Lists, Combos, Trees

TJvListView: ATT: seems not to work properly when GroupView=True
TJvCheckedComboBox: Combobox that shows a checkboxlist when expanded. Several options can be selected there, selected lines are shown as comma-separated-text in combobox. Access via properties "ItemEnabled[i]" and "Checked[i]"
TJvPageList: a lightweight PageControl without tabs
TJvCheckTreeView: TreeView that shows optionally Checkboxes or Radiobuttons next to entries. DemoApp erroneous.

Jv Scrollers

TJvScrollMax: Quite similar to TJvXPBar amd TJvRollOut-Panel. Expandable panels. Att: controls inside don't lose focus even when panel is collapsed.

Jv Trackers, Sliders, Splitters

TJvTrackBar: Adds OnChanged-event (end of changing), property ToolTips -> show current value is a tooltip-window while sliding. Att: property Color doesn't do anything, property ShowRange can be ignored, Delphi has ShowSelRange
TJvNetscapeSplitter

Jv Edits

TJvComboEdit: Button inside (on right end) the edit-field
TJvFileNameEdit: Edit with a browse-for-file button. Also allows drag&drop of files into the edit field.
TJvDirectoryEdit: Same as TJvFileNameEdit, but for folders.
TJvEdit: Adds properties DisabledColor and DisabledTextColor - applied when Enabled=False
TJvValidateEdit: MaxValue, MinValue, HasMaxValue, HasMinValue - Value is corrected when Edit loses focus

Jv Images, Animators

TJvSpecialImage: Adds properties "Brightness", "Flipped", "Mirrored", "Inverted" and functions for fading in and out the image. ATT: FadeIn/FadeOut don't work properly!!

Jv Data Access

TJvADODataSet
TJvADOQuery
TJvAppDBStorage
TJvCsvDataSet: Dataset object similar to TTable or TClientDataSet, that operates with CSV files.
TJvDataSource
TJvDatabaseActionList
TJvMemoryData

Jv Data Controls

TJvDbCheckBox
TJvDbComboBox
TJvDBCalcEdit
TJvDBCalcEdit
TJvDBComboEdit
TJvDBDateEdit
TJvDBMaskEdit
TJvDBNavigator
TJvDBStatusLabel
TJvDBDatePickerEdit
TJvDBFindEdit
TJvDBGrid
TJvDbGridCsvExport
TJvDbGridExcelExport
TJvDBGridHTMLExport
TJvDBGridWordExport
TJvDBGridXMLExport
TJvDBGridFooter
TJvDBHTLabel
TJvDBImage
TJvDBLookupCombo
TJvDbLookupEdit
TJvDbLookupList
TJvDbLookupComboEdit

Jv Dialogs

TJvBrowseForFolderDialog: Allows also simply browsing of predefined places like Network, Control Panel, Desktop etc.
TJvObjectPropertiesDialog: invokes the Properties context menu command on a Shell object (for folders and printers)

Jv Threading

TJvThreadTimer: Only requires a windows handle when Enabled=True. (Same as Delphi after D2010SP4). ATT: Enabled-property not thread safe.
TJvThread
TJvThreadSimpleDialog

Jv Internet, Network

TJvProgramVersionCheck: for automatic checking for updates and installation of updated version from the Internet
TJvMail: for sending and receiving mail using mail client in your OS. Attachments are available.

Jv NavPane

Jv Plugin

Plugin-Framework derived from the UIL-Plugin Framework. There are better ways to implement plugin functionality. Not recommended.

Jv XP Controls

TJvXPBar: Similar to TJvRollOut-Panel, but with String-items instead of controls. Collapsing/Expanding happens smooth and nicely animated. Nice demo.
TJvXPButton: ???! questionable.
TJvXPProgressBar: Draws a progressbar in XP-style. The color of the the background and of the blocks is configurable. Doesn't support Marquee-style.

Jv Wizard

Jv Validators

TJvErrorIndicator: Shows error indicators next to edit-fields etc. similar to "missing fields" indicators in web forumlars. DemoPic
TJvValidators: To validate user input. Rightclick on Field editor to define validation rules. Checks are performed when method "Validate" is called.

Jv TimeFrameWork

Jv System

TJvChangeNotify: monitors changes in one or more directories on the computer
TJvAppDdeCmd: ??? bizarre non-working example
TJvAppInstances: Allows to limit the number of concurrently running instances of an application. DemoApp.

Jv Runtime Design

TJvInspector: object property inspector (like Delphi's). Simple demo app.
TJvPropertyStoreEditorControl: ??? Mysterious demo app available

Jv Print Preview

Jv Jans

TJvTracker: TrackBar with alternative design
TJvTurtle: ???!

Jv Jans SIM

Jv Jans CSV

Jv Interpreter

JVCL Globus 1

Components with inferior quality, don't use

TJvgButton: round button (TGraphicControl-descendant)

JVCL Globus 2