Code Crunching

The Update first for the application is done. Your ideas as well as mine all made it into the application.

New features:

• Preview any True Type Font File not installed on your system
• Install the previewed files on the fly (if you have administrative rights)
• Filter view fonts by their styles (decorative, modern, serif, sans-serif, script, monospace, proportional)
• Get detailed information about the fonts
• Enumerate dependend fonts (eg: character set sub-font, real bold/italic/etc. versions)
• Get a quick preview of each font in list

Font Review Application

You can download the application from here (1,6 MB, ZIP, InstallAware Installer, Digitally Signed). If you have the previous version installed, simply run this setup. It will automatically uninstall the old version prior to installing the ppdate.

While the last version did not need an installer, this version does in fact need it. To accomodate the Windows Vista UAC, the installer is packaged in an out-of-process COM server, the only way to request elevation without requiring administrative rights to simply view/preview fonts.

Any thoughts, any suggestions? Please, let me know ;-)

I got some feedback from you guys via email on the Windows Font Preview Application, I wrote about yesterday. I like that *g*

So, I decided to spend some more time on it and I ask you for input. What features would you like to see? Following a list of features I am thinking about implementing:

• Preview font files without installing them on the system, permanently
• Allow for filtering fonts when looking for a special one for your next essay
• Show some detailed information about the installed font
• Enumerate dependend fonts (eg: character set sub-font, real bold/italic/etc. versions)
• Quick preview of all fonts in list

What (else) would you like? Drop me an email or leave a comment here.

You probably know this text from the built in Windows font preview application.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Well, it is nice to see a font, when you scroll through them. Many applications out there allow to easily few multiple fonts at once. But all free tools I know of lack the possibility to enter your own (unicode) text to review a font. Well, today I needed just that and I let you all use it for free ;-)

It features:

• Font Size (6 to 128 pt)
• Bold, Italic, and Underline
• Quality: default, draft, proof, aliased, non-aliased, and ClearType

Font Review Application

To get the application, go to the update page.

This week the administrators of www.dsdt.info (Delphi-Source, der Delphi-Treff) relaunched the web site with a new design. The new side reminds me of a Web 2.0 portal just from the looks of it. With the relaunch of their site, they chose a new name, simply www.Delphi-Treff.de. It is one of the leading German language Tutorial sites on the web for Delphi developers.

If you know German, check it out.

I always forget to post it to my blog, so finally here it is. Since two years I am using this page and it helps with those crazy connection strings. When you need to find the right one for your database, check it out at www.connectionstrings.com.

Well, as I've written before, I have reinstalled my work machine. Still the same setup as in the last post, basically it is just Windows Vista Ultimate (running in a domain), 2007 Office System, and Visual Studio. First, I have installed Visual Studio, then Office and last the RAD Studio. A few minor tools along the way.

When working in Visual Studio on ASP.NET Applications, I could not use the designer at all. Using the Source view of ASPX files worked fine. When switching to Split- or Design view, the editor would freeze and nothing else would happen. I could close the tab and keep on working in Source view. Not more on ASPX-files. While this is fine most the time, I sometimes would just like the designer.

I reinstalled (repair function) the whole Visual Studio 2008. And it got better, well almost. When switching into Split- or Design view I could see the page, but every control would be causing the following error.

Error Creating Control - Panel1
The type initializer for 'Microsoft.Web.Design.ExtenderInformationServiceProvider' threw an exception.

Or it would tell me, that a control with the name of Panel1 exists already. Whichever error it liked to show. Well, after searching the internet for about an hour I found a solution that seemed to make no sense, so it should work. So I did just that:

• Uninstall the .NET Framework 3.5
• Reboot
• Reinstall the .NET Framework from the Visual Studio DVD
• Reboot
• Run Visual Studio and be happy

It works! So if you have a similar problem, try your luck with un- and reinstalling the .NET Framework 3.5.   

I've used the christmas-new-year-time to reinstall my work station. One year of abuse, no images, etc. has taken its toll and it was time to do something about just that. After I had reinstalled my most needed applications on-top of Windows Vista Ultimate (Visual Studio 2008, RAD Studio 2007, InterBase 2007, 2007 Office System, Acrobat Reader and 7-zip) I pulled my source codes of our largest project. We needed an addition to one of the libraries, so I loaded it into the Delphi IDE and wanted to go to the type library editor (it is a ActiveX/COM server library).

Well, the menu point was grayed out. Delphi did not let me know why it did not want to load the type library, nor did it show any error message. After experimenting a little, I found out, that I could load about half the COM server projects just fine, while others did not let me load the type library editor either. No error messages, no warnings, and all would compile just fine.

Later I tried to load the TLB file directly into Delphi and I got the message, that it cannot be loaded, because a dependent ActiveX library is not installed. So I started registering the other type libraries of the project, one by one, wondering why - I never had to do that before - and it did not help in any way. Later I had an idea and checked upon my MS XML installations and found the MS XML 3, MS XML 5, and MS XML 6 were installed, MS XML 4 was missing, however. After installing MS XML 4 I could load all projects again and edit the type libraries as well.

So please, CodeGear, start giving us meaningful error messages in this case too. I will have to come up with a example showing the problem, but how can I let them know how really important such issues can be...?

Anyway, happy new year to all of you out there!

John Kaster informed us today of the passing of Robert Marquardt. Robert was a well respected member of the Delphi-PRAXiS and we will remember him in the fondest ways. He has done much for the Delphi Jedi Project and I hope the project will find a new person, who will step into his steps and help it prosper the way it should.

I have met Robert at various Delphi happenings and it has been a pleasure talking to him, always. I hope you have a great time ahead of you. My sincere sympathies for his family and closests friends, I have just written short messages with him and had small talks only, but they were a pleasure, always.

Thank you again Robert, for all you have done for me, the Delphi-Community of Germany and the Delphi developers world wide. It hasn't been easy always, especially in the last years, but you have been there for us, THANKS!