Dfm2API/DfmTranslator Utilities

A VCL Form Converter

This page deals with to the free Dfm2API utility (and the shareware DfmTranslator) that have been published in the August 2000 issue of C/C++ Users Journal. It is my desire to extend its capabilities and to fix all the tons of bugs that you’ll find over the time. So I need your feedback: suggestions, improvements, critics and even money!

What’s this utility for?

Embarcadero C++ Builder and Delphi (previously from Borland and CodeGear) define a resource file format (DFM) that cannot be used in non-VCL applications. Dfm2API is a free tool that converts a Borland DFM resource file into a standard Windows RC (resource script) file and a CPP and HPP file with Windows API calls to replicate the behaviour of the VCL form without writing a single line of code! Another tool, the DfmTranslator, which is similar to Dfm2API and can be obtained with a small fee, allows you to customize the way in which the translation is done allowing you to support different GUI frameworks, different languages, and different compilers! Because a DFM file contains also a lot of information about controls initializations (e.g. you can specify which strings appears in a combobox without writing code), this utility extracts them and then automatically writes the required code in a CPP file so that you can use these RAD facilities in non-VCL applications! This utility can also operate on binary files (EXEs, DLLs, etc) extracting DFM resources (i.e. menu, images, etc) and replicating the appearence of each contained form!

What are the differences between Dfm2API and DfmTranslator?

The Dfm2API tool is free and and is the evolution of the original utility. Two dictionaries are available to convert the VCL forms into standard API calls and the OWLNext framework.

The DfmTranslator tool is shareware (try before buy for 39 euros/49$). You are allowed to add new dictionaries (e.g. to convert to C#, Javascript, wxWidgets, MFC, etc...) that you can write by yourself and you can modify existing dictionaries according to your style.

Who can benefit from it?

Everybody!!!! Well, that’s not true, but all the people that need a resource script file (both Delphi and C++ Builder users) or that wants to build WinAPI, MFC, or OWL applications could benefit from Dfm2Api/DfmTranslator tools. The main advantages are:

• Dramatically Smaller executable size (more than one order of magnitude!);
• Shorter compile and link time;
• Shorterbuild time;
• Compatibility with every C/C++ compiler;
• Generated Resources are compatible with MFC, OWLNext, wxWidgets, SDK, etc..
• No need for additional DLLs;
• No dependence on framework release; That means that you don't have to buy/wait for component new releases;

You canuse C++ Builder/Delphi for prototyping, and then translate the VCL Forms into standard resources. This reduces considerably Development time (through RAD facilities), executable size and compile time.

What this utility does NOT do today?

It does not convert non-standard windows controls. It is still possible, anyway, to treat a specific control as another one: for example a THighlyEnhancedAndWonderfulRadioButtonWithFireWorks can be treated as a simple TRadioButton, but the HighlyEnhancedAndWonderfulFireWorks capabilities will be lost. A special configuration file is provided to perform and customize this conversion task. So, it is still possible to convert a TBDEdit into an EditBox, but in that case you’ll lose all the RAD DB facilities and you’ll have to write the code to implement the required DB queries, etc.. It does not (yet) convert TPropertyPages and events (such as OnClick). This functionalities will be added in future releases.

What are the supported controls?

Actually, you can convert the following components into one of the following controls/resources/common dialogs (red one are the latest updates):

Note that not all the properties are converted into resources/ line of code, but I think that the most important ones are treated.

How does it work?

Imagine that you need to design a DialogBox for a WinAPI application. What you have to do is simply to design it as a VCL Form, and then convert it with the Dfm2APIutility: select the destination framework (SDK API calls or OWLNext with the Dfm2API tool or whatever you want with the DfmTranslator tool). You will obtain a .RC file, that is (more or less) exactly what you need (a resource script file, defined at the OS level), a .CPP and .HPP file. The .RC file contains all the statements that are required to generate a .RES file that can be linked to a Win32/Win64 module, while the .CPP and .HPP files are responsible to create the proper DIALOGPROC and to initialize the controls that populates the DialogBox. You can see an example here.

Example

If you design a form like the following one with C++ Builder (executable size is 1,588KB):

and then you convert it with Dfm2API (target, API calls), you will obtain the following DialogBox (executable size is only 105KB!):

Click here to give a look at the automatically generated source code file from the proviously described Form.

or if you converte it to OWLNext, you'll get this one (executable size is 1,073KB):

Click here to give a look at the automatically generated source code file from the proviously described Form.

As you can see, even if there are small differences, they are quite similar. Also a lot of controls are initialized, with no need to write code, because Dfm2API did it for you.

History

Downloads

The project with the source code relative to release 1.0 is available at CUJ site.
You can download the main releases here.

© Copyright (2000-2013), Luigi Bianchi
Last Update: May 28, 2013