TPJHotLabel Component


Contents


Description

Overview

TPJHotLabel is a simple Delphi component that descends from TLabel. It provides a clickable label that can start the default browser or email client to access a specific URL. Key features of the component are:

A help file is provided that can inegrate with the IDE of Delphi 3 to 7.

Backwards compatibility with v1

This v2 release is backwards compatible with v1 of the component. All new properties that are not available in v1 are either switched off by default or emulate the properties available in v1.

File manifest

This release contains the following files:


Compatibility

TPJHotLabel has been tested Delphi 4, 6 and 7 and should work with all 32 bit versions of Delphi (i.e. versions 2 to 7). The component is not suitable for use with Delphi 1


Installation

In these instructions $(DELPHI) is to be taken to represent the path where the appropriate version of Delphi was installed. For example, if you have Delphi 4 installed on the default installation path then $(DELPHI) is equivalent to C:\Program Files\Borland\Delphi4.

The installation procedue for Delphi 3-7 differs from that for Delphi 2. Separate instructions for each type of installation follows. (The Delphi 2 instructions are towards the end of the section).

Installation with Delphi 3 & later

These instructions assume you wish to install the component into an existing package. To install into a new package, create a new, empty design time package, install it into Delphi and then follow these instructions to add this component to the package.

  1. Unzip the .zip file containing the component into a folder, preserving the directory structure.
  2. Copy PJHotLabel.pas, PJHotLabel.res and PJHotLabel.dcr to the folder from where you wish to install the component into the Delphi Component Palette. This will probably be a sub-folder of the $(DELPHI)\lib folder.
  3. Install the component into the palette by chosing the Component | Install Component menu option.
  4. You can now delete PJHotLabel.pas from the place where you copied it if you wish. The component will appear on a palette called DelphiDabbler. You can move the component to a different palette if required.
  5. The simplest way to install the help file is to use my Component Help Installer Expert. To install manually, proceed as follows:
  6. Using RegEdit open the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Help and add a new string value named PJHotLabel.hlp whose value is the path where you copied the help file (probably ($DELPHI)\Help).

Installation with Delphi 2

To install the component, proceed as follows:

  1. Unzip the .zip file containing the component into a folder, preserving the directory structure.
  2. Copy PJHotLabel.pas, PJHotLabel.res and PJHotLabel.dcr to the folder from where you wish to install the component into the Delphi Component Palette. This will probably be a sub-folder of the $(DELPHI)\lib folder.
  3. Start Delphi. Select the Components | Install menu option. Click the Add button, then the Browse button and navigate to PJHotLabel.pas in the folder where you placed it. Click OK to recompile the component library.
  4. You can now delete PJHotLabel.pas from the place where you copied it if you wish. The component will appear on a palette named DelphiDabbler. You can move it to a different palette as required.

Please note that the supplied help file does not integrate into the Delphi 2 IDE (it only integrates with Delphi 3 onwards). The help file can be used stand-alone, but the help file contains links into other Delphi help files that will not work when run stand-alone.


Known Issues

No known outstanding issues.


Update History

Release 2.0 of 02 November 2003
HotLabel v2.0 of 02 November 2003

Release 1.0.1 of 28 November 1999
HotLabel v1.0 of 25 October 1999

Release 1.0 of 25 October 1999
HotLabel v1.0 of 25 October 1999


License & Disclaimer

This component is copyright © P.D.Johnson, 1999-2003.

The source code and help file can be freely distributed on a not-for-profit basis providing that:

  1. The source code is not altered.
  2. This readme file is distributed with it unchanged.

By not-for-profit I mean that you may recover out of pocket expenses incurred in distributing the code, but should not make a profit from this.

If you discover any bugs in this implementation, or if you have any update suggestions, please contact me via my website.

Please do modify the code for you own use. I'd like to see any changes you make - I could incorporate them into future versions. Please notify me of changes on at the above e-mail address.

This software is provided as is - no warranty is given as to its suitability for any purposes to which you may wish to put it.


About the Author

I'm Peter Johnson - a hobbyist programmer living in Ceredigion in West Wales, UK. I write mainly in Delphi. My programs are available for download on my web-site: http://www.delphidabbler.com/.

I can be contacted via the website.