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:
http://
https://
mailto:
file:
ftp://
A help file is provided that can inegrate with the IDE of Delphi 3 to 7.
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.
This release contains the following files:
PJHotLabel.pas
-- the component source code unit.PJHotLabel.dcr
-- the Delphi component palette glyph.PJHotLabel.res
-- a resource file containing the
"hand point" cursor conditionally linked into
applications.PJHotLabel.hlp
-- the Delphi IDE compatible component help
file.pjhotlbl.htm
-- this file.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
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).
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.
.zip
file containing the component into a folder,
preserving the directory structure.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.PJHotLabel.pas
and select the file.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.PJHotLabel.hlp
to whichever folder you wish to
install it to.DelphiX.ohl
(in
$(DELPHI)\Help
), adding the line
:Link PJHotLabel.hlp
to the end of the
section labelled "Third party help".DelphiX.ohi
(in $(DELPHI)\Help
), adding the line
:Index DelphiDabbler Hot Label
Component=PJHotLabel.hlp
towards the end of the
index section.DelphiX.cnt
(in $(DELPHI)\Help
), ensuring that the
lines :Include delphiX.ohi
and
:Include delphiX.ohl
appear somewhere in
the file.D7.ohl
(in
$(DELPHI)\Help
), adding the line
:Link PJHotLabel.hlp
to the end of the
section labelled "Third party help".D7.ohi
(in
$(DELPHI)\Help
), adding the line
:Index DelphiDabbler Hot Label
Component=PJHotLabel.hlp
towards the end of the
index section.D7.cnt
(in
$(DELPHI)\Help
), ensuring that the lines
:Include d7.ohi
and
:Include d7.ohl
appear somewhere in the
file.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Help
and
add a new string value named PJHotLabel.hlp
whose value
is the path where you copied the help file (probably
($DELPHI)\Help
).To install the component, proceed as follows:
.zip
file containing the component into a folder,
preserving the directory structure.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.PJHotLabel.pas
in the folder where you placed
it. Click OK to recompile the component library.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.
No known outstanding issues.
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
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:
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.
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.