Orbital Decisions Components

We are very pleased to announce Orbital Decisions' first component to be made freely available on the 'Net. You can download this component here.

Orbital Decisions Calendar Component v2.1

Freeware for Delphi 3
Designed by David Lipschitz
Written by Justin Turberville
January 1998, Updated March 1998 to v1.2, Updated April 1998 to v2.0, v2.1

v2.0 to v2.1 Updates

Fixed the drag and drop feature so that you can select the first date with the left mouse button and drag to a future date or month whilst holding down the mouse button;
Added features to select year to day or last 2 months etc;
Added new visual front end to show different functions in an easier to use style with information about the component and about Orbital Decisions on the front page.

Any version to v2.1 Update Installation Instructions

1) Copy the zip file into the directory where you copied the original zip file
2) Unzip ODCal21.zip and overwrite files if required
3) Run Delphi, close open project
4) Click Component menu, install packages, choose the package where you installed the date component, eg: Delphi Users Components, and click Edit
5) Click Yes to open the package compiler / editor
6) Click Add
7) Click Browse
8) Select ODDBCal.pas from the calendar directory. The database aware components are in the ODDBCal.pas unit.
9) Click Open
10) Click OK
11) Click Compile to (re)build the package
12) Ignore the warnings (if any)
13) Close the package editor and save
14) Close the warnings dialog box if required
15) Copy the .hlp file into the Delphi 3 Help directory

v1.2 to v2.0 Updates

The calendar is now data aware (but you don't have to use this feature). I.E. From and To Dates can be directly linked to the database. See the enclosed demo project and click on the DBCalendar button to see a live demonstration of changing dates in the calendar and seeing the changes in the database.

Known bug: Please do not try selecting and dragging a date range especially between months. We will either disable the drag and drop facility completely or fix it in the next release. Fixed in v2.1.

v1.1 to v1.2 Updates

1) OK button fixed on selection of a date
2) Fields passed to the calendar now displayed

The application writer can now:

New Installation

1) unzip into new directory
2) install component ODCalend.pas

3) install ODPopCal.pas
4) Install ODDBCal.pas
Both components are installed into a new component page called Orbital.
No help is provided except for this readme file.

Run the calendar.dpr project to see a demonstration of using the components.

Purpose (and explanation)

When using date functions in programs it often takes up to 11 or more mouse clicks to select a from date and to date for a report. Therefore write a component that allows the following:

1-Feb to 31-Mar can be selected by left clicking on February, then moving forward to the next month and then right clicking on March.

The dialog can be executed using: ODCalendarDialog1.Execute;
The results are in ODCalendarDialog1.StartDate and in ODCalendarDialog1.EndDate.

We hope that you and your users enjoy using this component.

Please feel free to copy the code and use it in your applications. Our only requirement is that you reference our names or the name of Orbital Decisions somewhere in a comment in your code. Thanks: David and Justin.

We can be contacted at:
david@orbital.co.za
or
justin@orbital.co.za

Orbital Decisions' home page is http://www.orbital.co.za/contents.htm. To find out information about Orbital specifically click on Orbital.

Please send feedback to Justin.

© Copyright 1998 Orbital Decisions
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