2013-03-26

Delphi is just a perfect fit for the average programmer

On the Embarcadero forums, some user did have a perfectly sane reaction, about a non obvious integer type cast like Int64Var := Int32Var*Int32Var, which may overflow.

We've got to stop becoming, as one poster put it, "human pre-compilers" for Delphi.
The compiler ought to have the common sense to not need the programmer to cast the two integer values.

I respectfully think just the opposite.
;)

Such a type cast is part of the language grammar.
If you know the grammar, you will know how it will be compiled.

To be honest, you have the same in all languages, with more or less range checking, optimization, and implicit conversion.
This is why I like Delphi: it can be mastered by any programmers, whereas truly mastering Java or .Net needs a genius.


Delphi is just... human...

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2013-03-25

SynProject tool 1.18

We have uploaded an updatetd compiled version of our Open Source SynProject tool in SynProject.zip. Synopse SynProject is an open source application for code source versioning and automated documentation of software projects. Licensed under a GPL license. Main feature is a new (better-looking?)  […]

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2013-03-23

Download latest version of sqlite3.dll for Windows 64 bit

Update: We now build the amalgamation file with mingw and release the latest version of SQLite3, from this direct SQLite3-64.7z link, as soon as it is published on the SQLite3 site. Up to now, there is no official Win64 version of the SQlite3 library released in http://sqlite.org.. It is in fact  […]

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2013-03-13

x64 optimized asm of FillChar() and Move() for Win64

We have included x64 optimized asm of FillChar() and Move() for Win64 - for corresponding compiler targets, i.e. Delphi XE2 and XE3. It will handle properly cache prefetch and appropriate SSE2 move instructions.  The System.pas unit of Delphi RTL will be patched at startup, unless the NOX64PATCHRTL  […]

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2013-03-07

64 bit compatibility of mORMot units

I'm happy to announce that mORMot units are now compiling and working great in 64 bit mode, under Windows.
Need a Delphi XE2/XE3 compiler, of course!

ORM and services are now available in Win64, on both client and server sides.
Low-level x64 assembler stubs have been created, tested and optimized.
UI part is also available... that is grid display, reporting (with pdf export and display anti-aliasing), ribbon auto-generation, SynTaskDialog, i18n... the main SynFile demo just works great!

Overall impression is very positive, and speed is comparable to 32 bit version (only 10-15% slower).

Speed decrease seems to be mostly due to doubled pointer size, and some less optimized part of the official Delphi RTL.
But since mORMot core uses its own set of functions (e.g. for JSON serialization, RTTI support or interface calls or stubbing), we were able to release the whole 64 bit power of your hardware.

Delphi 64 bit compiler sounds stable and efficient. Even when working at low level, with assembler stubs.
Generated code sounds more optimized than the one emitted by FreePascalCompiler - and RTL is very close to 32 bit mode.
Overall, VCL conversion worked as easily than a simple re-build.
Embarcadero's people did a great job for VCL Win64 support, here!

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2013-02-25

Using external MinGW/VisualC++ sqlite3.dll - including benchmark

With upcoming revision 1.18 of the framework, our SynSQlite3.pas unit is able to access the SQLite3 engine in two ways:

  • Either statically linked within the project executable;
  • Or from an external sqlite3.dll library file.

The SQLite3 APIs and constants are defined in SynSQlite3.pas, and accessible via a TSQLite3Library class definition. It defines a global sqlite3 variable as such:

var
  sqlite3: TSQLite3Library;

To use the SQLite3 engine, an instance of TSQLite3Library class shall be assigned to this global variable. Then all mORMot's calls will be made through it, calling e.g. sqlite3.open() instead of sqlite3_open().

There are two implementation classes:

Class Unit Purpose
TSQLite3LibraryStatic SynSQLite3Static.pas Statically linked engine (.obj within the .exe)
TSQLite3LibraryDynamic SynSQLite3.pas Instantiate an external sqlite3.dll instance

Referring to SynSQLite3Static.pas in the uses clause of your project is enough to link the .obj engine into your executable.

Warning - breaking change: before version 1.18 of the framework, link of static .obj was forced - so you must add a reference to SynSQLite3Static in your project uses clause to work as expected.

In order to use an external sqlite3.dll library, you have to set the global sqlite3 variable as such:

 FreeAndNil(sqlite3); // release any previous instance (e.g. static)
 sqlite3 := TSQLite3LibraryDynamic.Create;

Of course, FreeAndNil(sqlite3) is not mandatory, and should be necessary only to avoid any memory leak if another SQLite3 engine instance was allocated (may be the case if SynSQLite3Static is referred somewhere in your project's units).

Here are some benchmarks, compiled with Delphi XE3, run in a 32 bit project, using either the static bcc-compiled engine, or an external sqlite3.dll, compiled via MinGW or Microsoft Visual C++.

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2013-02-17

Interface-based service sample: remote SQL access

You will find in the SQLite3\Sample\16 - Execute SQL via services folder of mORMot source code a Client-Server sample able to access any external database via JSON and HTTP.
It is a good demonstration of how to use an interface-based service between a client and a server.
It will also show how our SynDB classes have a quite abstract design, and are easy to work with, whatever database provider you need to use.

The corresponding service contract has been defined:

  TRemoteSQLEngine = (rseOleDB, rseODBC, rseOracle, rseSQlite3, rseJet, rseMSSQL);

IRemoteSQL = interface(IInvokable) ['{9A60C8ED-CEB2-4E09-87D4-4A16F496E5FE}'] procedure Connect(aEngine: TRemoteSQLEngine; const aServerName, aDatabaseName, aUserID, aPassWord: RawUTF8); function GetTableNames: TRawUTF8DynArray; function Execute(const aSQL: RawUTF8; aExpectResults, aExpanded: Boolean): RawJSON; end;

Purpose of this service is:
- To Connect() to external databases, given the parameters of a standard TSQLDBConnectionProperties. Create() constructor;
- Retrieve all table names of this external database as a list;
- Execute any SQL statement, returning the content as JSON array, ready to be consumed by AJAX applications (if aExpanded is true), or a Delphi client (e.g. via a TSQLTableJSON and the mORMotUI unit).

Of course, this service will be define as sicClientDriven mode, that is, the framework will be able to manage a client-driven TSQLDBProperties instance life time.

Benefit of this service is that no database connection is required on the client side: a regular HTTP connection is enough.
No need to install nor configure any database provider, and full SQL access to the remote databases.

Due to our optimized JSON serialization, it will probably be faster to work with such plain HTTP / JSON services, instead of a database connection through a VPN. In fact, database connections are made to work on a local network, and do not like high-latency connections, which are typical on the Internet.

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2013-02-12

Introducing ZEOS, UniDAC, NexusDB, BDE, any TDataset to SynDB and mORMot's ORM

Up to now, our SynDB database classes were handling ODBC, OleDB providers and direct Oracle or SQLite3 connection.

We have added a DB.pas based layer, ready to be used with UniDAC, NexusDB, or the BDE.
Any other TDataset based component is ready to be interfaced, including UIB, AnyDAC or DBExpress.

The ZEOS library (in its latest 7.0.3 stable version, which works from Delphi 7 up to XE3) has also been interfaced, but without the TDataset/DB.pas layer: our SynDBZEOS.pas unit calls the ZDBC layer, which is not tied to DB.pas nor its RAD components, and is therefore faster. By the way, it will work also with the Starter edition of Delphi (which does not include the DB components) - just like the other "regular" SynDB classes.

This is a work in progress, any testing and feedback is welcome!
We had to circumvent some particularities of the libraries, but I guess we have something interesting.

A dedicated "SynDBDataset" sub-folder has been created in the repository, to contain all SynDBDataset.pas-based database providers.
SynDBNexusDB.pas unit has been moved within this sub-folder, as SynDBUniDAC.pas + SynDBBDE.pas units have been added.
SynDBZeos.pas has a direct access to the ZDBC layer, so is not part of the "SynDBDataset" sub-folder.

Here is some benchmark, mainly about Oracle and SQlite3 database access.
Of course, our direct SynDBOracle / SynDBSQLite3 layers are the fastest around, and we can see that ZDBC layer is sometimes more efficient than the TDataset components.

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