Delphi Components for VCL Charts and Graphs

When installing the ProEssentials evaluation and/or product, the setup program installs the ProEssentials DLL into system32. It also installs the ProEssentials VCL interfaces into C:\ProEssentials6\Delphi. Your relevant files are:

After installation, launch Delphi and use the File / Close All, and then File / Open menu to open the file "GIGASOFT.DPK" found in the C:\ProEssentials6\Delphi directory. You see a window as shown to the left. Click the "Install" button and the PAS interfaces are compiled and ProEssentials components installed into the "Additional" tab.

After the components are installed, use the File / Close All menu item and save the "Gigasoft" Delphi components package when prompted.

Next, use the File / New Application menu item to create a new EXE project.

Next, use the Project / Options... menu to open the "Project Options" dialog as shown to the left. Add "C:\ProEssentials6\Delphi" to the "Search path" field and select "OK".

Click the "PEGraph" control from the Additional ToolBox and then click and drag a rectangle selection on Form1's canvas.

The adjacent image shows what you see. This represents the default state of a ProEssentials Graph. The default state has one subset with four data points. In the course of constructing your own graphs, you'll set the properties Subsets and Points which define the quantity of data your graph will hold. You'll then pass data via the YData[subset, point] two dimensional property array. The following section shows example code of passing data. Note, if we were constructing a Scientific Graph (PESGraph1), we'd also set XData[subset, point].

ProEssentials uses the terms Subsets and Points but you can think of these as Rows and Columns. Passing data is as simple as filling each Subset with Points worth of data.

Use Delphi's Object Inspector to add the FormShow event handler to the project. Enter the code as shown to the left.

The first two lines set Subsets and Points. These define the amount of data you'll be passing.

Next, a nested For-Do loop passes random data into the YData[s,p] two dimensional property array.

Next, MainTitle and SubTitle are set. Note that setting SubTitle to an empty string hides the subtitle. The YAxisLabel and XAxisLabel are set similarly.

SubsetLabels[0] sets the first subset label. [1] sets the second subset label.

Next, we set various other properties controlling visual aspects.

Finally, PEactions is set to gReinitAndReset which tells ProEssentials you're done setting properties.

Use Delphi's Run / Run Menu (short cut F9) and you'll see the resulting form to the left. Congratulations, you've just completed your first ProEssentials Delphi components implementation.

This example is very simple and you'll likely set other properties such as:

PointLabels which will replace the "1,2,3..." along x axis.

SubsetLineTypes which controls line styles.

SubsetColors which controls line colors.

PlottingMethod which controls the type of graph created, Line, Bar, Area, Point, etc.