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ProEssentials v7 Help
Chapter 4: VCL Builder Walk-Through

The following information demonstrates how to create your first Builder / ProEssentials implementation. It discusses installation, adding ProEssentials to a project, writing your first few lines of code, and shows the final results.

 

When installing the ProEssentials evaluation and/or product, the setup program installs the ProEssentials DLL into the system directory. It also installs the ProEssentials VCL interfaces into C:\ProEssentials7\Builder. Your relevant files are:

gigasoft.bpk... Files...

PEGRP32E.DLL

ProEssentials Pro DLL
PEGRP32E.LIB Import Library
GIGASOFT.BPK Builder Package
PEGRPAPI.PAS ProEssentials Constants and Declarations
PEGVCL.PAS Graph
PESGVCL.PAS Scientific Graph
PE3DVCL.PAS 3D Scientific Graph
PEPSVCL.PAS Polar
PEPCVCL.PAS Pie  
PEGCPP.CPP Graph CPP helper
PESGCPP.CPP Scientific Graph CPP helper
PE3DCPP.CPP 3D Scientific Graph CPP helper
PEPSCPP.CPP Polar CPP Helper
PEPCCPP.CPP Pie CPP Helper
 

PEGRPSE.DLL

ProEssentials Standard DLL
PEGRPSE.LIB Import Library
 

PEGRPLE.DLL

ProEssentials Lite DLL
PEGRPLE.LIB Import Library

After installation, launch Builder and use the File / Close All, and then File / Open menu to open the file "GIGASOFT.BPK" found in the C:\ProEssentials7\Builder directory.

You see a window as shown to the left. Click the "Install" button and the PAS/CPP interfaces are compiled and ProEssentials components installed into the "Additional" tab.

Project / Options... Dialog Builder project...

 

After the components are installed, use the File / Close All menu item and save "Gigasoft" package as 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:\ProEssentials7\Builder" to the "Include path" and "Library path" fields and select "OK".

Next, use the Project / Add to Project... menu to add the file "PEGRP32E.LIB" found in the "C:\ProEssentials7\Builder" directory. If using Standard or Lite versions, use respective LIB file.

 

 

 

 

Form1... Adding ProEssentials to a Form...

Click the 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 charts, you'll set the properties Subsets and Points which define the quantity of data your chart 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.

 

Unit1.cpp... Code Comments...

Use Builder'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 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.

 

Results... Congratulations...

Use Builder's Run / Run Menu and you'll see the resulting form to the left. Congratulations, you've just completed your first Builder / ProEssentials 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 chart created, Line, Bar, Area, Point, etc.