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Together, in previous articles here on the Embarcadero blog, we have been learning about low code or no code platforms. We learned how RAD Studio helps increase productivity with its fast time-to-market ecosystem and low code mindset. Helping you get your apps created with you only needing to write the smallest amount of code possible is what RAD Studio Delphi and C+ Builder has always been about right from the first days of their release. If you are not aware of our previous low code articles, check them out! With those, you can learn: What is low code movement Differences in low code tools The position of low code tools in the market Universal platform for building apps with low code Other unique features of RAD Studio development environment And 20 fun facts about low code platforms So, I consider you have already read the previous articles and know about the basics of low code movement. This article will show you the steps or must-dos you should follow to become an expert at the best low code app developer. Are you a Professional or a Citizen Developer? Anyone can use low code tools to build applications based on their idea, and these people are called citizen developers. Professional developers mostly create more reliable, stable and scalable platforms with their engineering knowledge. The exciting part is that, according to a Gartner survey, 66% of low code development platform users are professional developers from the IT department of the enterprise. For instance, developers who build apps with RAD Studio can prototype and design everything with 5x or 10x fast productivity and can extend the application with custom code where you can create a more functional app. I am here telling you that consider what you will do and who you want to become with these tools! For instance, if you love engineering and solving problems by writing/integrating/glueing up things, you should become a RAD Studio Developer. RAD Studio is the ecosystem for developers who love productivity and appreciate its time. RAD Studio’s GUI development environment is one of the greatest among any other development tools. Because of its hundreds of built-in visual and non-visual components, you can develop a working prototype in seconds and work on custom functionalities. Moreover, the data connectivity solutions are the best in class. How to become an expert at the best low code app builder? In order to become an expert in any area, you must be genuinely interested in the subject. To become a RAD Studio Developer, you should learn Delphi or C++ programming languages. Being an expert with RAD Studio is not about learning the whole Delphi or C++ language; it is more about correctly using the things you have. For instance, a tutorial shows how to become an experienced Delphi developer.  After completing these steps, it is better to see how the real-world RAD Studio developers are doing to solve problems. For example, several times a month, there will be workshop events where you can learn how to do things and ask questions from professional developers. Additionally, discover new open-source projects that can improve your development process. How to understand Low Code tools? Last semester while taking the System Analysis class, I learned so much about project planning and analysing the system requirements. In the […]

What do Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome OS, Android, Flutter, and Delphi all have in common? They have accelerated graphics thanks to Skia. This high-performance, cross-platform 2D graphics library is taking the development world by storm. It works with VCL and FireMonkey on every platform Delphi supports. One line of code can make your existing FireMonkey applications faster, or take it further and unlock new features for breathtaking user interfaces. Skia4Delphi is an open source project by Spirit of Delphi Award winners and brothers, Paulo César Botelho Barbosa & Vinícius Felipe Botelho Barbosa. So how do you use Skia4Delphi and take your application development to the next level? You’ve come to the right place. Here are a few shorter videos or you can watch the full replay: What is Skia, You Want to Ask? Imagine you are a software developer who needs to reach all the major platforms today. Your traditional choices are: Native Direct access to hardware Separate code for each platform Web/Cloud Mostly shared code Detached from hardware But Now We Have… FireMonkey Native Compiled – direct access to the platform hardware Multi-Platform – one code base for all platforms Component Based Visual Designer – maximize developer productivity How Does Skia Fit in Here? Introducing… Google Skia Google Skia is the open source graphics engine for Google Chrome, Android, Flutter, Xamarin, Firefox, and many others. It provides common 2D APIs that work on a variety of platforms, abstracting complexities in implementing low-level libraries it uses behind it, such as Vulkan, DirectX, Metal and others, implementing many optimizations and new features. Skia Platforms: All the most popular platforms in the world, such as: iOS (including simulator) Android (including simulator) Linux (main distributions) Skia Features About Skia4Delphi OpenSource Uses a modified fork of Google’s Skia Cross-Platform & Multi-Framework 2D graphics library for Delphi Drawing Focus on Quality & Performance The Brains Behind Skia4Delphi Two brothers from Brazil 2021 Spirit of Delphi Winners Paulo César Botelho Barbosa Vinícius Felipe Botelho Barbosa With the encouragement and suggestions of Ian and Jim Skia for Delphi ECONOMY – Open-source project, completely free EASY TO USE – Easy to install, simple code Compatibility Delphi 11+: All platforms Delphi 10.3+: Windows & Android Delphi XE7+: Windows Available via… Skia4Delphi Library The library conceptually exists in 3 parts: Skia API (Console, VCL, FMX) Access to the pure Google Skia library, through a single unit: Skia.pas Controls (VCL, FMX) TSkAnimatedImage: Play Lottie, Telegram stickers, animated GIF and animated WebP TSkLabel: Multiple styles in text, font weight, justify alignment, limit max lines, background color on parts of the text, auto size width and height, advanced decorations and more TSkPaintBox: use OnDraw event to draw with Skia API directly on control TSkSvg: load icons svgs, change colors and wrap mode App rendering (FMX) Optional feature that when enabled, the FMX graphics engine will be replaced by Skia4Delphi’s graphics engine, that is, the entire app, all the controls on the screen, will be painted internally by the Skia-based canvas. That is, by adding just 1 line of code to enable it, your entire app will automatically: Improve the quality of drawings; smoothing of jagged edges Gain up to 50% increase in graphics performance Increase drawing fidelity Adds support for right-to-left languages FMX Canvas App Rendering Benchm Uses custom version of Skia […]

In recent years we’ve seen objects and ideas previously thought of as science fiction become realities in our present world. The evolution of modern technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence are largely to thank for this fiction becomes reality migration. However, when it comes to Windows development, there are often new solutions, techniques, or features touted as the next big thing. As experts in the field, Embarcadero is always chasing down the next most promising Really Great Idea in Windows development. In this article I discuss some exciting prospects that seem likely to take Windows development by storm. Is Delphi the Next Big Thing in Windows Development? Since succeeding Turbo Pascal, Delphi has evolved into the biggest advent in the world of Windows development. Helping developers write code faster and smarter with its modern OOP practices and robust frameworks, Delphi significantly increases developer productivity. Therefore, to stay ahead of the curve, smart developers design, refactor, and build their code using Delphi. What makes Delphi such a great tool for writing Windows software? Delphi programs are incredibly robust and require little to no dependencies or preinstallation of anything at all unlike virtually every other kind of Windows Development technology. The programs are fully compiled binaries so there is no source code to run through a compiler or runtime interpreter. Those binaries – the things users install – are native too so they run at the full speed of the machine and are not filtered through a runtime framework or some kind of byte code which can only run at a reduced speed due to the overheads of the byte-code interpreter. It’s common for Delphi programs to run unchanged for many years, passing through various iterations of Windows upgrade cycles like Windows 7, Windows 8, 10, 11 and beyond. They still run without needing to be updated and without breaking due to external dependencies which have morphed around the program during the Windows upgrade – this is almost universally not the case for any other programming language out there. Can Delphi make use of modern features and technology? RAD Studio Delphi is a powerful Object Pascal IDE and component library for single-source multi-platform Native App Development with flexible Cloud services and broad IoT connectivity.RAD Studio Delphi provides VCL controls for modern Windows app development for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Embarcadero’s RAD studio Delphi also provides the FireMonkey FMX cross platform development framework which allows programmers to create apps which work faultlessly on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices running Android or iOS. Here are some of Delphi’s key features: Support for high-DPI and 4K+ screens Extended multi-monitor support High-performance compilers Modern OOP centric languages  Cross-platform support, etc Why Is an integrated software development toolchain important? Essentially, your software development toolchain combines your individual solutions into a collective end-to-end process. However, for many developers, their initial choice toolchain consists of siloed solutions— individual tools operated in different development environments. This siloing can cause friction, leading to reduced productivity, slower deployment and distribution time, and difficulty maintaining applications.  Increasingly, Windows development tools are being integrated with one another, facilitating a more reliable release process. Integrations can be built-in or custom-built. The former’s advantage over the latter is that you don’t have to worry about support and maintenance. RAD Studio Delphi offers integrated […]

What do Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome OS, Android, Flutter, and Delphi all have in common? They have accelerated graphics thanks to Skia. This high-performance, cross-platform 2D graphics library is taking the development world by storm. It works with VCL and FireMonkey on every platform Delphi supports. One line of code can make your existing FireMonkey applications faster, or take it further and unlock new features for breathtaking user interfaces. Skia4Delphi is an open source project by Spirit of Delphi Award winners and brothers, Paulo César Botelho Barbosa & Vinícius Felipe Botelho Barbosa. So how do you use Skia4Delphi and take your application development to the next level? Register now and join Jim McKeeth and Ian Barker in this webinar to find out! Come back after the webinar for details on the contest, more links, and the replay. Here are a few shorter videos while we work on getting the full replay. What is Skia, You Want to Ask? Imagine you are a software developer who needs to reach all the major platforms today. Your traditional choices are: Native Direct access to hardware Separate code for each platform Web/Cloud Mostly shared code Detached from hardware But Now We Have… FireMonkey Native Compiled – direct access to the platform hardware Multi-Platform – one code base for all platforms Component Based Visual Designer – maximize developer productivity How Does Skia Fit in Here? Introducing… Google Skia Google Skia is the open source graphics engine for Google Chrome, Android, Flutter, Xamarin, Firefox, and many others. It provides common 2D APIs that work on a variety of platforms, abstracting complexities in implementing low-level libraries it uses behind it, such as Vulkan, DirectX, Metal and others, implementing many optimizations and new features. Skia Platforms: All the most popular platforms in the world, such as: iOS (including simulator) Android (including simulator) Linux (main distributions) Skia Features About Skia4Delphi OpenSource Uses a modified fork of Google’s Skia Cross-Platform & Multi-Framework 2D graphics library for Delphi Drawing Focus on Quality & Performance The Brains Behind Skia4Delphi Two brothers from Brazil 2021 Spirit of Delphi Winners Paulo César Botelho Barbosa Vinícius Felipe Botelho Barbosa With the encouragement and suggestions of Ian and Jim Skia for Delphi ECONOMY – Open-source project, completely free EASY TO USE – Easy to install, simple code Compatibility Delphi 11+: All platforms Delphi 10.3+: Windows & Android Delphi XE7+: Windows Available via… Skia4Delphi Library The library conceptually exists in 3 parts: Skia API (Console, VCL, FMX) Access to the pure Google Skia library, through a single unit: Skia.pas Controls (VCL, FMX) TSkAnimatedImage: Play Lottie, Telegram stickers, animated GIF and animated WebP TSkLabel: Multiple styles in text, font weight, justify alignment, limit max lines, background color on parts of the text, auto size width and height, advanced decorations and more TSkPaintBox: use OnDraw event to draw with Skia API directly on control TSkSvg: load icons svgs, change colors and wrap mode App rendering (FMX) Optional feature that when enabled, the FMX graphics engine will be replaced by Skia4Delphi’s graphics engine, that is, the entire app, all the controls on the screen, will be painted internally by the Skia-based canvas. That is, by adding just 1 line of code to enable it, your entire app will automatically: Improve the quality of drawings; smoothing of jagged edges Gain […]

Python is a high-level programming language that may be used to create a wide range of applications, such as online applications, software and game development, network programming, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), scientific and quantitative applications, and more. It also has a long list of success stories, demonstrating that it assists a wide range of businesses in accomplishing their objectives. This article will be looking at unquestionable reasons to love Python GUI. What are Python GUIs and the main reasons to love them? GUI stands for Graphical User Interface, and it refers to computer applications that allow users to interact with an underlying application or system through a visual interface. For example, our smartphones’ graphical user interfaces (GUIs) will enable us to engage with many functionalities via the display, which we can touch, tap and swipe on. In simple words, a Python GUI is a graphical user interface created in the Python programming language. Python is a widely-used programming language due to its ease of use, widespread adoption, and, most significantly, its beginner friendliness. Python is wonderful for creating graphical user interfaces, as well as being extremely valuable in the disciplines of data science and machine learning. It even provides a number of frameworks that beginners can utilize to get started with GUI development. What Makes Python Unique? Python’s codebase is clean and well-structured, making it easy for developers to update and maintain the software. In addition, they don’t require developers to write any more code, which saves them both time and effort. As a result, they may devote their time to something more beneficial for the company. Python’s syntax consists primarily of English keywords, emphasizing code readability. During the development of the application, the readability of the code is crucial. When the software is used in the real world, the customers’ needs may change. You won’t have to worry about shifting needs with Python. Even if the developers who designed the program earlier have left the company, the new developers will be able to read and comprehend the old code and apply the new requirements accordingly. Why is PyScripter the best IDE for Python GUIs? PyScripter originated as a simple IDE to supplement the excellent Python for Delphi (P4D) components by providing a reliable scripting solution for Delphi applications. Because it is written in a compiled language, it has a more current user interface and is faster than some other IDEs. It also has several features that make it a good Python development environment. This fantastic IDE seeks to create a Python IDE that can compete with other languages’ traditional Windows-based IDEs. PyScripter is an excellent program. Lightweight, versatile, and extendable with a lot of features. Because it was built from the ground up for Windows, it is substantially faster and more responsive than cumbersome text editors, general-purpose IDEs, or other Python cross-platform IDEs, making it a perfect match for Python GUI programming and application How does Delphi supercharge Python development? Python’s versatility as a programming language stems from the fact that it can be used to create for all major platforms. You can develop programs for not only Windows but also Android, macOS, and Linux with the right Python tools. Using development tools that allow you to do so opens up a whole new universe of possibilities for your […]

Python is an extremely popular and adaptable programming language. Python’s ease of set-up, low learning curve, and low cost of entry has probably helped fuel an increased interest in coding and programming. The Python language has consistently grown in popularity among programmers since its inception, for the same reasons that learners love it but also because of its comprehensive versatility. The large number of capabilities combined with the low barrier to entry allows developers to quickly get up to speed and compete in the marketplace. Python is flexible and can work with a variety of programming paradigms. To be truly competitive, developers should become familiar with a variety of Python tools, libraries and IDEs in order to get the most out of Python and improve their skills.  There are numerous development frameworks and packages available to assist you in creating aesthetically pleasing GUIs for your Python applications. Many can come with a fair number of compromises and sacrifices. Experienced developers recommend picking technology which adds value, enhances the development chain, and adds depth to this rich development language, such as Delphi’s Python tools. Adopting this technology allows you to take advantage of libraries that make the development process easier and aid in the creation of memorable user interfaces. In this article, we’ll look at the next big thing in Python GUI by discussing our thoughts on what we think is the best Python IDE and libraries out there. How is PyScripter helpful in creating a Python GUI? PyScripter began as a lightweight IDE with the purpose of offering a solid scripting solution for Delphi applications to complement the excellent Python for Delphi (P4D) components. It has a modern user interface and is only available for Microsoft Windows operating systems at the moment. It’s faster than some of the other IDEs because it’s developed in a compiled language rather than an interpreted one, and it includes a wide range of features that make it a useful Python programming environment. All the professional IDE capabilities such as brace highlighting, code folding, code completion, and syntax checking as you type are all aspects of PyScripter. It also supports the kind of features you’d expect to find in a proper native apps such as the ability to drag and drop files from Explorer into the PyScripter IDE, all of which add up to saving you time and making the development process a smooth and pleasurable experience. Why is PyScripter the best IDE for writing and debugging Python programs? PyScripter has a Python interpreter built-in that provides call indications and code completion. This program keeps track of your command history and lets you run scripts without having to save them. This IDE also includes a remote Python debugger for debugging Python code. Variables, the watch window, and the call stack may be seen as a result. Debugging can also be aided by conditional breakpoints or thread debugging. In circumstances where the programmer is unable to discover the fault in his code, debugger indications are also useful. You can not only destroy your files without saving them, but you can also debug them without saving them, which is a useful feature. What is Python4Delphi? Consider combining the power of Delphi’s GUI and desktop app development with Python in your applications to provide world-class solutions for your […]