Tools API

Introduction

Introduction
Services
Wizards
Messages
Notifiers
Creators
Editors
Debugger
Examples
Custom Forms

The Open Tools API is you ticket to extending Delphi's IDE. The Tools API is available in all versions of Delphi, but usually you will want to get the Developer or better versions, so you can read the source code. Delphi has no documentation for the Tools API, but you can read Hidden Paths of Delphi 3, which is a complete user's guide and reference manual for the Tools API.

Delphi 4 is, for the most part, backward compatible with Delphi 3, but it sports a brand new interface in the ToolsAPI unit. The new interface is similar to the old one, but it uses COM interfaces instead of abstract classes. It also has several new features, although some of the new features don't work yet.

Most of the concepts, terminology, and even method names are the same in the old and new APIs. These web pages describe the new features and the differences. Where the APIs are the same, you should read Hidden Paths of Delphi 3 to learn how the API works.