
	This is Etv Data Controls v3.5 demostration program.


        Run DbContr.exe, BDE 5.0 or higher must be installed

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		Etv Data Controls v3.5   Shareware

	Part of Etv Library

	DB component pack for Borland Delphi 3-7. 
	Rapid development of powerful db applications.


	CONTENTS
	========
	Overview
	Contact us


		OVERVIEW
		========

	Components for supporting lookup information
	--------------------------------------------

TEtvLookField, TEtvDBLookupCombo, TEtvDBGrid, etc. 

The lookup components include lookup combo box, dbgrid, lookup field and 
other auxiliary components. They allow for the following features: 
- Display of several fields in the closed lookup combo box and in the grid 
- Setting filters on the lookup drop-down list 
- Multi-level lookup combo box with fixed levels and trees 
- Advanced incremental search with displayed input string; can work with 
  numbers 
- Calling LookupDataset edit form and getting values from it 
- Direct editing KeyField in the LookupComboBox and in the Grid 
- Toggling search/input column 
- Toggling between lookup dataset sorting criteria 
- Special lookup field with support of all lookup features, including 
  determination of several fields in the LookupResultField property 
- Saving lookup information for later use (from lookupResultField and other 
  special properties) 
- Components for displaying saved lookup information 
- Defining TFont for any line from lookup drop-down list 
- Lookup list headers. These display field names or other user-defined 
  information 
- Automatic choice of input column (for "Number;Text" fields) 
- Possibility of working inside TDBCtrlGrid
- Possibility of setting values not present in the LookupDataSet 
- Other properties and options 

 
	DBGrid 
	------

TEtvDBGrid is descendant of TDBGrid with: 
- Powerful lookup fields (see above), supporting all of Etv Lookup features 
- Multi-line headers, changing number of header rows depending on the column 
  size 
- "Total" row at the bottom of the grid, that can show any information such 
  as column sums, quantity of records, etc. 
- Fixed list fields 
- Font and color settings for any cell including in the editing mode 
- User-defined visibility and sequence of fields in a special dialog window. 
  Some fields may be marked as internal and always-hidden 
- Possibility to print out a table or one record in the text or graphics 
  mode with title, page setup, numbering, fonts choice, line spacing, etc.,
  as well as to save in a text file 
- Toggling between keyboard layouts 
- Records cloning 
- Generation of one-record editing window 
- User-defined substitution of controls for any field types. For example, 
  descendant of TDateEdit from RX library may be used as date editor 
- Other functions and options 
 

	Fixed list fields
	-----------------

These are TEtvListField, TEtvDBCombo and other components for short fixed 
lists. Text values from the list correspond to smallint values from the 
database. For example, "small/middle/large" in the application will 
correspond to "0/1/2" in the database. The user describes text values in 
the TEtvListField and they are used everywhere.


	Edit Forms Calling Mechanism 
	----------------------------

Direct calling of edit form for any dataset displayed on a form, transfer 
of values to the edit form, setting of the dataset position, return of 
values from the edit form. Most useful for editing lookup datasets. 

Definition of "OnEditData" events in the data-aware controls and in the 
datasets  allows to proceed from data to their edit forms (Such events 
exist in the TEtvDBLookupCombo and TEtvLookField components). Components 
TEtvDBLookupCombo and TEtvDbGrid can use this event, send current key value 
(KeyField.Name and KeyField.Value) there, assign the returned value and 
refresh lookup information. 


	Popup menus
	-----------

	RUN-TIME. 
Popup menus of data-aware controls contain functions of navigation, records 
cloning, plus many others depending on the type of controls. 
Popup menus are auto attached to all etv controls without them; they have 
fully functional shortcuts. Only one instance of popup menu of each type 
is created and used for all corresponding controls. 

Functions for different controls:

EtvDBLookupCombo. Changing search/input column, toggling between lookup 
dataset sorting criteria. 
DBGrid/EtvDBGrid. Fields visibility, printing of current record, printing 
of grid, one record/grid toggling, calculation of field length. 
DBMemo. Copying, inserting, selecting all. 
DBImage. Copying, inserting, loading from file, saving to file, clearing, 
scaling. 

	DESIGN-TIME. 

Dataset popup menu allows: 
- Data browsing, editing and other operations in the designer.
- Copying information to clipboard.
- Copying labels from database remarks.
- Auto correcting.
- Info about dataset and its fields. 

Popup menus of data-aware controls allow proceeding to dataset and 
datafield. EtvDBLookupCombo also allows width auto sizing, proceeding 
to lookup dataset.


	Controls for db fields & User controls substitution into the library
	--------------------------------------------------------------------

Certain library components, such as TEtvDbGrid, etc., while running, create 
controls (data-aware or data-unaware) for different field types. A set of 
functions is used to adapt these controls to the fields and attach 
multifunction popup menus to them.

Creation of controls may be re-determined for any field type, including 
controls using in the TEtvDbGrid component. For this, the required variable 
in your project or library should simply be assigned the function of creation. 
Redefined controls will be used by etv components.


	Other components and mechanisms
	-------------------------------

- Etv datasets  
	- Editing data in design-time; You may call "Base DB form" and  
	  edit, sort, search data, get extracts of information there.   
	- Popup menu in designer consists copying to the clipboard, 
	  pumping labels from the database remarks, field auto correction, 
	  info about dataset and its fields. 
	- Checking a mastersource by inserting a record, i.e. master record 
	  must exist and if one is in the insert mode it call post. 
	- Autoincrement fields calculation from Delphi for single user 
	  applications. 
	- Other properties and events 
- Automatic opening/refreshing datasets in the run-time. This mechanism may 
  open datasets in datamodules (not all, optionally) when project opening, 
  opening or refreshing some datasets represented on a form then one become 
  active. 
- TEtvPrinter and auxiliary components. Printing in the text and graphics 
  mode, output to the file, page setup, numbering, fonts choice, including 
  text mode, line spacing and etc. 
- Various functions for design and run time, property and component editors. 


		Contact us
		==========

Etv Software	http://www.etvsoft.com
home page	

support		support@etvsoft.com
e-mail		info@etvsoft.com
