Property Saver - automatize saving of user settings

Property Saver is set of non visual components which allows you to centralize and automatize saving and restoring of windows position, properties of visual or non visual components and any other user defined values. Benefits:

it works without line of code (for standard components)
it's complex but very small solutions without any additional library
it's easy to extend to save properties of another non standard components
it improves your application and increase customer satisfaction

Property Saver support storing of forms and standard components settings without line of code (TForm, TEdit, TMemo, TListBox, TComboBox, TRadioButton, TRadioGroup, TCheckBox, TMenuItem). Other components can be managed by already created descendant components (TGridsPropSave, TDBGridPropSave) or you can create very easily your own component supporting any type of components (TMS, 3rd party...). Any other values can be saved manually by events OnReadProperties and OnSaveProperties.

All settings are stored in INI file. Its name can be set up at runtime, so it's very easy to use this package in multi user application, when each user use the same program but with his own INI file and therefore with his own configuration.

Pack contains:

TPropSaveFile - interface components between INI file and application
TPropSaveMain - main components providing all functions
TGridsPropSave, TDBGridPropsSave ...- descendant components for Grids, DBGrids etc.

Example of using

Step 1 - save main form position

Create new application with main form, Name=Form1
Place TPropSaveFile component on Form1, Name=PropSaveFile1
Place TPropSaveMain component on Form1, Name=PropSaveMain1
Set property PropSaveFile of PropSaveMain1: PropSaveFile=PropSaveFile1
Save and Run application

Now Form1 is always displayed in the same position as was when application finished.

Step 2 - save another form position

Create new form, Name=Form2
Add Form1 to uses part of Form2
Place TPropSaveMain component on Form2, Name=PropSaveMain2
Set property PropSaveFile of PropSaveMain2: PropSaveFile=Form1.PropSaveFile1
Add Button to Form1 and show Form2 on Click
Save and Run application

Now Form1 and Form2 is always displayed in the same position as was when application finished.

Step 3 - save standard components position and properties

Place TPanel to Form1, Name=Panel1
Set Align properties of Panel1, Align=alLeft
Add TSplitter to Form1, Name=Splitter1, Align=alLeft
Place another TPanel to Form1, Name=Panel2
Set Align properties of Panel2, Align=alClient
Place some other components to Panel1 and Panel2 (TEdit, TMemo, TCheckBox, TComboBox, TListBox)
DoubleClick on PropSaveMain1 component to display design time editor
In Tab "StdCtrl" select which components will be saved for saving of values of component, select all components
In Tab "CtrlPosition" select which components will be saved for saving of position of component, select Panel1
Save and Run application

Now all selected components is displayed with the same values as was when application finished. Additionally Panel1 is displayed in the same width.

The same steps use for each form in application.

Step 4 - save nonstandard components

Place TStringGrid component on Form2, Name=StringGrid2
Set property Options of StringGrid2: goEditing=True; goColSizing=true
Add TGridsPropSave to Form2, Name=GridsPropSave2
Set property PropSaveMain of GridsPropSave2, PropSaveMain=PropSaveMain2
DoubleClick on GridsPropSave2 component to display design time editor
Select which components will be saved, i.e. GridsPropSave2
Save and Run application

Now GridsPropSave2 is always displayed in the same content and columns width as was when application finished.

The same steps use for another components, but with another type of TCustomPropSave, i.e. TDBGridPropSave for saving of DBGrid properties.

Step 5 - save and read of user defined values

Open OnSaveProperties of PropSaveMain1 and add code:
PSFile.WriteString(Key,'LastFile',SomeVariable);
Open OnReadProperties of PropSaveMain1 and add code:
SomeVariable:=PSFile.ReadString(Key,'LastFile','noname.ini');

Now value of SomeVariable will be stored and restored automatically in INI file.

Step 6 - reset to default values

All settings are stored in one INI file, by default it is in directory with application and has name "appname.ini". For resetting from application use following code:


PropSaveFile1.Clear;  // clear contents of ini file

PropSaveFile1.SaveFile('');  // save empty file

PropSaveFile1.DisableAll:=true;  // don't save properties until close app

ShowMessage('Close the application and run again with default values.');  // inform user

Step 7 - change ini file name

For changing INI file name (e.g. according login name) use following:

Set property PropSaveEvents of PropSaveMain1, PropSaveEvents=pseFormShowHide (to be able to change filename before loading of main form values, another solution is to place TPropSaveFile to some DataModule and change filename before loading of Form1
Open OnCreate Events of Form1 and add code:
PropSaveFile1.LoadFile('c:\user1.cfg');

Now all setting will be stored and restored in selected file (e.g. c:\user1.cfg).

Step 8 - create new PropSave component for saving properties of another type of components

For automatic re/storing of another components create new PropSave Components.

Use TCustomPropSave as parent component
Override two procedures
protected procedure ReadSaveProps(A: TPropSaveAction; PSFile: TPropSaveFile; Key: string; Comp: TComponent); override; public function CanSave(Comp: TComponent): boolean; override;

See GridsPropSave.pas file for example.

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