Delphi - Component Directory Structure

When developing components, I find the following directory structure to be useful. Basically, I prefer separate directories for

The source code for the component
The source code for a form used to develop the component
Various forms needed to test the design-time performance
The Help files
And other stuff

For components that are placed via the toolbars, I provide a special directory, and a written list of test cases, to verify that everything works. Since these testcases are executed many times, and because these testcases require creating many test forms, it is useful to keep these in a separate directory. This greatly simplifies deleting all the files for old versions. To keep different versions separate, just create additional directories .. as needed.

For components that are not provided via the toolbars, there is no reason to test them in a separate directory.

The generic components that I plan to use in multiple projects are created under

C:\Delphi\DelphiComponents

Each component (or function library) is in a separate subdirectory branded with a 2-letter prefix. (My scientific components are in a separate area.) Under that directory, I use the following.

(root)	I place the component source in the root of the structure. This also includes custom image and resource files - as appropriate. It would also make sense to place these in a directory called "source".
Testcases DevForms Development forms	These are the forms used to develop the component. Some use the path to access the new component. My Vista form repair component required 6 different forms to develop it.
ComponentTestcases	None of these use the path to access the component. Because my Vista form repair component modified the form at design time, it required 9 different forms to test it.
Help	This contains design notes, detailed instructions on how to test the component, and actual help files - currently written in html.
Help\images	Components on a toolbar need an icon (*.bmp). Some components also need screen shots or other images to document how they work.
Help\under development Help\under development\images	When producing html help files I keep them in under development until they are completed and spell checked. My standard configuration has several template files to help produce consistent results.
Help\web Help\web\images Help\web\under development Help\web\under development\images	These files are in html. I keep them in under development until they are completed and spell checked. As a result, each directory has its own images directory. Most components won't have web help.
packages\lib_50 packages\lib_60, etc	I provide separate directories for the packages (and compiled files) - one per version.
Backup	I haven't found a content management system that I like, therefore I make periodic backups of the source files - pas frm bmp. Each subdirectory is named for the date of the most recent file it contains - yyyy-mm-dd.

The web help and the component help are not the same. Typically, the footer is different - one has contact information and the other doesn't - and the audience is different. (Most components do not have web help.) Writing good help files is sometimes as involved as writing the component.

I keep the help images in separate directories - adding additional subdirectories as appropriate. Because of how the help is partitioned, this requires a minimum of 4 directories.

In some cases, each of the main directories - help, testcases, and the like - will have its own backup directory.

Author: Robert Clemenzi

Delphi - Component Directory Structure

URL: http:// mc-computing.com / Languages / Delphi / ComponentDirectoryStructure.html