What's New in ABC Version 6

• ABC Sprite Animation Framework. This is an integrated platform of 20 classes for high performance animation of 2D sprites. The sprite framework is extensible and supports a variety of image, effect and text sprite animations.
• New FormTabControl for tabbed form embedding, transition effects and docksite support.
• New MailToLabel for easy email integration.
• New message and progress dialog components.
• New timeout component.
• Press Release 7/02/2001
• See Release Notes for latest details

ABC Version 5 Features

• New dataset adapter framework for open dataset interfaces and BDE separation.
• Redesigned designtime and runtime packages to partition database functionality.
• New IDE features for complete Delphi 5 integration - Frames support, new property and component editors, ABC property category.
• New IDE component hint browser.
• 8 new components - see release notes for details.
• 15 enhanced components - see release notes for details.
• Enhanced image transition effects extended to Animation Frame and Form Panel controls.
• Menu toolbar and popup menu improvements.
• Press Release 9/09/99

The ABC Dataset Adapter Framework

This framework maps TDataset descendant class capabilities to a set of desired properties and methods used by ABC data controls.

An adapter design pattern used in this framework allows plug and play insertion of dataset classes and adapters without needing to recompile or modify the data controls.  Dataset classes are interchangeable, with runtime behaviour of the controls determined by the capabilities of the underlying dataset.

ABC data controls include custom actions for filtering, index selection, data navigation and other data actions.  Historically, these actions were limited to features of the BDE. 

In recent Delphi and C++ Builder releases, particularly Version 5 onwards, different databases use a variety of methods and support different subsets of this functionality in their TDataset descendant classes.  The ABC dataset adapter classes describe the TDataset class capabilities - mapping dataset class properties and methods to a standard set of properties and methods used by ABC controls.

The following figure illustrates the interfaces in the base classes and use of inheritance to override adapter methods:

The TabcDatasetAdapter class is a non-persistent lightweight object.  Descendant classes override its virtual methods to change capabilities and implementation details.  A new dataset adapter descendant class is created and registered for each TDataset descendant class.

No code is required to use these adapters; it is already built in to the ABC data controls.  All that is needed is to add the appropriate adapter unit to your project.  This registers the adapter class that will be used for each dataset class.  In future if you decide say, to replace TTable with TADOTable components, all that changes at the ABC component level is to substitute one adapter unit.

Dataset adapter classes are currently provided for the following databases:

Here are Links to These Database Companies

Both ABC Pro and Runtime versions include all source for the adapter classes to encourage sharing and development of this framework. 

We are adding other database and dataset support as requested by customers - please contact us to see if your database and dataset are now supported.

Feature and Pricing Matrix