how to get all the classes in an application

Question

I am writing a localization application in which i am reading the DFM information from the application resource through EnumResourceNames API call.

However, the function returns me a name of the form for which the DFM is associated. I tried getting the class from the FindClass, but since this whole operation is coded in a package, the FindClass fails. RegisterClass routine is called from the exe's intialization section.

FindClass works fine when called from within the code written in the exe project. So, i have developed my own registration framework wherein i add all the Form classes, but this is real pain as i need to add the unit of the form and then pass the form class to the RegisterClass routine.

I was hoping if anyone can provide a simple solution of getting all the classes that are in the executable from which the instance of the object can be created by searching the classname.

BTW I am using Delphi 6 Update 2.

Thanks Rahul W

Answer 1

If the application is calling RegisterClass() and the package is calling FindClass() (or vice versa), that will only work if both the package and the application are compiled with Runtime Packages enabled so they share a single instance of the RTL (which means you have to deploy the RTL and VCL packages alongside your application and package). Otherwise, your application and package will have their own local copies of the RTL instead. In order to share classes in that situation, one project will have to export extra functions that the other project can call when needed to register its local classes in the other project's local class list.

As for detecting the available classes dynamically, that is not possible in D6. The RTTI system did not gain enough detailed information to perform that kind of enumeration until D2010.