Best way to make a component icon in Delphi XE using only the built in tools

Question

In Delphi 7, an image editor program is included, which can read and write .dcr files, which are merely binary resource files (.res files) with a different extension, which by convention indicates that the .dcr file contains a compiled resource with named bitmap resources that have names corresponding to your component names (a bitmap resource named TMYCOMPONENT for a component named TMyComponent). These bitmaps are where the "icons" used to put an icon on the delphi component palette, and on your form or data-module when you drop a non-visual component on it, come from.

Fast forward 10 years to Delphi XE, and I am trying to make component icons using a bitmap file, and an RC file, and have that build to a .DCR file, as part of the Delphi IDE.

It should be simply a matter of adding an .Rc file and a declaration like this in the .dpk (package source) file, like this:

{$R mypackageicons.rc mypackageicons.dcr}

A sample .rc file containing a component icon:

 // COMPONENT ICON RESOURCES
 TMYCOMPONENT BMP "TMYCOMPONENT.BMP"

However I can not get this to work. It seems that you get some bizarre RLINK32 errors, and IDE crashes in borlandmm.dll, when I try it:

[DCC Error] E2161 Error: RLINK32: Unsupported 16bit resource in file "C:\temp\compicon\COMPONENTICONS.rc"
[DCC Fatal Error] F2084 Internal Error: AV21515155-W06000D07-1

The bitmap file in question is a simple 256 color bmp file size 24x24 pixels, and I have also tried 16 color bitmaps, with no luck. It seems to me that the ImageEdit program is the only way that I know of that I can use to create Delphi component icons.

What am I missing out on?

Update: The external tools are a nice solution for people who don't have access to the Delphi 7 image editor, and may in fact be superior, but I would prefer to do this using only what ships with Delphi, because it seems that it should be possible using just one {$R} declaration, a text file, and a bmp file made with paintbrush. Surely they didn't omit to make a way to make component icons, with this great big 1.5 gigabyte developer tool! .. update2: And there is a way; Rudy V. found it.

Component resource files need to contain 24x24 pixel, 16 color VGA images. You don't have to give it the dcr extension; just add the{$R YourRes.res} to the package source file containing the Register procedure. — Ken White
I believe the resource should be of type 'BITMAP', not 'BMP'. — Sertac Akyuz
I tried that too. What's odd is that RES (DCR) files created with D7 Image editor create BMP entries, not BITMAP entries. — Warren P
I'm sure I've included .dcr files which did not have the same name as the unit that does registration. I'm sure I just included then in the dpk file. — David Heffernan
Compile with >brcc32 mypackageicons.rc -fomypackageicons.dcr, and include with {$R mypackageicons.dcr}. At least all will be with included tools. — Sertac Akyuz

Rudy Velthuis Rudy Velthuis · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-09T17:23:34

I have used and had great success with:

Colin Wilson's XN Resource Editor
Anders Melander's Resource Editor

Update

I just tried the following, in XE, and was successful.

I created a new component, TNewAnimate, in NewAnimates.pas.
I added TNewAnimate.pas to dclusr.dpk.
I added a bitmap (called TMRUComboBox.bmp, I just had that around anyway) using the Project → Resources and Images... dialog to the .dpk and gave it the name TNEWANIMATE.
I re-installed dclusr.dpk.

The source file for dclusr.pdk got a new entry {$R *.dres} (note the extension). I could see the TNewAnimate in the Samples palette with the glyph in TMRUComboBox.bmp.

I located dclusr.dres in the same directory as dclusr.dpk (which is normally under C:\Program Files, but not in my setup). I tried to open it with XN Resource Editor, but that refused to open it with a cryptic error message. It is not a normal .res file, it seems.

enter image description here

Best way to make a component icon in Delphi XE using only the built in tools

4 Answers

Update