Delphi: At runtime find classes that descend from a given base class?

Question

Is there at way, at runtime, to find all classes that descend from a particular base class?

For example, pretend there is a class:

TLocalization = cl         


        

Answer 1

Ian, as Mason says the TRttiContext.GetTypes function get the list of all RTTI objects that provide type information . but this function was introduced in Delphi 2010.

As workaround you can inherit your base class from the TPersistent class and then register manually every class using the RegisterClass function (i know wich this is annoying).

then using the TClassFinder object you can retrieve all the registered classes.

see this sample

type
  TForm12 = class(TForm)
    Memo1: TMemo; // a TMemo to show the classes in this example
    ButtonInhertisFrom: TButton;
    procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
    procedure ButtonInhertisFromClick(Sender: TObject);
  private
    { Private declarations }
    RegisteredClasses : TStrings; //The list of classes
    procedure GetClasses(AClass: TPersistentClass); //a call procedure used by TClassFinder.GetClasses
  public
    { Public declarations }
  end;

  TTestCase = class (TPersistent) //Here is your base class 
  end;

  TTestCaseChild1 = class (TTestCase) //a child class , can be in any place in your application
  end;

  TTestCaseChild2 = class (TTestCase)//another child class
  end;

  TTestCaseChild3 = class (TTestCase)// and another child class
  end;

var
  Form12: TForm12;

implementation

{$R *.dfm}

//Function to determine if a class Inherits directly from another given class
function InheritsFromExt(Instance: TPersistentClass;AClassName: string): Boolean; 
var
  DummyClass : TClass;
begin
  Result := False;
  if Assigned(Instance) then
  begin
    DummyClass := Instance.ClassParent;
    while DummyClass <> nil do
    begin
      if SameText(DummyClass.ClassName,AClassName) then
      begin
        Result := True;
        Break;
      end;
      DummyClass := DummyClass.ClassParent;
    end;
  end;
end;

procedure TForm12.ButtonInhertisFromClick(Sender: TObject);
var
Finder       : TClassFinder;
i            : Integer;
begin
  Finder     := TClassFinder.Create();
  try
   RegisteredClasses.Clear; //Clear the list
   Finder.GetClasses(GetClasses);//Get all registered classes
   for i := 0 to RegisteredClasses.Count-1 do
     //check if inherits directly from TTestCase
     if InheritsFromExt(TPersistentClass(RegisteredClasses.Objects[i]),'TTestCase') then
     //or you can use , if (TPersistentClass(RegisteredClasses.Objects[i]).ClassName<>'TTestCase') and  (TPersistentClass(RegisteredClasses.Objects[i]).InheritsFrom(TTestCase)) then //to check if a  class derive from TTestCase not only directly
     Memo1.Lines.Add(RegisteredClasses[i]); //add the classes to the Memo 
  finally
  Finder.Free;
  end;
end;

procedure TForm12.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  RegisteredClasses := TStringList.Create;
end;

procedure TForm12.GetClasses(AClass: TPersistentClass);//The cllaback function to fill the list of classes
begin
  RegisteredClasses.AddObject(AClass.ClassName,TObject(AClass));
end;


initialization
//Now the important part, register the classes, you can do this in any place in your app , i choose this location just for the example
  RegisterClass(TTestCase);
  RegisterClass(TTestCaseChild1);
  RegisterClass(TTestCaseChild2);
  RegisterClass(TTestCaseChild3);
end.

UPDATE

I'm sorry, but apparently the TClassFinder class was introduced in Delphi 6