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

Answer 1

I have investigated the previous responses using Delphi XE5 upd2. Not much success. So I tried to build a new solution and found one derived from previous answers.

In short: 1. Create your bitmap using Windows Paint program. 2. Create a resource script file with the bitmap. 3. Compile the script with BRCC32 to produce the dcr file 4. Include the dcr file into the package source 5. Recompile/Install the package

To automate this, it is enough to add the BRCC32 command line into the package project "pre-build events". This way, you dcr file will be recreated before each build.

For a detailed description, see my blog at http://francois-piette.blogspot.be/2014/02/howto-create-dcr-file-for-your-delphi.html

Answer 2

Try Resource Editor. A nice replacement for old Image Editor.

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

First add 'mypackageicons.rc' file to the project, this produces 'mypackageicons.res' at compile time (see related SO answer to the question "Including resource file in a project by .RC file rather than .RES file").

Also include {$R mypackageicons.res mypackageicons.dcr} to the component unit (or to the .dpk). This does not produce a '.dcr file', but sets the icon for the component.

Note that my test with a 'BMP' resource failed. I used 'BITMAP' as resource type.