GExpert's Replace Components Expert doesn't replace the text in the form file (*.dfm)

Question

I am using Delphi 2010 and GExperts stable release 1.35

I am testing the "Replace Components" expert.

I add a main form and a secondary form. Each has three TEdits on it.

I use the Replace Components Expert to replace all TEdits with TRzEdit. I Check the Replace all components on all forms of the project.

It works, it replaces them all. However, it doesn't do anything to the DFM file. How do i make it replace those instances.

If i save, compile, or rebuild, i get errors.

If i try to view the form as text after replacing, i get errors.

Can someone explain to me the steps to make this work?

Thanks

Answer 1

You might be running into this bug while trying to copy the Touch property from the old to the new component, but it has a workaround you can fairly easily test: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/GExpertsDiscuss/message/3994

Details:

There is a limitation/bug in Delphi 2010 and XE where if you assign a Component.Touch property from one component to another and destroy the original component that the new component becomes corrupt (it isn't like component/interface references, where they either auto-correct themselves or are reference counted).

For the moment, you can assign a bi-directional replace component property map from TPanel.Touch to TGroupBox.Touch (use the two components being replaced in your specific case) that is marked as a disabled property map, and that will work around this problem. Our next release will not try to assign that property any longer.

GExperts 1.36 is also now available and includes a workaround for this issue. The workaround has been in the GExperts version control system and in testing for several weeks already.

Answer 2

I just tried it with Delphi XE and GExperts 1.35 and it does indeed crash now even after a single "Replace Selected". (It used to work fine in the past).

It seems that using the hidden menu Project | Clear Unit Cache just after Replace Components then doing a full build before trying any Save/Compile/View As Text... fixes the problem.

I think this menu is surfaced with cnPack. I don't have it and cannot guarantee, but you can easily do it yourself by adding the following unit in one of your installed packages:

unit FGEnableHiddenMenus;

interface

procedure Register;

implementation

uses
  Classes, Forms, Menus;

procedure Register;
var
  Comp: TComponent;
begin
  //Make a hidden menu item visible
  Comp := Application.MainForm.FindComponent('ProjectClearUnitCacheItem');
  if Comp is TMenuItem then
    TMenuItem(Comp).Visible := True;
end;

end.

Source: Brian Long's old goodies

Update: I had to replace a couple of TEdit by TDBEdit on our main project at work and this trick worked.
But on a new Project with 3 Forms, it failed consistently to write/commit/save the changes on the last Form (same environment).
FYI, I tried with and without DDevExtensions 2.5 and IDEFixPack 4.6.1

Update2: Went digging in the GExperts forum as suggested by Ulrich and finally found a possible explanation. The new property Touch does not like being copied from one component to another when the source is destroyed (causing the AV).
The suggested workaround is to do a bidirectional mapping in the Expert Settings to disable the copy for this property: