TBX Dynamic Theme Manager

Page Last Modified: Sept. 28th, 2004

Notice!

The theme files found here will now work as normal by just including them in your uses clause.

- OR -

To get the themes to work dynamically you have to compile the provided run-time packages and use the DTM.
Do not include the theme units in any uses clause.

TBX Dynamic Theme Manager (DTM)

This page is here to provide some basic information about my work on the TBX Dynamic Theme Manager (DTM).
The DTM started out as a simple exersice to see if TBX could be modified to support dynamically loaded themes.

For those of you who don't know what TBX is you should first visit the Toolbar2000 website.
Once you know what TB2k is then visit the TBX website.

The TDM works through the use of Runtime Packages. To get the TDM to work with your application you need to switch your project settings from a Monolithic .exe to a more modular RT Package design.

All of the packages have been updated.  Sept. 17th, 2004

  DTM Component Source This includes a DTM modified copy of Roy M. Klever's Themes.(D6 & D7 packages)
  TBX Demo src with DTM Component (configured for D7 build)
  D7 Compiled TBX Demo with DTM component and rmkTheme packages (requires D7 Runtime) (Link fixed Sept. 28, 2004)

How convert an existing theme

The way the DTM works is very simple. Each theme unit must:

Be placed in it's own package. (The package must have the define DTM_Package)

Have the following unit methods declared in the interface section:

     {$ifdef DTM_Package}
     function TBXThemeName:shortstring; stdcall;
     procedure TBXRegisterTheme(RegisterTheme:boolean); stdcall;
     {$endif}

Have the following code block placed at the top of the implementation section:

     {$ifdef DTM_Package}
     exports
        TBXThemeName,
        TBXRegisterTheme;
     
     const
        cThemeName = 'myThemeName';
     
     function TBXThemeName:shortstring; stdcall;
     begin
        result := cThemeName;
     end;
     
     procedure TBXRegisterTheme(RegisterTheme:boolean); stdcall;
     begin
       if RegisterTheme then
          RegisterTBXTheme(cThemeName, TTBXmyThemeObjTheme)
       else
          UnregisterTBXTheme(cThemeName);
     end;
     {$endif}

Go to Projects|Options. Select the Packages tab and check Build with Runtime Packages.
Now you don't need everything to be a Runtime package so I suggest that you only include what you need.
In the case of D6 it would be TBX_d6. This automatically includes the RTL anc VCL packages.

What's with the TBXT extension when I run the DTM?

I've made the DTM so that it will look for files with the TBXT extension. When you compile the new theme package it will create a BPL file, take that file and rename it's extension from BPL to TBXT and the DTM will find it and load it. You can load BPL files as well but it's easier to teach users to look for something unique like TBXT rather than trying to explain that not all BPLs are loadable themes.

Contact me at this email address. Make sure to add an underscore to the front of the email address!