[Lazarus] LCL=Package changes issue

[Mattias Gaertner]

On Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:53:25 +0100
Joost van der Sluis <joost at cnoc.nl> wrote:

> On Thu, 2011-02-10 at 12:14 +0100, michael.vancanneyt at wisa.be wrote:
> > 
> > On Thu, 10 Feb 2011, Joost van der Sluis wrote:
> > 
> > > On Thu, 2011-02-10 at 11:55 +0100, michael.vancanneyt at wisa.be wrote:
> > >> I would even go so far as to forbid the dependency of a run-time package on
> > >> a design-time package if the latter depends on the IDE interface package.
> > >
> > > I thought you would say so. I hoped Mattias would respond earlier then
> > > you. ;)
> > >
> > > But even in that case: to properly design my project you need this
> > > design-time package. So I want my project to depend on this design-time
> > > package, or else users who open it will not be prompted to install this
> > > design-time package. All they will see are some error messages that the
> > > IDE can not handle the forms.
> > 
> > This is also the case in Delphi.
> 
> Well, I think that's not user-friendly. If I open a project I would like
> to see that the IDE tells me: install this package and it will work.
> 
> > I don't see a problem with that, because you should always install the 
> > design-time package, never a run-time package. The run-time package will 
> > automatically be compiled when you install the design-time package.
> 
> Now you are confusing Lazarus with Delphi. In Lazarus it is impossible
> to install a design-time package which depends on a run-time package
> without installing the run-time package. So also all run-time packages
> have to be installed. 

The IDE warns when installing a runtime package directly.

 
> (Note however, that if you use fpmake, you can put the runtime-part in
> the fpmake-package, and separately install a designtime-package into
> Lazarus. Now in this case I use fpmake, so I can circumvent this
> problem. But I'm the only one who uses fpmake this way... 
> But then remains the problem: how do I tell Lazarus/the user that he
> need to install a package when he opens the project?)

Just opening a project does not require to install a package.
Opening a form does.
At the moment the IDE warns for all needed designtime packages, which
can be annoying if the form does not use any component of the package.

 
> > If you stick to this rule, then your "problem situation" will not
> > appear at all.
> 
> Well, the user will need to know this rule. So when he opens the
> project, and the IDE complains that he needs the 'WebDesign' package, he
> has to know that he has to install the 'WebDesign-designtime' package,
> and not the 'webdesign' package as the IDE tells him to do...

Yes, that is an open issue.
If a project requires a design-time-only package, it should not be
compiled to the project. 

Mattias